Opinion FLTA Damage limitation
In this month’s Fact File, the Fork Lift Truck Association looks at the issue of fair wear and tear in relation to fork lift trucks.
Expectations when hiring and leasing cars are very well understood. From
restoring damaged body work to refuelling the tank, drivers are aware of the costs they are likely to incur at the end of the term. However, that doesn’t appear to be the case at the end of a fork lift truck contract, lead- ing to widespread confusion and not a little acrimony. Let’s be clear from the start. Customers are financially responsible for any repairs outside of normal ‘wear and tear’ – on top of their contract hire fees. And you should be aware that when a fork lift truck is damaged, it can cost much more than expected. Would you return a hire car looking like this?
A truck may be on hire as long as five years and during this time expected deterioration, known as ‘wear and tear’, will occur. Importantly, this term refers to a truck being used in accord- ance with the manufacturer’s guidelines. It should not – under any circumstances – be con- fused with damage, which is caused by misuse or abuse.
COST OF THE PROBLEM Damage to a fork lift truck often results in damage to other components. A truck’s exterior normally protects its hydraulic and electronic systems. When this protection is compro- mised these more valuable items are exposed to risk. Equally, safety-related structures, such as an overhead guard,
often cannot be repaired. Re- placement prices vary between models, but will probably cost several thousand pounds. Seats are among the most fre- quently abused items. While gen- uine wear is accepted at the end of a contract, holes and rips are not. They are chargeable dam- age and fitting a replacement will cost several hundred pounds. The labour required to repair or fit less expensive options is also costly. Fork lift hire companies are businesses. Their charges reflect overheads, including a service engineer’s valuable time. So it makes sense to take some precautionary measures…
AVOIDING THE PROBLEM Do: • Ensure you have a written hire agreement that you have read and understood;
• Check the truck on deliv- ery and record any dam- age or deficiencies;
• Confirm that you and your hir- ing company have a copy of the same handover certificate;
• Ensure all operators are aware of how to operate and look after the truck;
• Establish and maintain a system of recorded daily or pre-shift checks;
• Deal with faults and dam- age as they occur. Do not allow them to deteriorate;
• Ensure that your truck is serviced in accordance with the manufacturer’s require- ments by allowing hiring company access to complete
30 May 2012 Storage Handling Distribution
www.shdlogistics.com work when necessary;
• Make your operators and supervisors aware of the costs resulting from damage.
Don’t: • Hire a truck on verbal agreement; • Allow untrained
personnel to operate the truck;
• Authorise the truck for use on unsuitable ground or in unsuitable areas;
• Permit overloading; • Ignore inappropri- ate use of the truck;
• Neglect unwanted drips of oil and other fluids (these are symptoms of something more serious developing);
• Overlook minor scratches to bodywork (these are the telltale signs of careless operators – the next scratch or dent may cost a lot of money);
FAIR WEAR AND TEAR GUIDE The FLTA has produced an unbiased 32-page illustrated guide which defines the term ‘fair wear and tear’ in relation to the hire of fork lift trucks. This is exclusively available through FLTA Member compa- nies. Full details of Member companies are available from the FLTA website. n
www.fork-truck.org.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68