A 3PL handles many customers with different pallet types, weights and turnaround requirements. The fleet has to be flexible rather than optimised for one product.
Most 3PL sites live or die on dock throughput. Counterbalance forklifts and pallet trucks handle the dock; reach trucks handle the racking. Getting the ratio between these wrong is the usual cause of dock queues.
Contract penalties make downtime expensive. Fleets should be specified with service access in mind, and spare trucks or rapid-response maintenance arranged before peak season rather than during it.
Aisle width, floor type, shift pattern and load weight are enough for us to recommend a specification.
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