Accident Report: Electric Pallet Truck vs Transport Truck
The incident occurred when an electric pallet jack was being relocated in a 52’ transport truck trailer by a local beer distributor near Atlanta, Georgia in September of 2016. At one point during the trip, the truck’s driver was forced to come to complete stop to avoid an accident with another vehicle.
As the transport truck came to a sudden stop, the Stärke LiftMaxx PT45WAX electric pallet truck maintained its velocity and flew towards the front of the transport truck at 65mph. The PT45 generated enough force it completely removed the nose of the trailer from both the floor and roof. The damage to the trailer was severe and would likely be written off.
Uncertain about the condition of the PT45, the customer called their local Stärke Material Handling authorized dealer, Lanier Lift, a local Stärke dealership based out of Buford, GA to service the unit and conduct a post-accident inspection. According to Brian Harmon, customer service representative at Lanier Lift, and a former lift mechanic with decades of experience, the Stärke LiftMaxx PT45WAX was able to go back to the distributor the same day despite experiencing what amounted to a fall from a four story building. In fact, the damage to the PT45WAX was entirely cosmetic, amounting to a small crack in the rear cover and some minor scratches to the paint.
“Try that with any other pallet jack… ANY other pallet jack and it would be completely destroyed! All this unit required was a new cover and some paint – nothing to it. Now that is true quality!” explained Brian Harmon.
This incident demonstrates that Stärke equipment is designed and manufactured to provide high quality and durable equipment for even the toughest applications. This is particularly the case with the PT45WAX, which utilizes durable metal parts for the essential components (unlike the lower quality plastic parts used by many competitors), a rugged steel frame, corrosion-resistant Zinc Dichromate fittings, and Stärke system of “constant stability”. For more information or to demo a unit for yourself, please visit Stärke online or find a local dealer near you!
