On a new starter’s first morning, the conversation in plenty of warehouses goes roughly the same way, with the operator producing a forklift licence from a previous job, somebody glancing at it to confirm the name matches, and a set of keys changing hands before the induction paperwork is even finished. It feels efficient, particularly when you are short of drivers, but that card tells you far less about the person in front of you than most employers assume.
With demand for forklift operators staying high and agency staff moving regularly between sites, you will probably find yourself making this judgement several times a year. Getting it right protects your people and your stock, and it means any forklift truck training you do book is aimed at the gaps that genuinely exist rather than repeating what the operator already knows.
Whether you manage safety for a busy distribution operation or you are an operator about to start somewhere new yourself, the same checks apply.
Why a Previous Forklift Licence Does Not Transfer Automatically
Despite the name everybody uses, the UK has no single national forklift licence, and what an operator carries is really a certificate showing they completed training on a particular type of truck with a particular provider. Your duties as the employer start fresh on the day they join you, which means you need to satisfy yourself that they are competent and then authorise them in writing before they operate any truck on your site.
HSE guidance also expects operators to receive specific job training and familiarisation training covering your own equipment, loads, layout and procedures, and no certificate from another employer can cover those. Treating the paperwork as a starting point rather than a finish line sits at the heart of forklift training compliance, and it is where many of the most avoidable incidents involving new starters begin.
Three Checks Before You Book Forklift Truck Training for a New Starter
A few minutes spent looking closely at the certificate, and talking to the operator about what they have really been driving recently, will tell you whether they need a short top-up, a full course or simply a structured familiarisation on your site.
Which Body Accredited Their Forklift Training
The HSE recognises several accrediting bodies, and a certificate backed by one of them, such as RTITB or AITT, shows that the operator was trained and tested against a consistent standard by a qualified instructor. If the card carries no accrediting body at all, or the issuing provider cannot confirm it, you are better off treating that operator as untested and arranging an assessment before they go anywhere near your trucks.
Whether Their Forklift Licence Matches Your Trucks
Competence on one type of truck does not carry over to another, so an operator certificated on a counterbalance still needs training before driving a reach truck in narrow aisles, and the same applies the other way round. Compare the truck categories listed on the certificate with the equipment used in your warehouse or yard, and bear in mind that someone who has never held a counterbalance certificate may need the full five-day counterbalance novice course.
How Recently the Operator Last Trained
Forklift certificates carry no legal expiry date, but most accrediting bodies recommend refresher training every three to five years, and many employers choose to work to that window. An operator whose last course was a decade ago, or who has spent a year or two away from driving, will usually benefit from forklift refresher training to iron out habits that have crept in and bring their knowledge back up to date.
Matching Forklift Truck Training to What Your Checks Reveal
Once you know where each new starter stands, choosing the right forklift training course becomes far more straightforward, which stops you paying for days of instruction someone does not need and makes your wider investment in forklift safety training go further. Most situations fall into one of these:
- No recognised certificate or very limited experience: A novice forklift truck training course builds competence from the ground up and gives the operator an accredited certificate you can rely on.
- A valid certificate but a long gap since training: A refresher assesses their current ability and tackles any bad habits without making them sit through the full novice programme again.
- A certificate for a different truck type: Training on the new truck builds on the skills the operator already has, so an experienced counterbalance driver moving onto a reach truck is not starting from scratch.
- A certificate in order and a matching truck type: Specific job and familiarisation training, which our instructors can deliver on-site at your workplace, covers your layout, loads and procedures before you give the operator written authorisation.
Send Us the Certificate and We Will Recommend the Right Forklift Truck Training
If a new starter has just handed you a forklift licence and you are not sure what it really tells you, send us a copy along with a note of the trucks they will be using, and we will recommend the course that closes the gap.
We deliver RTITB and AITT accredited forklift truck training at our purpose-built centre in Bromborough and on-site at your premises, so whether your site is on the Wirral or you are looking for AITT forklift training in Liverpool, we can fit the training around your rota.
If you are the one holding the certificate and wondering what it counts for, or you are just starting out and want to know how to become a forklift truck driver, we are just as happy to point you towards the right course. Call us on 0151 343 0588 or send us the details and we will come back to you with a clear recommendation.