Forklift Fleet Sizing
Size a forklift fleet against a realistic utilization target, not a 100%-wrench-time assumption that systematically undersizes the fleet.
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How this works
Required truck-hours per day is move volume times cycle time per move. Each truck's realistic available hours is shift length times the utilization target, not the full shift, since no truck runs at 100% wrench-time. Fleet size rounds up to the nearest whole truck.
Key terms
- Utilization target: the realistic productive-time share of a shift, typically 75 to 85%, not 100%.
Assumptions
- Uniform move type and cycle time
Limitations
- Single shift pattern, not a multi-shift or mixed-equipment plan
Sources
Standard material-handling equipment fleet-sizing practice.
Worked example
Sizing against a 100%-utilization assumption gives 5 trucks for 40 required truck-hours in an 8-hour shift. The realistic 75%-utilization calculation requires 7 trucks, a 2-truck undersizing the naive assumption would miss.
Common use cases
- Sizing a forklift or pallet-jack fleet for a warehouse or DC
- Justifying a fleet expansion with real utilization math
- Comparing fleet size against a conveyor alternative