William Perry DuBose

Beginnings

National Lift Truck, Inc. is a family owned and operated company that was established in 1956, 60 years ago. Our founder William Perry DuBose was honorably discharged from the United States Navy after serving on 4 major invasions in World War II. Shortly after serving his country he left the family farm in Arkansas and moved into a small shop in Franklin Park, Illinois to start the company.

Good service doesn’t cost, it pays

The name of that company is National Lift Truck. William Perry was always very passionate about his work. He invested many long hours building the company from the ground up. National Lift Truck began primarily as a service oriented company focusing on mechanical repair for forklifts and rolling stock. The business continued to grow rapidly over time providing quality reliable workmanship. As the reputation continued to develop, the core business values and slogan were established.

National Lift Truck – Franklin St., Franklin Park

Franklin St., Franklin Park

William began to buy and refurbish any equipment his customers no longer needed or wanted to trade in. Once refurbished, he began to offer equipment rentals to any customers needing equipment repair services. During this time William also built a flatbed on the back of a heavy duty truck that tipped on a hinge from gravity. This could winch equipment up to a balancing point where the bed would tip forward and pull the equipment up to the bulkhead. From there he could chain the truck and bed down for transport. As time progressed he had now grown from just a service and parts business model to also support rental and transportation needs.

2nd Generation

Perry Dale DuBose joined the company after returning home from a tour in Vietnam with the US Marine Corp. He focused on growing the customer base through sales and services. Jeff Paul DuBose joined the company after graduating from Northwestern Military and Naval Academy in 1976. Together, the second generation built long lasting relationships with other equipment dealerships and retail customers in the Chicago-land area providing specialized construction, industrial, high and heavy capacity lifting equipment.

Perry Dale DuBose

Jeff Paul DuBose

Today, the 3rd generation of the DuBose family is involved throughout all levels of the business and looks forward to continue building upon the legacy that William Perry DuBose started for many years to come. The company continues to grow by adding many services including:

Industrial batteries and chargers (recycling, sales, rentals and refurbishing services)
New equipment sales and rental (aerial lift, forklift, industrial cranes, and light towers/generators)
A wholesale department that sells equipment new and used worldwide
Operator Safety Training
Haul-for-hire services and logistics with long and short term indoor and outdoor storage

William Perry DuBose today – Retired

NLT Future

National Lift Truck Inc. has in excess of 100 employees that work out of 2 locations in the Chicago-land area. Many of those employees children and grandchildren are now a part of the workforce. Most of our tenured employees have on average 10+ years working with the company.

National Lift Truck has grown with dedication, talent, and conviction of its employees to provide a level of service and value that far exceeds the investment in partnerships our clients make.The National Family of Companies also includes National Lift of Arkansas & National Lift LLC. National Lift of Arkansas has locations in Little Rock & Springdale AR. National Lift LLC., has locations in Memphis & Jackson TN.