This week's record oil price must have sent shivers through owners of large petrol-powered forklift fleets. The flip-side of sky-rocketing fuel costs must be the huge opportunity for electric-powered trucks - a market niche already recognised by this week's profiled business, Material Handling Inc. Since 1975, the company has managed to convince customers to abandon more than 2,000 LPG-powered forklifts in favour of electrics - and that was before USD138/barrel oil prices. No doubt the petrol-powered sector represents an even bigger opportunity. The future clearly must be looking brighter for all alternatives to oil-based fuels - and for any innovations which improve fuel efficiency. And as costs at the petrol pump rise, expect to see a flood of used petrol forklifts. What's yellow and goes "cheap"? A petrol-engined forklift!