The equipment used for handling heavy machinery varies, depending upon the location. Industrial trucks and tractors are used to handle heavy machinery and move material around warehouses, storage yards, factories, or construction sites. A typical industrial truck, often called a forklift, uses a hydraulic lifting mechanism and forks to move large and heavy objects. Industrial tractors are also available to pull trailers loaded with material, goods, or equipment within factories and warehouses or around outdoor storage areas.

Ship loading and unloading equipment, conveyors and hoists are used at docks. Specialized material-handling equipment such as shipping tank unloading equipment is also used in docks, to gauge or sample shipping tanks and test them for leaks.