Toyota the forklift of choice
for Clarkson Freightlines
The superior handling, versatility and driver comfort offered
by Toyota forklifts has prompted a West Australian freight
company to run a Toyota-only fleet at its busy transport depots.
TMH Torque
I
10
1800 425 438
TMH Torque
I
11
1800 425 438
Clarkson Freightlines services the mid-west
region of WA between Perth and Geraldton
and operates out of its Greenough depot near
Geraldton and a new facility at Forrestfield in
Perth. It specialises in distributing freight to
the agricultural sector, including all types of
general freight from dangerous goods farm
chemicals and fencing materials to timber
and building supplies.
Having used forklifts from a range of other
brands, company General Manager Kris
Clarkson said they now run an all-Toyota
forklift fleet split between their two locations.
“We had used forklifts from a few different
brands previously. As a busy freight company
our forklifts are constantly in use and need to
be able to handle a big workload and variety
of uses, so we decided to go in search of a
superior product with excellent handling and
a reliable backup service,” he said.
“We purchased one Toyota forklift and we
were all impressed with the reliability and
ease-of-operation, so over the past couple of
years we replaced the others and now only
operate Toyota forklifts.”
Clarkson Freightlines uses four 2.5-tonne
payload 62-8FD25 diesel-powered forklifts
for general duties and one LPG-powered
2.5-tonne 32-8FG25 forklift for lighter duties.
“They’ve become the machine of choice for
our depot staff,” Mr Clarkson said. “They’re
much more comfortable to drive and operate
than the forklifts we had previously and have
proven to be really finely tuned pieces of
equipment – all the options we needed were
there as standard.”
Toyota’s range of 8-Series forklifts offer
superior operator comfort thanks to features
like the fully-adjustable Operator Restraint
Suspension seat with lumbar support and a
spacious operator compartment that provides
excellent forward visibility.
Stability and safety is covered by features
such as Automatic Fork Levelling Control
to level the forks during loading. Selected
8-Series variants also feature Toyota’s
exclusive System of Active Stability
comprising the advanced Active Swing Lock
Cylinder, which can help improve forklift
stability and reduce the potential for lateral
tip overs.
Clarkson Freightline’s forklifts were
purchased from the Toyota Material Handling
branch at Kewdale in Perth, and Mr Clarkson
has been impressed with the support from
Area Sales Manager Darren Desouza and
the rest of the team – particularly in relation to
one important modification.
“All our forklifts have had digital weight scales
added to them, which Darren organised
prior to delivery,” Mr Clarkson said. “This
is invaluable to us as we’re charging our
customers by weight, so the forklift operator
can gauge the weight of each load as
they work. It’s a great added extra that the
Kewdale branch took care of for us.
“In terms of service and backup generally
we’re really happy. If I need to make a service
call, a technician is usually out here the same
day to either repair or replace the part. It’s
terrific to be able to rely on service like that.”
Darren Desouza said arranging client-specific
modifications like the digital scales is all part
of the TMH service.
“We’re always looking to provide an
outstanding customer experience and provide
the best equipment for every customer.
Adding the scales is a good example of the
modifications we can arrange to tailor our
forklifts and other material handling products
to the needs of each customer,” Mr Desouza
said.
“We offer the full Toyota, BT Lift Truck and
Raymond forklift range, so for us it’s about
partnering with our customers and providing
the right forklift, stacker, reach truck –
whatever it might be – for their specific
needs, backed up by excellent ongoing
technical support when they need it.”
