Warehouse Forklift Guide: Choosing the Right Truck for Your Layout
Not all forklifts are suited to all warehouses. Aisle width, rack height, floor surface, throughput volume, and the types of loads you handle all influence which truck will work hardest for you. Here is a practical guide to matching the forklift to the warehouse.
Counterbalance forklift
The counterbalance forklift is the most common and versatile warehouse truck. It is designed to pick up pallets from the front, with its weight counterbalanced at the rear. Available in electric, diesel, and LPG variants.
Best for
Loading and unloading vehicles, moving pallets over longer distances, versatile applications requiring an outdoor/indoor mix. Requires a working aisle of approximately 3.5–4 metres.
Reach truck
A reach truck has forks mounted on a pantograph mechanism that extends forward of the mast, allowing it to place pallets into racking and retrieve them without needing to drive the whole machine into the aisle. This allows narrower aisles.
Best for
High-bay warehousing with racking to 12 metres or more. Suited to aisles of 2.5–3 metres. Not suited to outdoor use. Electric only.
Very narrow aisle (VNA) trucks
VNA trucks operate in aisles as narrow as 1.6 metres and can work at very significant heights — up to 17 metres in some configurations. They require a high-quality, level floor with embedded wire or optical guidance in many cases.
Best for
High-density storage warehouses with a significant investment in racking and floor infrastructure. Not suited to general-purpose operations.
Order pickers
Order pickers carry the operator up with the forks, allowing the picker to select individual items from racking at height rather than moving whole pallets. They are essential in e-commerce fulfilment, piece-pick distribution, and parts operations.
Best for
Operations with high SKU variety and individual item picking. Electric only. LOLER thorough examination required every 6 months as the operator is elevated.
Pallet trucks and ride-on stackers
Electric ride-on pallet trucks and stackers handle ground-level and low-level pallet movement. They are cost-effective, compact, and ideal for horizontal transport or loading trailers.
Best for
Trailer loading and unloading, horizontal transport, small to medium warehouses where reach truck capacity is unnecessary.
How to choose — quick reference
| Scenario | Recommended truck |
| Loading and unloading vehicles outdoors and indoors | Counterbalance (LPG or diesel) |
| High-bay racking, indoor only | Reach truck |
| Maximum storage density, premium floor | VNA truck |
| Individual item picking from racking | Order picker |
| Ground-level pallet movement and trailer loading | Ride-on pallet truck |
Talk to Davison Forklift about your warehouse
Our team can assess your warehouse layout and specify the right truck for your operation. We supply new and used forklifts for purchase and hire across the West Midlands and UK. Call 01952 915 060.