WA freight company upgrades forklifts at its Perth depot

A thriving West Australian freight company has re-equipped its Perth depot with seven Toyota forklift trucks.

Esperance Freight Lines, part of the Freight Lines Group, commissioned six internal-combustion 2.5-tonne payload Toyota 8FG25 forklifts and a battery-electric 8FBN25 forklift at its Welshpool (Perth) depot.

The latest order means Esperance Freight Lines has bought 22 Toyota forklifts in the last three years for its depots in Esperance, Geraldton and Kalgoorlie.

Managing director Michael Harding said his father, John Harding, founded the company 25 years ago and its first Toyota forklift purchase would date from that time.

TMHA WA major accounts manager Russell Dickson said Esperance Freight Lines’ first Toyota purchases would have been through previous dealer LiftRite Toyota, before the factory-owned company Toyota Material Handling Australia was formed in 2005 to sell and support Toyota, BT Lift Truck and Raymond material handling products nationally.

Toyota’s 2.5-tonne payload 8FG25 is one of the top-selling counter-balance forklifts in Australia and widely used in the transport industry.

“The popularity of the Toyota FG forklift range is based on proven reliability that just keeps on going in all environments, giving our customers excellent performance, service and good value for money from a proven brand they can trust,” Dickson said.

The award-winning 8-Series Toyota forklifts have a number of safety features, including Toyota’s System of Active Stability (SAS) technology that helps prevent tip overs.

Other safety features include an Operator Presence Sensing system that stops the forklift from moving unless the operator is correctly seated at the controls, while the Active Mast Function Controller can sense instability, thereby limiting the mast angle and speed according to the height and weight of the load.

The 8-Series also offers a large, easily accessible workspace with a wide foot area, a tight turning circle for improved manoeuvrability, ergonomically designed controls, good forward visibility and a comfortable and fully adjustable operator restraint suspension seat with added lumbar support.

The fuel-efficient Toyota engines are tuned to minimise noise levels in enclosed environments. They also have Toyota hydraulic valve lifters to help lower engine noise and reduce maintenance requirements.