A forklift is a powered industrial truck

Truck

A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...

 used to lift and transport

Transport

Transport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...

 materials. The modern forklift was developed in the 1920s by various companies including the transmission

Transmission (mechanics)

A machine consists of a power source and a power transmission system, which provides controlled application of the power. Merriam-Webster defines transmission as: an assembly of parts including the speed-changing gears and the propeller shaft by which the power is transmitted from an engine to a...

 manufacturing company Clark

Clark Material Handling Company

Clark Material Handling Company is a manufacturer of forklift trucks based in Lexington, Kentucky. The company has a production plant in Changwon, South Korea. Clark currently offers some 20 different models. According to the company, there are some 350,000 Clark forklift trucks currently in...

 and the hoist company Yale & Towne Manufacturing

Yale Materials Handling Corporation

Yale Materials Handling Corporation is a corporation that produces forklift trucks and other material handling equipment. The company was started as a lock manufacturer in 1844. Yale produced its first forklift truck in the 1920's under the name Yale & Towne Manufacturing. The company was purchased...

. The forklift has since become an indispensable piece of equipment in manufacturing and warehousing operations.
The middle nineteenth century through the early twentieth century saw the developments that led to today's modern forklifts.