Reach Trucks and Order Pickers: High-Rack Equipment
Not all lift trucks are counterbalance forklifts. Reach trucks and order pickers work in narrow aisles and at height, and they bring their own handling and safety demands.
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A reach truck extends its forks into racking, letting it work in narrow aisles and reach high storage that a counterbalance forklift cannot. An order picker raises the operator to pick items directly from height. Both require specific training, careful load and height handling, and, for order pickers, fall protection because the operator is elevated.
How They Differ from a Forklift
A counterbalance forklift carries a load out front with a weight in the rear. A reach truck instead extends its forks forward into the rack, letting it work in much narrower aisles and lift higher. An order picker raises the whole operator platform up the rack so items can be picked by hand at height.
Working at Height Safely
- Class-specific training: each truck type is certified separately.
- Fall protection: order picker operators wear a harness.
- Load stability at height: capacity drops as you lift.
- Narrow-aisle awareness: racking and pedestrians close by.
Height changes everything
A load that is stable at floor level can tip a truck when lifted high. Capacity and stability decrease with height, which is why high-rack equipment needs its own training.
These build on forklift certification and picking methods.
WE BUILD THIS IN VR — THE PRIME VR
We build reach truck and order picker operation into VR, so operators practice narrow-aisle handling, working at height, and fall-protection habits while the system models stability loss as the load rises. Immersive high-rack practice builds skill for equipment that is dangerous to learn live.
Book a discovery callFrequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a reach truck and a forklift? +
A counterbalance forklift carries a load out front balanced by rear weight, while a reach truck extends its forks into racking, letting it work in narrow aisles and lift higher. They are certified as separate equipment classes.
What is an order picker? +
An order picker is a lift truck that raises the operator platform up into the racking so items can be picked by hand at height. Because the operator is elevated, fall protection is required.
Do reach trucks need separate certification? +
Yes. Powered industrial truck training is specific to the type of equipment, so operating a reach truck or order picker requires training and evaluation for that class, not just a counterbalance forklift certification.
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Train high-rack equipment in VR
We build reach truck and order picker skills into immersive practice.