Powered Pallet Trucks

A powered pallet truck — usually called an electric pallet truck, sometimes an electric pallet jack, and informally a pallet engine — does the work a manual truck makes you do by hand. A battery and motor drive both the lift and the travel, so the operator simply walks alongside and steers. For frequent moves, long distances, heavy pallets or repeated vehicle unloading, a powered pallet truck cuts operator fatigue and speeds the job up dramatically.

KC Supply's GPC VULCAN powered range runs from standard 1,500kg walk-behind trucks through to 5 tonne machines, extra-long twin-pallet trucks, reel handling trucks and electric high lift pallet trucks. Everything below is UK-manufactured by GPC Industries and supplied UKCA marked and plated.

The powered pallet truck range at a glance

Standard, premium or heavy capacity?

The standard FPPT10 fully powered truck handles 1,500kg on conventional UK pallets and suits general stockroom and warehouse pallet trucks duty. The Premium FPPRPT20 conforms to EN 1757-1, carries 2,000kg and uses a split body design with a compact footprint for tight aisles. Where loads genuinely exceed a normal truck — steel, stone, drinks pallets — the 5 tonne fully powered truck runs a 3kW drive motor with electronic steering and polyurethane wheels, and can be specified with a ride-on platform and protection arms.

Extra-long trucks (ELFPPT series) carry two pallets in line or single extended loads, and are made to order in any length, width and capacity. They use a brushless 1.0kW drive motor with a 0.8kW lift motor and a quick-swap lithium battery that charges in around two hours.

Lithium or lead-acid?

Lead-acid remains the cheaper entry point and is fine for single-shift use where the truck can charge overnight. Lithium suits multi-shift and high-utilisation sites: it takes opportunity charging during breaks without damaging the cells, needs no watering or equalisation, and gives consistent power right down to the end of the charge. The VULCAN lithium trucks (FPPT30, FPPT40) conform to EN 1757-1, have 48mm fork width, 115mm raised and 80mm lowered fork heights, an open chassis for easy battery removal, and a CURTIS non-polar speed controller. Electric lift is paired with manual lowering, so the operator controls descent speed through the handle angle.

Electric high lift pallet trucks

A high lift pallet truck raises the pallet to a comfortable working height rather than just clearing the floor — useful for pick-and-pack, assembly and order-build stations where operators would otherwise bend all day. The VULCAN PHL range conforms to EN 1757-2, has 1,170mm forks at 160mm wide with an 85mm lowered height, runs a 12V/60Ah battery with charger included and a 0.8kW lifting motor, and includes both manual and electric lift and lower for precise positioning. Adjustable stabilising bars deploy to stop the unit moving under load.

How to choose a powered pallet truck

1. Capacity — rate to your heaviest realistic pallet, not your average one.
2. Fork length and width — match your pallet footprint; 1,150 × 540mm covers standard UK and Euro pallets, 685mm wide suits wider or double-entry loads.
3. Lift height — ground clearance only, or a high lift truck for working-height picking?
4. Duty cycle — hours per day and shifts per day drive the battery decision more than anything else.
5. Environment — aisle widths, ramps, floor condition and whether the truck goes onto vehicles.

Powered trucks are also listed by some suppliers as pallet engines or pallet movers — the same walk-alongside machine under a different name. If you need to lift pallets onto racking rather than just move them, a pallet stacker is the right machine instead.

Compliance and operator training

Powered handling equipment falls under PUWER 1998: it must be suitable for the task, maintained in efficient working order, and used only by people who have received adequate training and instruction. Operators should be trained on the specific truck, and pre-use checks (brakes, horn, forks, battery condition, emergency reverse) recorded. This is a summary of good practice, not legal advice — your own risk assessment governs.

Related

Not sure powered is right? Read our manual vs electric pallet trucks guide or the fuller electric pallet trucks buying guide. Browse manual pallet trucks, the complete pallet trucks range, lithium battery pallet trucks or pallet stackers.