Workplace safety and OSHAShort courseFoundationAvailable in English · Spanish

Forklift Operator Training: Formal Instruction

The classroom part of OSHA's three-part forklift training requirement: practical training and a workplace evaluation by your employer must follow

Duration: 3 hours
Modules: 6
Final exam: 70% to pass
Certificate: 36 months

$99

Before you buy: what your employer must also provide

This course is the formal instruction part of 29 CFR 1910.178(l) only. Completing it does not authorize anyone to operate a forklift. Your employer must also provide hands-on practical training under direct supervision, evaluate you operating the truck in your workplace, and certify that you were trained and evaluated. The evaluation must be repeated at least every 3 years.

Lifetime access to the course and your certificate
Verifiable Certificate of Completion. Certificate valid for 36 months.
3 exam attempts
Progress saved to your account on every slide
The full course, every module, quiz and the final exam, is available in Spanish. Choose your language inside the course at any time.

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About this course

Completing this course does not by itself authorize anyone to operate a forklift. Under 29 CFR 1910.178(l), forklift operator training has three parts: formal instruction, practical training, and an evaluation of the operator's performance in the workplace. Online instruction alone does not satisfy the standard. This course delivers the formal instruction. Your employer must then give you hands-on practical training under the direct supervision of a person with the knowledge, training and experience to train and evaluate operators, evaluate you on the truck in your workplace, and certify that both were done. Until then you may operate a truck only as a trainee under direct supervision.

The course covers every truck-related topic in 1910.178(l)(3)(i), every workplace-related topic in 1910.178(l)(3)(ii) and the requirements of the standard, at the level a new operator needs: the seven truck classes and how a forklift differs from a car, controls and instruments, the stability triangle, data plates, capacity and load center, attachments, load handling, stacking and unstacking, the pre-use examination in 1910.178(q)(7), refueling and LPG cylinder changes, battery charging, truck designations and hazardous locations, carbon monoxide, traveling and pedestrians, narrow aisles, ramps and grades, docks, trailers, wheel chocks and dockboards, parking and leaving a truck, seat belts and what to do in a tip-over, and the rules on carrying and lifting people. The final module explains the three-part requirement, who may train and evaluate, what the employer's certification must contain, when refresher training and re-evaluation are required, how prior training is treated, and what you do next with your employer. Free employer forms for practical training, evaluation and certification are linked from the course.

The course follows federal OSHA general industry requirements. Construction employers apply the same training rules through 29 CFR 1926.602(d). State-plan states may set additional or stricter requirements, and employers outside the US follow their own regulations.

The course closes with a 20-question examination drawn from a bank of 30. On passing you receive a PlanetISO Certificate of Completion for the formal instruction, with lifetime access to the course content. Because OSHA requires each operator's performance to be evaluated at least once every 3 years, the certificate shows a validity of 36 months. The certificate is not an operator license or card, and PlanetISO does not train or evaluate operators on trucks.

What you will be able to do

Identify the seven truck classes and explain how a forklift's steering, stability and visibility differ from a car's.
Explain the stability triangle, read a data plate and judge how load center, lift height and attachments reduce capacity.
Describe how to pick up, carry, stack and unstack loads within the loading rules of 29 CFR 1910.178(o).
Carry out a pre-use examination under 1910.178(q)(7) and take a defective truck out of service.
Describe safe refueling, LPG cylinder changing and battery charging, and the limits that truck designations, hazardous locations and ventilation place on truck use.
Apply the traveling, pedestrian, ramp, dock, trailer and parking rules of 1910.178(k), (m) and (n), and respond correctly to a tip-over.
Explain the three parts of operator training, the employer's certification, refresher triggers and 3-year re-evaluation, and the steps you must complete with your employer before operating alone.

Course outline

1
Powered industrial trucks and the OSHA standard
What counts as a powered industrial truck, the seven truck classes, how a forklift differs from a car, the controls and instruments you will meet, and what 29 CFR 1910.178 requires of the truck, the employer and you.
About 30 minutes, then a module quiz
2
Stability, capacity and load handling
The stability triangle, center of gravity and load center, how to read the data plate, what attachments do to capacity, and how to pick up, carry, stack and unstack a load without tipping the truck or dropping the load.
About 35 minutes, then a module quiz
3
Pre-use inspection, refueling and battery charging
The examination required before every shift, when to take a truck out of service, how to change an LPG cylinder and refuel safely, how to charge and handle batteries, and how truck designations, hazardous locations and ventilation limit where a truck may go.
About 35 minutes, then a module quiz
4
Traveling, pedestrians and the workplace
The traveling rules in 1910.178(n), sharing space with pedestrians, visibility, floor surfaces, narrow aisles, elevators, railroad tracks and overhead obstructions, and why nobody rides on a forklift unless a safe place is provided.
About 35 minutes, then a module quiz
5
Ramps, docks, trailers, parking and tip-over
How to drive on ramps and grades, how to load trailers and railcars safely with wheel chocks and dockboards, how to park and leave a truck, what to do if the truck starts to tip, and the rules for lifting people.
About 35 minutes, then a module quiz
6
The three-part training requirement and your next steps
Formal instruction, practical training and evaluation in the workplace, who may train and evaluate you, what your employer's certification must contain, when refresher training and re-evaluation are required, how prior training is treated, and exactly what you do next with your employer.
About 30 minutes, then a module quiz
Final examination and certificate
20 questions drawn from the course bank. Score 70% or higher to receive your Certificate of Completion.

Who it is for

New forklift and powered industrial truck operators who need the formal instruction before practical training
Experienced operators who need refresher instruction after an incident, a near miss or a change of truck type
Warehouse, shipping, receiving and production workers in manufacturing, aerospace, electronics and metal fabrication
Employers and supervisors who want a consistent classroom component for their forklift training program

Prerequisites

None. Practical training and a workplace evaluation by your employer must follow before you operate a truck on your own.

Questions

Can I operate a forklift after completing this course?

No. Completing this course does not by itself authorize you to operate a forklift. OSHA's standard, 29 CFR 1910.178(l), requires formal instruction, practical training and an evaluation of your performance in the workplace, followed by your employer's certification. This course provides the formal instruction only. Until your employer has completed the other two parts and certified you, you may operate a truck only as a trainee under direct supervision.

Is this an OSHA forklift certification or license?

No. OSHA does not approve training providers or issue forklift licenses, and no online course can certify an operator. Under 1910.178(l)(6) the employer certifies that each operator has been trained and evaluated. Your PlanetISO Certificate of Completion is a record of the formal instruction that your employer can keep with your training file.

Who can give me the practical training and evaluation?

Your employer arranges them. The person who trains and evaluates you must have the knowledge, training and experience to train operators and evaluate their competence, and must be physically present while you operate as a trainee. It can be an experienced employee, a supervisor, or an outside trainer such as a dealer's instructor, but the evaluation takes place in your workplace on the trucks you will use.

Why does the certificate show 36 months of validity?

OSHA requires an evaluation of each operator's performance at least once every 3 years, and refresher training sooner after unsafe operation, an accident or near miss, a poor evaluation, a new truck type or a change in the workplace. The 36-month validity reminds you and your employer when re-evaluation is due. Your employer's certification, not this certificate, is what authorizes you to operate.

Does the course cover my employer's specific trucks and site?

It covers every topic in 1910.178(l)(3) in general terms. Your employer must add the operator's manual and controls of your exact trucks and attachments, and your site's routes, docks, ramps, hazardous locations and procedures, during practical training.

I work in construction or in a state-plan state. Does this course apply?

Construction employers apply the same training requirements through 29 CFR 1926.602(d). State-plan states such as California may have additional or stricter rules, so check with your employer. Outside the US, follow your own country's regulations.

Are there forms my employer can use?

Yes. Module 6 links free PDF forms: a Practical Training Checklist, an Operator Performance Evaluation and an Operator Training Certification Record, in English and Spanish. They are signed by your employer's trainer and evaluator.

What happens if I fail the exam?

You have 3 attempts. Each attempt draws a different 20-question set from the bank of 30, and module quizzes can be retaken without limit to prepare.

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About this course

What you will be able to do

Course outline

Powered industrial trucks and the OSHA standard

Stability, capacity and load handling

Pre-use inspection, refueling and battery charging

Traveling, pedestrians and the workplace

Ramps, docks, trailers, parking and tip-over

The three-part training requirement and your next steps

Final examination and certificate

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