It’s actually a little less time than that as I get 2 15 minute breaks during that 8 hours.
Checking the oil, coolant, hydraulic fluid, and the radiator for debris takes about 30 seconds. Add an extra few seconds to check the belt tension using the little jig I made and you get the hard part done in less than a minute. Most of the time saving here is from how I park the lifts and how I plot my path through them.
Checking the hydraulics for proper movement is fairly short as well and during that you can check the horn and lights.
The parking brake gets checked when you try to move the lift and so are the reverse alarms and reverse lights.
Checking the tank presence sensor is done on approach to the lift by disconnecting the tank latch before hopping on and attempting to start the lift, if it properly detects the disconnected latch it won’t start.
Tire wear is checked on approach as well due to having a line painted on my boot that is just over an inch off the ground (if the tires have less tread than that they need new tires)
Checking for leaks is fairly quick as well as it’s basically looking for wet spots on the lines and dots on the ground.
Logging the hours is done typically while the lifts auxiliary systems (that we add) are starting up.
The paperwork takes awhile though NGL
So in general I can get through all the lifts in about 5.5 hours and the paperwork takes the rest of my shift.
It can be pretty stressful at times but in general it’s actually pretty chill. I don’t have to worry about other people driving around me, I don’t have to worry about hazardous materials, and I get to avoid one of my supervisors who has a skill of making everyone around them more stressed.
Especially considering the paperwork takes the rest of my shift regardless of how long the inspections take 😉
Unfortunately I do need to check all of them everyday. There’s only a 6 hour gap between shifts where I work so I need to finish all of them in that time. And during the 18 hours the forklifts are in motion they’re redlining the engines and doing 8mph. So basically each forklift drives about 150 miles a night.
It’s actually a little less time than that as I get 2 15 minute breaks during that 8 hours.
Checking the oil, coolant, hydraulic fluid, and the radiator for debris takes about 30 seconds. Add an extra few seconds to check the belt tension using the little jig I made and you get the hard part done in less than a minute. Most of the time saving here is from how I park the lifts and how I plot my path through them.
Checking the hydraulics for proper movement is fairly short as well and during that you can check the horn and lights.
The parking brake gets checked when you try to move the lift and so are the reverse alarms and reverse lights.
Checking the tank presence sensor is done on approach to the lift by disconnecting the tank latch before hopping on and attempting to start the lift, if it properly detects the disconnected latch it won’t start.
Tire wear is checked on approach as well due to having a line painted on my boot that is just over an inch off the ground (if the tires have less tread than that they need new tires)
Checking for leaks is fairly quick as well as it’s basically looking for wet spots on the lines and dots on the ground.
Logging the hours is done typically while the lifts auxiliary systems (that we add) are starting up.
The paperwork takes awhile though NGL
So in general I can get through all the lifts in about 5.5 hours and the paperwork takes the rest of my shift.
That sounds stressful. Do you need to check this many or do you just do it because you’re fast enough.
It can be pretty stressful at times but in general it’s actually pretty chill. I don’t have to worry about other people driving around me, I don’t have to worry about hazardous materials, and I get to avoid one of my supervisors who has a skill of making everyone around them more stressed.
Especially considering the paperwork takes the rest of my shift regardless of how long the inspections take 😉
Unfortunately I do need to check all of them everyday. There’s only a 6 hour gap between shifts where I work so I need to finish all of them in that time. And during the 18 hours the forklifts are in motion they’re redlining the engines and doing 8mph. So basically each forklift drives about 150 miles a night.