A forklift is a trackless, tire-walking loading and unloading vehicle. It is mainly used in factories, mines, warehouses, stations, ports, airports, cargo yards, circulation centers and distribution centers. It can enter ship cabins, carriages and containers to load and unload finished parts, packages, pallets, containers and other containers. It is an indispensable equipment for pallet transportation and container transportation for operations such as stacking, destacking, and short-distance transportation.

The main working attachment of a forklift is the fork. After being replaced with other work attachments, it can also be used to load and unload bulk cargo, non-packaged cargo, long cargo, etc., as well as carry them over short distances. Forklifts are widely used. They are not only widely used in road transportation, railway transportation, and waterway transportation departments, but also in material storage and transportation, postal services, and military departments.

When the forklift is operating, only relying on the driver's operation can mechanize the loading and unloading, stacking, unstacking, and handling of the goods without the auxiliary labor of the loading and unloading workers. The advent of forklifts has greatly reduced the labor force, greatly reduced labor intensity, greatly improved operating efficiency, and achieved significant economic benefits.

Forklift operation can greatly increase the stacking height of goods.

Forklift operations can reduce cargo damage, improve operating safety, and achieve safe loading and unloading.

Forklift operations can shorten the working time of loading, unloading, transportation, and stacking, and speed up the turnover of vehicles and ships.

Compared with large-scale loading and unloading machinery operations, forklift operations have the advantages of low cost and low investment. Therefore, forklifts should be given priority in logistics loading and unloading operations.