This recommendation has been around for many years and is one with which I totally agree - for standard forklift trucks which are designed to travel with homogenous loads on the centreline of the truck and with forks. However, Reachstackers and Empty Container Handlers have been developed since this general rule was established for forklift trucks.

Reachstackers and Empty Container Handlers have been specifically designed to operate with the container raised so that the bottom is just above the operators line of sight to enahnce forward visibility. Containers should still be transported as close to the ground as possible and with boom retracted or mast slightly backtilted. Different standards apply for the capacity/rating of such trucks to allow this method of handling empty and laden containers.