Project Summary
Unable to back up full-sized truck to dock.
Title : Moveable, versatile solution needed
Customer : Thrift Stores
Overview
A multi-store thrift retailer could not back full-size trailers to their only dock, preventing forklift access and slowing weekly cardboard bale pickups. They chose a Forklift Pro® Speed-Lift® as a compact, moveable, construction-free way to service both small trucks and tractor trailers at one location.
The Customer Problem
This facility had a single elevated dock with no room for a tractor trailer to back in. Smaller box trucks could reach the dock, but full-size trailers could not, and the retailer couldn’t get their forklift out of the building to meet those trailers on the asphalt.
The operational bottlenecks:
- No tractor-trailer access to the dock
- No safe way to move a forklift between indoor dock height and outdoor grade level
- Weekly tractor-trailer pickups were a valuable revenue stream
- Proposed alternatives (permanent platform + ramp system) would be expensive, require permitting, and extend into a shared right-of-way
- Losing the ability to load smaller trucks at the existing dock was not an option
Limitations of Traditional Solutions
Typical dock-access solutions failed for multiple reasons:
- Permanent platform system: Costly, slow to build, required construction into a shared right-of-way, and would disrupt operations.
- Yard ramp: Too steep for forklift traffic, unsafe for heavy bales, and took up space they didn’t have.
None of these options provided the flexibility to service both short trucks at the dock and trailers on the asphalt.
Why Speed-Lift Was Selected
The thrift operator needed a moveable, forklift-rated dock lift that could position anywhere a trailer could reach — without losing use of the dock they already had.
Speed-Lift® was chosen because it is:
- Surface-mounted: No construction, no right-of-way issues, no permitting delays.
- Moveable: The Forklift Pro can rotate via tow-bar and reposition 90° for parallel-to-building trailer access.
- Forklift-rated: Handles heavy cardboard bales and forklift traffic safely.
- Fast: 9-10 second lift cycles keep weekly trailer pickups efficient.
- Versatile: Allows both small trucks at the dock and tractor trailers at ground level using one piece of equipment.
Speed-Lift® delivered all the capability of a dock — anywhere they needed one.
Configuration Selected
Model: Forklift Pro® Speed-Lift®
Capacity: 15,000 lb
Platform Size: 68″ × 150″
Anchoring / Mobility: Moveable configuration
Add-Ons:
Removable tow-bar attachment (for rotating the lift 90°)
100′ quick-disconnect power cable
Automatic Folding Ramp (AFR) and bridge for safe transitions
Standard Speed-Lift® impact-rated frame and bumpers
Towing a Forklift Pro Speed-Lift
Forklift Pro Speed-Lift at Dock
Measurable Improvements
- Enabled tractor-trailer pickups without construction
- Restored full forklift access from dock to grade
- Avoided major construction cost
- Allowed the customer to keep using their existing dock for smaller trucks
- Reduced maneuvering time by using a lift that repositions in minutes
- Improved safety by eliminating steep ramps and improvised forklift paths
The customer now uses one moveable Speed-Lift® instead of a large, fixed infrastructure project.
