When choosing a fork truck, you are also choosing a fork truck dealer. The dealer will provide the service and support to keep your lifts running smoothly, so it is important that you find one who is reputable, stable, and can provide top-notch service.

Some important questions to ask when evaluating fork truck dealers:

• How long have you been in business?
• What kind of parts inventory do you keep on site?
• How many technicians do you have?
• Do you do on-site service?
• Do you have guaranteed response times when a piece of equipment breaks down?
• What kind of insurance do you carry? (If they don't have proper worker's comp, one of their technicians who gets hurt while repairing a fork lift truck at your facility could fall under your insurance.)

In addition to having a demo at your location, you may want to visit the dealer’s facility. Simply seeing the parts warehouse and service areas can give you a good sense of their capabilities.

Since fork truck dealers typically have exclusive territories for the brands they sell, it can be fairly easy to get a sense of the firm’s general reputation. Talking to other businesses in your area can be a great source of insight into a dealer’s strengths and weaknesses. You should also ask the dealer for customer references, preferably of customers with fork lift applications similar to yours.

When checking references, you can ask questions like these:

• How long have you been a customer of theirs? How many forklifts have you purchased?
• Did you get the right forklift for your application?
• Has the dealer done a good job with maintenance and repairs?
• Would you buy from this dealer again?
• What could the dealer improve about their operation?

If you decide to rent first, you can turn to a third-party equipment rental company instead of a dealer. Rental companies often offer multiple brands of fork trucks. By trying out a different fork lift each month, you will have a much better sense of which brand and type is best for your application after a few months.