People ask for a forklift licence. In the UK that is not a photocard entitlement. The Health and Safety Executive says there is no such thing as a lift-truck licence, and that DVLA does not licence forklift operators for workplace use. What a course gives you is a certificate for a type of truck. What lets you use one at work is your employer’s written authorisation, after training.
A car licence does not remove the need for that training. Forklift trucks steer, brake and tip differently from cars. A Category C pass does not cover them either. HGV training and forklift training are separate.
What the employer has to do
Under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, an employer must make sure operators are adequately trained. That includes new and existing staff. A self-employed operator needs the same standard. For stacking rider-operated lift trucks, the standard HSE points to is Approved Code of Practice L117, summarised in HSE’s leaflet for employers, INDG462. Following L117 is the recognised way to meet the training duty. It is not an application for a licence.
HSE splits operator training into three stages. All three come before unsupervised work. A certificate from a training centre is normally only the first.
- Basic training: the skills and knowledge to operate that type of truck safely, off the job, away from production pressure.
- Specific job training: the truck you will actually use, the attachments, and the particular work.
- Familiarisation: on the job, under close supervision, so the training is used in that workplace.
After all three, the employer should give written authorisation for the types of truck those stages covered. HSE’s line is that nobody should operate a lift truck on the premises without that authorisation, except a trainee under close supervision. The certificate is evidence of training. It is not the authorisation. If you are paying for a course yourself, ask the employer who will do the site stages. A card in your wallet does not permit you to drive their truck.
There is no legal requirement to issue a certificate of basic training. HSE still recommends one, and says you will need evidence of training if you change jobs. Keep the original. A photocopy is a weak thing to hand to the next employer.
The truck type is the qualification
Training is for the truck and the attachment you will use. A counterbalance certificate, which is what most people mean by a forklift licence, does not cover a reach truck. Order pickers, very narrow-aisle trucks, sideloaders and rough-terrain trucks are different again. So is a conversion from one attachment to another. HSE says an operator trained on one type cannot safely use another without conversion training.
Pedestrian pallet trucks are not the same course either. L117’s detailed basic-training text is aimed at stacking rider-operated trucks. The employer’s duty to train still applies to the other types. Ask which truck the course uses, and whether any limit, such as a maximum lift height, will be printed on the certificate.
Novice, experienced and refresher training
HSE says it is hard to fix a length, because the ratio of trainees to instructors changes how quickly people learn. A novice basic course is typically three to five days, long enough to cover the L117 syllabus and a test of both theory and practice. HSE gives an example ratio of no more than three trainees to one instructor to one truck, except in theory sessions. A shorter course with more people than trucks is worth questioning.
Someone with experience may need less than a full novice course. HSE also says not to overrate that experience. If there is no certificate, or the truck is a different type, the employer should assess them and train what is missing. Training providers run short assessments for that. “I’ve driven one before” is not a certificate and it is not authorisation.
There is no legal renewal date
HSE does not set a date when refresher training becomes compulsory. It says operators should be monitored, and retrained or retested when that is needed: after time away from trucks, if they are occasional users, if their driving has become unsafe, after an accident or near miss, or when the work changes. An employer may choose a set interval, and HSE gives three to five years as an example. Monitoring still applies inside that interval. HSE also says a refresher of less than a day is unlikely to be effective.
A date on a card, often three years, is usually the training scheme’s rule. Employers and sites often treat it as the point at which they want a refresher. That is common practice. It is not a statute that your right to operate expires on that morning. The employer’s duty to be satisfied you are still competent does not pause between card dates.
Accreditation is voluntary
HSE no longer runs a scheme of accrediting bodies. Accreditation is voluntary. Using an accredited training provider gives some assurance that basic training meets L117, which is why employers ask for it. Certificates from that route should name the accrediting body, the instructor, and any limit on the training. Bodies you will see on certificates include RTITB, ITSSAR and AITT. They are industry schemes. In-house training can also meet the law if it reaches the L117 standard. HSE explains the voluntary schemes on its lift-truck accreditation page.
None of those bodies issues a government licence. If a course is sold as a “forklift licence”, read the certificate and see which truck, which body, and which instructor it names.
Driving a forklift on a public road
Workplace training is for the premises. Taking a forklift on a public road is a different set of rules. The truck may need to be registered, taxed and insured, and the driver may need a driving licence that covers that vehicle. A forklift certificate does not replace those requirements. Most counterbalance work never leaves the yard. If the job includes the road, ask before you assume the card is enough.
Choosing a course
Search forklift training and confirm the truck with the employer as well as the centre. LearnHGV does not take the booking. There is no national course price.
- Is this novice, experienced assessment, conversion or refresher, and for which truck and attachment?
- How many trainees share the instructor and the truck, and is the test included?
- Whose name will be on the certificate, and will my employer accept that scheme?
- Does the price stop at basic training? Who will do specific job training, familiarisation and the written authorisation?
- If the truck will go on a public road, what else does that need besides this course?
What the listing labels mean explains LearnHGV’s checks on a training business. Those checks are not HSE accreditation and not a forklift certificate.
FAQs
Is there a forklift licence in the UK?
No. HSE says there is no lift-truck licence, and DVLA does not licence workplace forklift operators. You receive a training certificate for a type of truck. Your employer then authorises you in writing, after basic training, job-specific training and supervised familiarisation. A certificate on its own is not permission to drive a truck on their site.
How long does forklift training take?
HSE says a novice basic course is typically three to five days. Experience can shorten that, after an assessment, and conversion is needed for a different truck type. There is no legal renewal date. HSE gives three to five years as an example of a refresher interval an employer might choose, and says monitoring still applies in between.