Things to be aware of when hiring a forklift

This article aims provide some assistance to potential buyers in terms of Things to be aware of when hiring a forklift.
If you hire a car you know that you will be expected to return it in the same condition as when you took it away – even including a full tank of fuel. Why should a forklift be any different?

Things you must do when Hiring a Forklift

• Ensure you have a written hire contract or agreement
• Read and understand your hire agreement
• Check your truck on delivery and record any damage or defects. Make sure that you and the hiring company both have a copy of the signed handover certificate.
• Make sure all operators know how to operate and look after the truck
• Make certain that daily or pre-shift checks are carried out and recorded.
• Deal with faults as they occur – don’t leave them to deteriorate.
• Make sure the truck is serviced in accordance with the manufacturers requirements. Usually this is part of your contract, but you must let the hiring company have access to do the work when it is due.
• Have damage repaired as it occurs. This will keep your trucks safe. Damaged components or bodywork can be dangerous and will not get better in time – quite the reverse. Such repairs are not usually part of the agreement. If you leave them, all you are doing is storing up costs for the end of the contract.
• Think about the cost of replacement items and make your operators and supervisors aware that damage will have to be paid for.

Things you must not do when Hiring a Forklift

• Hire a truck on just a spoken agreement.
•  Allow untrained persons to operate or even move the truck
• Authorise the truck to be used on inappropriate terrain or in unacceptable areas.
• Allow the truck to be overloaded.
• Ignore unsuitable use of the truck.
•  Neglect unwanted drips of oil and other fluids.  These are the blatant signs of careless operators and the next deeper dent or scuff may cost you a lot of money.