Is it Time to See Less of Us?

April 14th, 2020 - Scheduling Planned Maintenance Service

We love ya, but it might not be in your best interest to see us quite as often. Please understand, this isn’t a breakup and we’re certainly not suggesting that you date around and see other lift truck service companies. However, as many businesses are slowing down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this is a great time to assess your lift truck utilization and consider adjusting your Planned Maintenance (PM) service intervals that can result in saving you money.

Just to be clear, we firmly believe in the value of Planned Maintenance and commit to these same disciplines with our own short-term rental fleet. Did you know that most newer lift trucks only need to be serviced between 250-500 operating hours? For some, your operating environment (i.e. areas where atmospheric conditions are dusty, or corrosive) requires more frequent service intervals, especially those of you that are using engine powered lift trucks instead of electric. Fun fact while we’re on the topic of engine powered lift trucks, shutting the engine off when not in use will reduce the number of operating hours, save fuel, improve safety, reduce emissions, and help you lose weight (OK, I slid the last one in to see if you’re napping on me).

By now each of your businesses should be OSHA compliant and using some form of pre-operational inspection before equipment is placed in service each day. The importance of pre-op inspections increases as you consider lengthening the time between PM service intervals (think of this like doing daily cycle counts vs. annual inventory). To heighten your awareness, OSHA appears to be seeing more of our Kansas and Missouri customers (clearly, they didn’t get the memo to stay at home). Please ensure that your lift truck operators are attentive to the small items that are often missed. Legible capacity plates, warning and safety decals, labels that clearly define the function of each hydraulic lever, access to operator manuals, and operators with up to date certifications (required every three years) are some of the easiest to overlook.

We hope the above message communicates that we care and are committed to our long-term relationship, and not just interested in “routine PM flings”. Please contact your Lift Truck Center Customer Service Sales Representative to help identify your equipment usage so you’re prepared to make informed decisions. We will do our best to help you feel the love (while still maintaining acceptable social distancing).