PRLog (Press Release) – Jun 13, 2011 – VANCOUVER, B.C. - On Saturday June 25th, 2011 forklift operators are invited to the Cloverdale Agriplex in Surrey, B.C. to complete in the 14th Annual B.C. Championship Forklift Rally. The 2010 event drew an estimated 500 spectators and 87 competitors from 32 companies, some from as far away as Eastern B.C. and the US.

One of the largest open forklift competitions in the world, many of the participating companies hold in-company competitions with the winners advancing to the provincial event.

The Forklift Rally is comprised of three divisions – Narrow Aisle Reach Truck, Power Pallet Jack and Sit-Down Counterbalanced with separate obstacle courses for each division being run simultaneously during the event. Competitors are required to manoeuvre through a precision driving course and are judged on time, course accuracy and tasks such as Forklift Basketball & Bowling. In addition, operators are required to
complete a 20 question multiple choice test based on WorkSafeBC regulations.

Winners are determined by combining the course time, the number of course demerits and the number incorrect answers on the written test. The operators with the lowest overall scores are declared the winners. Prize money totals $2800.00 with a 1st, 2nd & 3rd place winners in each division being awarded trophies and $500, $300 & $100 respectively.

Spectators are admitted for free and are invited to the family friendly event to take in attractions such as a lunch time BBQ and a bouncy castle for the kids.

Forklifts are supplied by Johnston Equipment (Raymond), Harding Forklift (Yale) & Williams Machinery (Clark) and racking is supplied and setup by Johnston Equipment. All judges are certified trainers hailing from a variety of mobile equipment training companies including Pivot Training Services, NIS Training & DWM Unlimited.

The B.C. Championship Forklift Rally began in 1997 as a venue to promote forklift skills and safety in a fun and competitive environment and is presented by the Canadian Material Handling & Distribution Society (http://www.CMHDS.org), a registered non-profit industry association representing the Warehousing & Distribution community in British Columbia, Canada.