These workhorses of the business world require regular maintenance and repairs. The company has been the sole distributor of Yale forklift trucks in Michigan. Over the years it has grown to become a full line industrial material handling distribution company. Service technicians must have a high school diploma or equivalent, said Rapp. Almost half of Alta Lift Truck's 240 employees are technicians, he said.
Careers paths are right at hand.
Fifty percent of Alta Truck's branch managers came from its service fleet. There is such a shortage of technicians that some companies are taking on the responsibility of training their own staff. Everyone in this industry likely started out working on cars. There have been significant technical advances in forklift trucks and similar equipment in recent years, said Denny Dmytryk, manager with Great Lakes Power Lift in Warren. They all have black boxes under their hoods.