Lift trucks: Standardized fleet helps control maintenance costs

Estes Express Lines has provided transportation solutions to and from all 50 states for more than 80 years. With headquarters in Richmond, Va., their range of services includes business-to-business and business-to-consumer shipping solutions.

Unfortunately for the company’s nearly 2,000 lift trucks, the process of loading tractor trailers was rapidly reducing tire life and causing operators to overheat the engines. After standardizing around a single brand, the company streamlined serviceability and reduced maintenance downtime.

To meet demanding deadlines, loading time at the dock was a whirlwind of forward and reverse motion. Operators driving the lift trucks to and from the dock found that wheel spin during their shuttling duties wore through the tires at an alarming rate. On top of that, the lift trucks were overheated and pushed past the recommended level of strain on the powertrain and transmission. Maintenance costs were high and uptime decreased with each truck in the shop for either one or both of these problems.

“We do reports that measure utilization,” says Mike Palmer, vice president of fleet services for Estes. “If a forklift wasn’t working properly, we would tell the terminal manager not to use it that day. There are certain times of day, however, that we need every one of them.”

The new lift trucks use patented transmission technology to slow down the lift trucks when the accelerator pedal is released, making braking unnecessary and stopping tire spin. The technology also increases efficiency and reduces operator fatigue by simplifying movements. The transmission is programmed to alert the operator when the transmission is overheated and shuts the engine off after 30 seconds of continued strain.

Palmer says these features help Estes work its lift trucks in excess of 30,000 hours when the normal life is approximately 10,000 hours. At the same time, uptime has increased dramatically and the company has seen enhanced productivity at the loading docks.

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