The Material Handling Blog

Many managers in materials handling operations would admit that their staff could benefit from training - even for experienced drivers, getting a refresher in the basics and learning more about laws and safety rules that affect drivers.

However, budgets can often be tight, and it's easy for training to drop down the list of priorities - especially when there are more pressing challenges to address in the operation.

This is understandable, but training shouldn't be seen as just another expense. In the long-run, having well-trained drivers with the right attitude can actually end up saving you significant amounts.

For some businesses, the amount of money spent on fixing damage to forklifts caused by poor or careless driving can be painfully high. These costs not only make the operation less efficient and eat up budget, they're also completely avoidable.

Maintenance costs will always be a fact of life, but it's possible to drastically reduce the costs of avoidable damage by investing in your operators.

Proper forklift training can achieve things that every warehouse manager wants – increased safety, better employee satisfaction and retention, and heightened productivity, amongst many other things. However, good training comes at a price, and involves taking time out of the working day, so there’s often people in an organization who refuse to prioritise it.