Theater Logistician Maj. Gen. Kenneth S. Dowd - KMI Media Group

In 2001, OmniQuip modified an existing extended boom
forklift to produce the MMV for the Marine Corps. The MMV is
capable of operating over rough terrain and certified for rail, sea
and air transport, and it too can move 463L palettes.
Because forklifts have become so invaluable to the U.S.
military, each branch of the service has its own specifications
and requirements for those machines, said Chris Saucedo,
JCB’s vice president of military products. Different missions
determine how the different materiel handlers are designed, he
said. The Marine Corps looks for multiple use equipment that is
mobile, or “expeditionary”; the Army and the Air Force look for
more containerized type applications that are long-term uses,
he said.
While use requirements might differ, there are aspects of
forklift specifications that are militarywide, say forklift manufacturers’
representatives. Those specifications are transportation,
reliability and protection. Of those, reliability is the most
important, said Saucedo, whose company produces a highmobility
rough terrain forklift (HMRTF) and a high-mobility
engineer excavator (HMEE), which doubles as an equipment
loader.
Sgt. Marcus McDowell, a native of Helena, Mont., a soldier of the 639th Combat Sustainment
Support Company, 398th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, loads
a pallet of cinderblocks. [Photo courtesy of DoD]
The HMRTF uses telescopic handler technology to load
and unload standard containers—it has a lift capacity of 5,000
pounds up to 16.5 feet high—but what distinguishes the HMRTF
is its ability to travel at a sustained speed of 52 miles per hour.
In addition, the machine can be compacted so that it can
be transported by attaching it to the underside of a Chinook
helicopter or inside a C-130 aircraft.
However, the HMRTF is surpassed in speed by the HMEE,
which can travel up to 60 mph on both paved roads and cross
country surfaces, making it the world’s fastest backhoe loader,
according to JCB. The HMEE has full suspension and anti-lock
braking technology, allowing for controlled stopping in difficult
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