Forklift Shipping

Low Cost, Coast to Coast Transport for Warehouse, Rough Terrain, and Telehandler Forklifts

Calculate your forklift shipping rate in 3 easy steps!

Get your free forklift transport quote now by completing the form below

Origin & Destination

Pickup Location

Delivery Location

forklift details

Equipment

Description

Ship Via

Shipment Details

Continue We respect your privacy and do not distribute any personal information

How Forklifts Are Shipped

Most forklifts travel on an open flatbed, a step deck, or a hot shot gooseneck, chained at the frame or the designated tie down points with the mast fully lowered and tilted back and the forks removed or secured flat. A standard 5,000 pound capacity warehouse forklift weighs roughly 8,000 to 9,000 pounds, comfortable hot shot or flatbed territory. Rough terrain masts and telehandlers climb past 20,000 pounds and move on heavier decks. The big capacity yard and container handlers, 15,000 pounds of capacity and up, weigh 25,000 to 50,000 pounds, run wider than 8 feet 6 inches, and travel as permitted loads on a removable gooseneck. Machines that cannot be driven load by winch, by forklift on forklift at a dealer, or by crane, so tell your coordinator whether the unit runs.

What Your Quote Is Built From

Four numbers drive every forklift shipping quote: the weight, the lowered mast height, the footprint including the forks if they stay on, and the lane. Electric units add one more question, battery in or out, because an industrial lead acid battery weighs 1,500 to 4,000 pounds and sits on the data plate as part of the truck weight. The data plate carries all of it, so send a photograph of the plate with the booking. The quote you get through our freight shipping cost calculator or by phone is built from those figures and locked before dispatch, and there is no deposit to book.

Here’s Why SAC is the Smart Choice for Forklift Shipping Services

Counterbalance or Reach, We Move It

Warehouse forklifts, rough terrain masts, telehandlers, and order pickers each load differently, and your quote reflects the actual machine.

Mast Height Checked Before Dispatch

We confirm the lowered mast height and the width up front so the truck that arrives can legally clear every bridge on the route.

Firm Quotes, No Deposit

Your forklift quote is priced for the lane and locked before dispatch. No deposit is taken until a carrier is assigned to your move.

Why Clients Trust Ship A Car, Inc.

Preparing a Forklift for Transport

A few steps at the loading dock prevent nearly every transport problem. Lower the mast completely and tilt it back, remove the forks and lay them flat on the deck or secure them on the carriage, set the parking brake for loading and release it only as the driver directs, and disconnect the battery on electric units. Propane trucks ship with the cylinder removed or valved off as the carrier instructs, and the cylinder usually travels separately. Leave about a quarter tank in diesel and gasoline units. Photograph all four sides, the mast, the forks, the tires, the data plate, and the hour meter, and note existing dings on the pictures. Your coordinator sends this list at booking so nothing is a surprise on pickup day.

Loading a Forklift: Ramps, Docks, and Clearance

Forklifts are the lowest machines on the deck, and that is where loading goes wrong. A cushion tire truck has an inch or two of ground clearance and cannot climb a steep ramp without scraping the counterweight or high centering, so it wants a loading dock, a ground level trailer, or long shallow ramps. Pneumatic and rough terrain units climb standard ramps without trouble. The mast has to clear the trailer headboard and any overhead at the pickup, and the driver checks it before the machine moves. If the forklift does not run, a winch or a second forklift at the dealer does the work, and the coordinator arranges it before the truck arrives rather than on the day. Confirm who at each end is authorized to drive the machine on and off.

Insurance and Securement You Can Verify

Every carrier we dispatch is FMCSA licensed and carries active cargo insurance, verified before your machine is assigned, and securement follows the federal cargo rules: rated chains at four fixed points, the mast lowered and chained, the forks secured separately so they cannot slide, and the wheels chocked where the rule requires it. Nothing bears on the hydraulic cylinders or the hoses. The driver documents condition at pickup and delivery on the bill of lading, which is your protection and ours if anything needs a claim, and the hour meter reading at both ends shows the truck was not operated in between.

Hot Shot, Flatbed, or Freight: Picking the Cheapest Legal Option

A single warehouse forklift under 10,000 pounds is the classic hot shot load: a one ton pickup and a gooseneck, quick to dispatch, priced for one machine rather than a 48 foot deck. Two or three units, or anything heavier, move better on a flatbed or step deck where the linehaul is shared. Very small electric pallet trucks and walkie stackers can be strapped to a pallet and shipped as common carrier freight if the battery rules allow it. Telehandlers and big capacity trucks go on a step deck or a lowboy and are priced as equipment. Your coordinator prices the option that fits the unit and the lane, and says which one it is.

Warehouse, Rough Terrain, and Telehandler: Three Different Loads

A cushion tire warehouse truck is short, low, and heavy for its size; it needs shallow ramps and a driver who knows that the counterweight, not the mast, is where the weight sits. A pneumatic tire or rough terrain forklift is taller and longer and often ships with the mast still under 8 feet lowered, so it stays a legal load on almost any deck. A telehandler is really a compact boom machine: 8 feet wide, 8 feet or so tall with the boom down, 20,000 to 30,000 pounds, and it wants a step deck and a securement plan at the axle lugs with the boom pinned. Order pickers, reach trucks, and tall triple and quad mast units are the trap, because the lowered mast height can still exceed what a flatbed clears under a bridge, and that number has to be checked before the truck is booked.

Who Ships Forklifts With Us

Forklift shipments cluster around a few situations and we handle each one weekly: dealers trading units between branches and delivering sold machines, buyers collecting auction and online purchases from equipment yards, businesses relocating a warehouse or a plant with the whole fleet, farms and lumber yards buying a used rough terrain unit, and rental houses rebalancing telehandlers ahead of a season. Auction pickups get the release numbers and gate procedures handled in advance. Multi unit fleet moves are consolidated onto shared decks when the schedule allows, which cuts the per machine cost. For a full warehouse move, pair forklift transport with our equipment shipping service and one coordinator runs the whole schedule.

Forklift Questions We Answer Every Week

Do the forks have to come off? On most carriers, yes, or they ride secured flat on the deck; loose forks are the most common damage claim. Can the propane cylinder stay on? Usually it is removed or valved off, and the carrier says which. Does a forklift need a permit? Standard warehouse and rough terrain units do not; big capacity yard trucks over 8 feet 6 inches wide do. Can you ship it with the battery out? Yes, and it is lighter and cheaper that way if you can handle the battery at both ends. What about a forklift that does not run? A winch or a second forklift loads it, and you tell us at booking. What does it cost? Weight, mast height, footprint, and lane set the price, so the calculator gives a starting figure and the coordinator firms it before dispatch. Is it insured? Every carrier carries active cargo insurance that we verify before assignment.

Book Forklift Shipping with Ship A Car, Inc.

Have the data plate numbers and both ZIP codes ready, then start with the freight shipping cost calculator or call (866) 452-3657. A dedicated coordinator quotes the lane, dispatches a vetted carrier with the right deck, and stays your single point of contact through delivery. Forklifts usually share an open deck with other jobsite machines; see how those loads are secured on our flatbed shipping page, and if a scissor lift or a boom lift is moving too, one coordinator runs the whole load.

From the quote to your driveway.

Lock in your price today

CALCULATE YOUR SHIPPING RATE IN 3 EASY STEPS!

Ready to transport your forklift with SAC?

Pickup Location

Delivery Location

Shipment Details

Continue

Ready to set up your transport with SAC Today?

Our transport representatives are available by calling (866) 452-3657 to answer all your questions.

Get an instant quote NOW

All Alaska & Hawaii Classic Cars Heavy Haul Industry News Luxury Cars Military Specialty Transport Tips-Tricks Useful