Lift truck industry celebrates National Forklift Safety Day 2022 with special offers and local events
The lift truck industry will be observing National Forklift Safety Day on June 14, 2022. Here are a few examples of the special programs and offers that will be available for lift truck fleet managers and operators.
In addition, lift truck manufacturers, dealers, and providers of associated products and services around the country will offer safety-themed training classes and information resources to help customers keep forklift safety top of mind. The following are just a few examples:
Clark Material Handling Company invites customers and the community to visit Clark Global Headquarters, 700 Enterprise Drive, Lexington, Kentucky, on June 14 from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. as the company celebrates National Forklift Safety Day with food, games, door prizes, a forklift rodeo, an opportunity to test-drive a forklift, and more. During the event, Clark will share forklift safety tips, offer a factory tour to showcase the safety procedures designed for the manufacturing facility, and highlight the company’s “SMART, STRONG, and SAFE” S-SERIES forklifts. Can’t join in person? Join virtually on Facebook as experts share important safety tips, resources, and videos throughout the event. For more information, find the event here on Facebook.
Kion North America President and CEO Jonathan Dawley is this year’s National Forklift Safety Day chair. (Read our forklift safety Q&A with him here.) Kion and its Linde Material Handling divisionwill host a safety program at its headquarters in Summerville, S.C., on June 22, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The day will include a demo of the Linde Guardian safety system by forklift accident and pedestrian awareness experts; a tour of the company’s manufacturing plant; and a look at Linde’s automation offerings. Lunch and transportation will be provided. Click here to register for this free event. Linde’s website also features a National Forklift Safety Day page with relevant articles and information resources.
Coinciding with National Forklift Safety Day, Hyster Company and Yale Materials Handling Corporation are introducing completely redesigned training videos for their newly updated operator training programs. Developed with contemporary adult learning methodologies to support engagement and comprehension, the new videos help businesses train their lift truck operators and staff up quickly. The videos are available through participating Hyster and Yale dealers, who can also offer training resources for full OSHA certification. For more information, go to the “Train My Operators” section of the Hyster and Yale websites.
Toyota Material Handling says it holds itself and its employees to a high standard because everyone understands the importance of creating a safe environment that is ingrained at all levels of the company. To recognize National Forklift Safety Day and help forklift fleets bring safety to the forefront of their operations, Toyota dealers will be providing free site surveys. To request a site survey, visit: https://bit.ly/3akef0D . Toyota’s National Forklift Safety Day web page also includes a wealth of articles, videos, and reference resources about forklift safety and operator training.
In recognition of the 9th National Forklift Safety Day, The Raymond Corporation is highlighting three of its safety-enhancing products:
The updated VR Simulator with redesigned wireless headset uses the latest immersive technology to quickly increase new operator proficiency and continually expand operator skills.
Safety On The Moveis a modular, online operator training program that introduces best practices for warehouse environments to help protect employees, equipment, and materials while complying with OSHA requirements.
The Steps To Safetytraining program teaches pedestrians how to act responsibly in environments where lift trucks are in operation, emphasizing the importance of operators and pedestrians working together to create a safe environment.
Click here for more information about Raymond’s forklift safety training products.
Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas group and its family of brands—Cat lift trucks, Mitsubishi forklift trucks, Jungheinrich, UniCarriers Forklifts, and Rocla AGV Solutions—has announced a call-to-action for its employees, dealers, and customers to sign the #SafetyDrivesUs pledge. Employees and dealers who sign the pledge are making a personal commitment to improving overall safety and wellness in their industry. Additionally, for every pledge received from June 14–30, Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas will give back to the local Habitat for Humanity to help aid in its vision to help everyone have a safe and decent place to live. This year’s goal is to collect 3,000 pledges by June 30, 2022, and in exchange, the company will make a $5,000 contribution toward forklift certification and safety gear for Habitat’s employees and volunteers. To join in this year’s Safety Drives Us campaign and take the pledge, visit www.logisnextamericas.com/safety.
“The past year has been unprecedented, with extreme weather events, heightened geopolitical tension and cybercrime destabilizing supply chains throughout the world. Navigating this year’s looming risks to build a secure supply network has never been more critical,” Corey Rhodes, CEO of Everstream Analytics, said in the firm’s “2025 Annual Risk Report.”
“While some risks are unavoidable, early notice and swift action through a combination of planning, deep monitoring, and mitigation can save inventory and lives in 2025,” Rhodes said.
In its report, Everstream ranked the five categories by a “risk score metric” to help global supply chain leaders prioritize planning and mitigation efforts for coping with them. They include:
Drowning in Climate Change – 90% Risk Score. Driven by shifting climate patterns and record-high temperatures, extreme weather events are a dominant risk to the supply chain due to concerns such as flooding and elevated ocean temperatures.
Geopolitical Instability with Increased Tariff Risk – 80% Risk Score. These threats could disrupt trade networks and impact economies worldwide, including logistics, transportation, and manufacturing industries. The following major geopolitical events are likely to impact global trade: Red Sea disruptions, Russia-Ukraine conflict, Taiwan trade risks, Middle East tensions, South China Sea disputes, and proposed tariff increases.
More Backdoors for Cybercrime – 75% Risk Score. Supply chain leaders face escalating cybersecurity risks in 2025, driven by the growing reliance on AI and cloud computing within supply chains, the proliferation of IoT-connected devices, vulnerabilities in sub-tier supply chains, and a disproportionate impact on third-party logistics providers (3PLs) and the electronics industry.
Rare Metals and Minerals on Lockdown – 65% Risk Score. Between rising regulations, new tariffs, and long-term or exclusive contracts, rare minerals and metals will be harder than ever, and more expensive, to obtain.
Crackdown on Forced Labor – 60% Risk Score. A growing crackdown on forced labor across industries will increase pressure on companies who are facing scrutiny to manage and eliminate suppliers violating human rights. Anticipated risks in 2025 include a push for alternative suppliers, a cascade of legislation to address lax forced labor issues, challenges for agri-food products such as palm oil and vanilla.
That number is low compared to widespread unemployment in the transportation sector which reached its highest level during the COVID-19 pandemic at 15.7% in both May 2020 and July 2020. But it is slightly above the most recent pre-pandemic rate for the sector, which was 2.8% in December 2019, the BTS said.
For broader context, the nation’s overall unemployment rate for all sectors rose slightly in December, increasing 0.3 percentage points from December 2023 to 3.8%.
On a seasonally adjusted basis, employment in the transportation and warehousing sector rose to 6,630,200 people in December 2024 — up 0.1% from the previous month and up 1.7% from December 2023. Employment in transportation and warehousing grew 15.1% in December 2024 from the pre-pandemic December 2019 level of 5,760,300 people.
The largest portion of those workers was in warehousing and storage, followed by truck transportation, according to a breakout of the total figures into separate modes (seasonally adjusted):
Warehousing and storage rose to 1,770,300 in December 2024 — up 0.1% from the previous month and up 0.2% from December 2023.
Truck transportation fell to 1,545,900 in December 2024 — down 0.1% from the previous month and down 0.4% from December 2023.
Air transportation rose to 578,000 in December 2024 — up 0.4% from the previous month and up 1.4% from December 2023.
Transit and ground passenger transportation rose to 456,000 in December 2024 — up 0.3% from the previous month and up 5.7% from December 2023.
Rail transportation remained virtually unchanged in December 2024 at 150,300 from the previous month but down 1.8% from December 2023.
Water transportation rose to 74,300 in December 2024 — up 0.1% from the previous month and up 4.8% from December 2023.
Pipeline transportation rose to 55,000 in December 2024 — up 0.5% from the previous month and up 6.2% from December 2023.
Parcel carrier and logistics provider UPS Inc. has acquired the German company Frigo-Trans and its sister company BPL, which provide complex healthcare logistics solutions across Europe, the Atlanta-based firm said this week.
According to UPS, the move extends its UPS Healthcare division’s ability to offer end-to-end capabilities for its customers, who increasingly need temperature-controlled and time-critical logistics solutions globally.
UPS Healthcare has 17 million square feet of cGMP and GDP-compliant healthcare distribution space globally, supporting services such as inventory management, cold chain packaging and shipping, storage and fulfillment of medical devices, and lab and clinical trial logistics.
More specifically, UPS Healthcare said that the acquisitions align with its broader mission to provide end-to-end logistics for temperature-sensitive healthcare products, including biologics, specialty pharmaceuticals, and personalized medicine. With 80% of pharmaceutical products in Europe requiring temperature-controlled transportation, investments like these ensure UPS Healthcare remains at the forefront of innovation in the $82 billion complex healthcare logistics market, the company said.
Additionally, Frigo-Trans' presence in Germany—the world's fourth-largest healthcare manufacturing market—strengthens UPS's foothold and enhances its support for critical intra-Germany operations. Frigo-Trans’ network includes temperature-controlled warehousing ranging from cryopreservation (-196°C) to ambient (+15° to +25°C) as well as Pan-European cold chain transportation. And BPL provides logistics solutions including time-critical freight forwarding capabilities.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. But it fits into UPS' long term strategy to double its healthcare revenue from $10 billion in 2023 to $20 billion by 2026. To get there, it has also made previous acquisitions of companies like Bomi and MNX. And UPS recently expanded its temperature-controlled fleet in France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Hungary.
"Healthcare customers increasingly demand precision, reliability, and adaptability—qualities that are critical for the future of biologics and personalized medicine. The Frigo-Trans and BPL acquisitions allow us to offer unmatched service across Europe, making logistics a competitive advantage for our pharma partners," says John Bolla, President, UPS Healthcare.
The supply chain risk management firm Overhaul has landed $55 million in backing, saying the financing will fuel its advancements in artificial intelligence and support its strategic acquisition roadmap.
The equity funding round comes from the private equity firm Springcoast Partners, with follow-on participation from existing investors Edison Partners and Americo. As part of the investment, Springcoast’s Chris Dederick and Holger Staude will join Overhaul’s board of directors.
According to Austin, Texas-based Overhaul, the money comes as macroeconomic and global trade dynamics are driving consequential transformations in supply chains. That makes cargo visibility and proactive risk management essential tools as shippers manage new routes and suppliers.
“The supply chain technology space will see significant consolidation over the next 12 to 24 months,” Barry Conlon, CEO of Overhaul, said in a release. “Overhaul is well-positioned to establish itself as the ultimate integrated solution, delivering a comprehensive suite of tools for supply chain risk management, efficiency, and visibility under a single trusted platform.”
Shippers today are praising an 11th-hour contract agreement that has averted the threat of a strike by dockworkers at East and Gulf coast ports that could have frozen container imports and exports as soon as January 16.
The agreement came late last night between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) representing some 45,000 workers and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) that includes the operators of port facilities up and down the coast.
Details of the new agreement on those issues have not yet been made public, but in the meantime, retailers and manufacturers are heaving sighs of relief that trade flows will continue.
“Providing certainty with a new contract and avoiding further disruptions is paramount to ensure retail goods arrive in a timely manner for consumers. The agreement will also pave the way for much-needed modernization efforts, which are essential for future growth at these ports and the overall resiliency of our nation’s supply chain,” Gold said.
The next step in the process is for both sides to ratify the tentative agreement, so negotiators have agreed to keep those details private in the meantime, according to identical statements released by the ILA and the USMX. In their joint statement, the groups called the six-year deal a “win-win,” saying: “This agreement protects current ILA jobs and establishes a framework for implementing technologies that will create more jobs while modernizing East and Gulf coasts ports – making them safer and more efficient, and creating the capacity they need to keep our supply chains strong. This is a win-win agreement that creates ILA jobs, supports American consumers and businesses, and keeps the American economy the key hub of the global marketplace.”
The breakthrough hints at broader supply chain trends, which will focus on the tension between operational efficiency and workforce job protection, not just at ports but across other sectors as well, according to a statement from Judah Levine, head of research at Freightos, a freight booking and payment platform. Port automation was the major sticking point leading up to this agreement, as the USMX pushed for technologies to make ports more efficient, while the ILA opposed automation or semi-automation that could threaten jobs.
"This is a six-year détente in the tech-versus-labor tug-of-war at U.S. ports," Levine said. “Automation remains a lightning rod—and likely one we’ll see in other industries—but this deal suggests a cautious path forward."
Editor's note: This story was revised on January 9 to include additional input from the ILA, USMX, and Freightos.