
The Very Narrow Aisle (VNA) lift truck is used inside, in large warehousing operations often with high density storage racking. VNA trucks are able to lift their “rated capacity” far higher than a conventional Counterbalance or Reach truck, often working at heights greater than 15000mm.
VNA forklift trucks are available in two configurations, “operator up” and “operator down”.
Operator up Very Narrow Aisle forklift trucks lift the “operator up” within the cab when stacking and destacking within high level racking systems. As a result, this provides additional benefits as the operator has much better visibility when stacking and destacking the also aids the judgment of height as effectively the operators is always working as the same height as there eyes. As a result of this, operators are often far safer with less risk of accidents occurring.
Operator down Very Narrow Aisle forklift trucks are different from the aforementioned operator up VNA truck. The main difference is that the operator remains at ground level when stacking and destacking. For the operator, this is similar to operating more conventional Counterbalance, Reach or Pivot Steer forklift truck.
There are additional advantages to using either configuration of Very Narrow Aisle forklift truck. VNA’s use a traverse mechanism to allow the forks to rotate or traverse to both left and right. This allows the lift truck to be used on both sides of the operating aisle without the need for turning the forklift around. Secondly, many VNA forklift trucks allow for diagonal travel within the aisle that they are operating in. This allows the operator to lift the cab or forks whilst travelling to the picking location. In additional to this VNA forklift trucks are semi automated in so far as when the truck is within the operating aisle, both speed and steering are automatically restricted.
When operating within narrow aisles, VNA forklift trucks adopt additional guidance systems to control movements of the forklift truck within warehouses racking system. VNA’s can be guided either by rails or by an inductive wire imbedded within the floor.
Here at Inline Training Limited, our instructors are experienced in delivering VNA forklift training for rail and wire guided Very Narrow Aisle forklift trucks. A consideration for delivering VNA forklift training is In order for the operator to work at greater heights within very narrow aisles, there are a number of additional factors that need to be taken into consideration by the forklift operator. These include:
- Greater skills on the part of the operator to accurately position the truck.
- It can sometimes take longer for the operator to adjust to the sideways seating position as the steering is often turned in the opposite direction to the direction of travel.
Because VNA forklifts are configured are as either “operator up” or “operator down”, it is important to make sure that your operators have the correct certification for the forklift trucks used within your operation.
If you are unsure which category of VNA forklift truck you have, please don’t hesitate to contact us for assistance. Please note that we may ask you to send a picture of the VNA forklift truck to confirm within the booking process.
Providing your forklift operators with VNA forklift training ensures that they have the necessary skills to safely operate a Very Narrow Aisle lift truck within your operation. The course is designed to provide operators of VNA lift trucks with both the theoretical knowledge and practical skills to comply with the standards and regulations contained within the HSE Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) L117.
