UNITED KINGDOM / AGILITYPR.NEWS / October 22, 2026 / Moving a pallet from a delivery bay to a storage area is quite a different operation compared to moving a load up onto racking or transporting individual packages to a packing bench.

However, firms choosing handling equipment are tempted to get obsessed with load capabilities and characteristics, forgetting about their actual requirements. It is an easy trap to fall into, but one businesses must avoid.

A conventional pallet truck is designed for moving loads over relatively short distances through a warehouse, stockroom or loading area. Let us imagine the delivery of the goods to a trade counter: workers will need to remove the pallet from the unloading area and deliver it to storage.

A pallet truck can be an obvious option provided the load and conditions will be proper. But it is not suitable for raising pallets onto high racking - businesses which need to store their loads above the floor level require other machinery.

Here comes the stacker truck. Thanks to its ability to lift the load beyond capabilities of a standard pallet truck, it can raise palletized load to a required height for stacking and storage. For a small warehouse that needs to make use of vertical storage but has limited room for a forklift, a stacker could be worth considering. The required lifting height, aisle width and available headroom all matter when choosing a model.

A table truck serves a different purpose altogether. Rather than transporting a pallet, it has a flat platform that can be raised or lowered to bring goods to a convenient working height. The platform size, load capacity and lifting range need to suit the work involved.

Phil Chesworth, Managing Director, said, “The best starting point is to look at what staff are doing with the load. If they need to move a pallet across the floor, a pallet truck may be all they need. If they have to lift it onto racking, a stacker is more appropriate. And if they are handling boxes or components at a workstation, a table truck could make much more sense.”

Problems arise when businesses expect one type of equipment to cover every task. Each has a distinct role, and the right choice depends on the load, the route and the destination.

To find out more about Pallet Truck Shop, visit: www.pallettruckshop.co.uk.