Forklifts, Lift Equipment & Material Handling Vehicles worked example

Cost Per Lift Truck at 72% included truck scope: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop included truck scope to 72%, then walk the calculation through step by step. Estimate average cost per forklift, lift truck, reach truck, order picker, pallet jack, tow tractor, or material-handling vehicle.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Lift trucks in the cost scope: 10 trucks (held at the documented default)
  • Variable cost per lift truck: 38,500 $ / truck (held at the documented default)
  • Included truck scope: 72 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 100)
  • Fixed program or order cost: 9,200 $ (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Total cost per lift truck = lift trucks in the cost scope × variable cost per lift truck × included truck scope + fixed program or order cost.
  • Total cost per lift truck works out to 286,400 $ at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Cost per lift truck works out to 28,640 $ / piece at these inputs.
  • Variable cost per lift truck works out to 277,200 $ at these inputs.
  • Fixed program or order cost works out to 9,200 $ at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where included truck scope sits at 100% and the headline result is 394,200 $, this scenario comes in 27.35% below the baseline at 286,400 $.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to included truck scope, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. It assumes a flat variable cost per truck; in reality volume discounts, configuration differences, and learning-curve effects mean per-truck variable cost can drift across a large order.

Results at a glance

  • Total cost per lift truck: 286,400 $ (headline result)
  • Cost per lift truck: 28,640 $ / piece
  • Variable cost per lift truck: 277,200 $
  • Fixed program or order cost: 9,200 $

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Cost Per Lift Truck calculator, set included truck scope to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.