How to keep your forklift driver warm and dry through winter

It is 6 am in January. Still dark. Your driver climbs onto an open forklift and starts the shift. Ahead are eight hours of cold air, sideways drizzle and grit blowing across the yard.

By the third hour, their hands are stiff. By the fifth they are moving slower and checking the clock. At that point, operator comfort starts to affect the working day. Cold, wet conditions can make it harder to stay focused and productive across a full shift.

Most of us would not expect a warehouse team to spend eight hours working in the rain. Yet an operator on an open forklift can face much the same conditions.

The good news is that you can protect them from it. This guide looks at the practical options for keeping forklift operators warmer and drier through winter.

What you are really keeping off

In British winter, the main things you are protecting a driver from are rain, wind, dust and cold. Every BMB product is designed to reduce one or more of those reaching the person in the seat.

Keep more of the weather off the operator and the difference is noticeable. They stay warmer and drier, which can make it easier to concentrate and work comfortably through the shift. It can also mean fewer stops to warm up and fewer distractions caused by the conditions.

You do not need to know the jargon to choose the right protection. There are two main options, and the difference between them is fairly straightforward.

Option one: a canopy

A canopy adds a roof and screen around the operator’s position. It helps keep the rain off the seat, reduces wind around the driver and stops overhead dirt and debris dropping into the cab area. Think of it as a purpose-built weather protection for the truck, rather than a loose cover added afterwards.

A canopy is the simpler of the two options. It does not fully enclose the operator, so cold air still can get through. But where the main issue is rain, light, wind and regular trips between covered and outdoor areas, it can provide the right level of protection. You can also add a front windscreen where drivers regularly face into the weather.

Canopies suit builders’ merchants, general outdoor yards, and sites where trucks move between a covered building and the open air through the day. See the range on our Canopies and Screens page.

Option two: a full steel cab

A full steel cab creates a fully enclosed operator space. Steel panels, doors, and glazed screens surround the driver, so they work inside a protected cab rather than out in the open. This is what people mean by an enclosed forklift.

A full steel cab gives the operator much more protection from rain, wind, dust, and cold. Fit a forklift cab heater and the driver has a warm, dry space for the whole shift, whatever the forecast. It is the difference between enduring the winter and not noticing it.

Choose a full cab where the conditions are harsher or more constant. That might mean exposed docks and ports, recycling and waste yards, thick, cold stores, or sites where a truck spends most of the day outdoors. 

Where operators regularly work in these conditions, a full cab can make a real difference to comfort and protection. Our Full Steel Cabs are built for exactly these settings.

Which one suits your truck

As a rough guide, a canopy is often enough where trucks spend most of their time under cover and only face the weather occasionally.

If a truck works outdoors through winter, operates in dusty conditions, or spends long periods in the cold each day, a full steel cab with a heater may be the better fit.

You do not have to make that decision alone. Tell us where the truck works, how often it goes outside and what conditions the operator faces. We can then recommend the level of protections that makes sense for the job.

It is easy to over-specify or under-specify a cab when you do not deal with them every day. We would rather help you get the right setup from the start.

Made here, fitted on your site

We design and build every cab and canopy in the UK at our Birkenhead factory, where we have been making them since 1990. Keeping production in-house gives us more control over quality and helps avoid these delays that can come with imported kits. Every unit also goes through our quality checks before it leaves the factory. We are ISO 9001:2015 certified.

Our own engineers then come to your site to fit it. Most installations take under 2 hours and are booked in advance, so the truck can usually return to service the same day with minimal disruption to the shift.

Send us the make and model

You do not need to know the exact specification to get started. Send us the make and model of your forklift, or a clear photo of the truck, and we will identify it and tell you what fits. We will then give you a clear quote and talk you through the fitting options and available installation dates.

Request a quote from BMB. Tell us what truck you have and where it works, and we will help you choose the right protection for your operator.