Being a certified forklift operator in Pennsylvania can be a rewarding long-term occupation. However, accidents may happen in the workplace anytime, that is why it is very important for forklift operators to get the proper education need to get the job done safely. The training for operators is extremely important to protect themselves and the people around them as well as to avoid damage to company property and to the machine itself.
In Pennsylvania, this kind of job is always required in the logistics, construction, manufacturing and mining businesses. But before you can get entry to long-term opportunities for this career, you must have forklift certification.
We’ve made this simple-to-follow instruction on how to apply for forklift certification in Pennsylvania. We prepared this so that it will be suitable for both novice and experienced operators to follow.
I would like to borrow some your time to READ these subjects that can help you out to get forklift training:
- How to Become OSHA Certified
- Where You Can Go to Get Trained and Certified Operating the Forklifts
- 8 Mindful Tips to Help You Choose Forklift Training School
- Requirements Forklift Operators Must Have Before Taking a Training Course
- How Much Does It Cost to Become OSHA Certified?
- How Long Does It Take to Get Certified?
- How to Renew the Forklift Certification?
- Is Online Certification Right For You?
- When to Take Retraining?
- How Much are the Fines and Penalties when caught by OSHA?
- What are Your Job Descriptions and Responsibilities as Forklift Operator?
Words for the employer who are seeking training for their forklift drivers, READ these useful articles to assist you:
- Will the You Train the Operators to OSHA Compliant
- How to Save Money by Assigning Someone as Forklift Trainer
- Why You Need to Supply Forklift Safety Training to Your Workers
- What The Training Should Consist to Meet OSHA Standard
Forklift Certification Application
OSHA training legislation for forklift operators stipulates that only trained individuals are allowed and permitted to drive industrial forklift trucks. You cannot get accepted for a job if you do not have the proper forklift certification. Now, if you are interested in pursuing a vocation driving forklift, here are what you need to do:
- Determine your exact training requirement. You may know by then that training should be specific to the type of forklift truck you’ll be operating.
- Enroll for the certification course. You can be enrolled in a trade school near you. We’ve provided you with the list of schools in Pennsylvania, please refer to the below list.
- OSHA also states that training shall compose of three parts: the formal training, written test and operator’s actual performance evaluation.
- Attend the classroom theoretical lectures that take about 4-6 hours to complete. In this part, the trainees will be supplied with training materials on topics such as safe use of the truck, basic controls and driving, different designs of forklifts, load balancing and load weight calculation, pedestrian traffic, accident avoidance procedure, incident reporting procedure, OSHA legislation and compliance, safety procedures, federal laws, and many more.
- After the classroom lectures, just like any form of education course, the teacher will instruct you to do a written examination. The purpose of the test is to gauge the skills learned and ensure that you can perform the last part of the course which is the actual demonstration. The passing grade may depend on the school.
- The hands-on demonstration of the course follows. The trainer will supervise the trainees to accomplish sets of tasks. The tasks are designed to measure your competency in handling the actual forklift. You are instructed to maneuver the forklift in tight spaces, drive in narrow aisles, loading and unload, pallet stacking, picking of materials from a high elevation, delivering of loads from location to location, analysis of hazardous work in the area, pedestrian awareness, drive on uneven road surfaces, working multi-tasking, refueling and recharging, and proper forklift parking.
- In the end, if the examiner is pleased and contented with the operator’s performance result, he will sign your certification and license card. The certification is valid for three years. The certification bears the name of the operator, date of training, the specific truck he’s able to drive, expiration, and the name of the trainer and/or school.
Operators should have forklift truck-specific training before getting allowed to operate powered industrial machinery. The training must be administered by a competent examiner who had appropriate training in Train-the-Trainer Course.
Forklift refresher or re-certification course is given to those operators with expired licenses, involved in accidents, unruly and observed driving forklifts in an unsafe manner.
Forklift Training Schools in Pennsylvania
Training schools are the best location taking the forklift certification training. They have accredited professionals and are fully equipped with training facilities and machinery.
Here we’ve made it simple for you to enroll at one of the schools. We also indicated here the addresses and contact numbers for you to easily keep in touch with them.
- J J Clark Co Forklifts - 31-B Mount Pleasant Drive, Aston, PA 19014, (610) 358-9960
- Eastern Lift Truck Co., Inc. - 350 South Poplar Street, Berwick, PA 18603, (570) 389-9501
- Lift, Inc. - 3745 Hempland Road, Mountville, Phone: 877-659-8907, Fax: 717-662-1811
- PA Industrial Equipment Inc - 215 S. Washington St., Boyertown, PA 19512, 610-369-9778
- Arbor Material Handling - 2465 Maryland Road, Willow Grove, PA 19090, Phone: 800-934-6568, Fax: 215-657-5188
- Smith & Solomon - 98 Grove St., Dupont, PA 18641, Phone Number: 1-800-622-0355
- C.L.T.S., INC. - 949 Underwood Road, Olyphant, PA 18447, Phone: 570.489.8404
- Certified Lift Specialists, Inc - 4522 State Route 136, Greensburg, PA 15601, Toll-Free: (888) 248-5702, Phone: 724-830-9972
- New Speciality Lift - 310 Front St, Hollidaysburg, PA 16648, Day Phone: 814-695-3370
- Langer Material Handling, Inc. - 100 Industrial Drive West, Valencia, PA 16059, 724-898-2000
- MH Equipment - 1807 Pittsburgh Avenue, Erie, (814) 455-4455
- Mid Atlantic Industrial Equipment, LTD - 1231 East Wallace Street, York, PA 17403, (888) 383-LIFT
- Total Equipment Training - 610.321.2679,
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - Skyworks Equipment Rental Sales and Service - Pittsburgh, PA, (412)-921-1000
- PennWest - 460 Grantham St., Tarentum, PA 15084, (724) 226-1600, Aston: Phone: 484-490-5770
- H&K Equipment - 4200 Casteel Drive, Coraopolis, PA 15108, Tel: 412-490-5300, Fax: 412-494-0975
- Trupar America - 160 WILSON ROAD, BENTLEYVILLE, PA 15314, 877.704.0073 | 724.239.2220
- Taylor Northeast - 931 Hemlock Road, Morgantown, PA 19543, Toll Free: 1-800-762-2500, Tel: 610-286-8080, Fax: 610-286-8099
- Modern Group Ltd. - 2501 Durham Rd., Bristol, PA 19007, Phone: 1-855-299-7698
- ToyotaLift Northeast - 200 Schell Ln, Suite 200 Phoenixville, PA 19460, Phone: (610) 337-8300
- Crown Lift Trucks - 300 Westec Drive, Westmoreland Technology Park 1, Mount Pleasant, PA 15666, Fax: 724-696-3561
- Pengate Handling Systems - 3 Interchange Place, York, 717-764-3050
- Action Lift - 1 Memco Drive, Pittston, PA 18640, Toll Free: 1-800-294-5438, Local: 570-655-2100
- Royal Forklift - 6 Hetzels Church Road, Pine Grove, PA 17963
- All Staffing Warehousing - 3070 Bristol Pike, Bldg 1, Suite 205, Bensalem, (215)-245-7080
- Karl Environmental Group - 20 Lauck Road, Mohnton, PA 19540, Tel: (610) 856-7700
- Employment Skills Center - 29 South Hanover Street, Carlisle PA 17013 | 717-243-6040
- Career Concepts Staffing Services, Inc. - 4934 Peach Street, Suite 101, Erie, PA 16509, Phone: (814) 868-2333, Fax: (814) 868-3238
- Valley Industrial Trucks – Serves Ohio and western PA, 888-375-0829
- EQUIPCO Materials Handling - 1889 Mayview Rd., Bridgeville, (412) 221-2800
- New Castle School of Trades – Serves Ohio, Pennsylvania, Youngtown, Warren, Boardman, (800) 837-8299
Forklift Training Prerequisites
- Must be a high school graduate or in possession of a GED certificate.
- The trainee must be 18 years old or older at the time of applying for the training.
- The trainee must not be under any form of medication.
- The trainee must be physically fit.
Salary You Can Expect as Certified Forklift Driver
In Pennsylvania, a forklift operator can make as much as $40,539 per year on average. If you can show evidence of being experienced and certified driving many classes of forklift trucks, the employer can offer you a higher salary than average.
As of February 27, 2023, according to Salary.com, here are the cities and towns of PA that offer the best salary:
$43,074- Abington | $37,521- Harborcreek |
$43,440 - Ackermanville | $43,189 - Hilltown |
$42,635 - Aston | $42,635- Kennet Square |
$42,603- Avondale | $42,687 - Kulpsville |
$43,107- Bala Cynwyd | $44,225- Lahaska |
$44,279- Bensalem | $44,306- Langhorne |
$41,455- Birchrunville | $44,306- Levittown |
$43,058 - Bridgeport | $44,184- Lumberville |
$44,306- Bristol | $42,725- Malvern |
$42,839- Brookhaven | $42,652 - Marcus Hook |
$43,107- Bryn Mawr | $44,197- Mechanicsville |
$44,211- Buckingham | $42,489- Modena |
$43,298- Chalfont | $42,977- North Wales |
$43,107- Cheltenham | $42,960- Oaks |
$43,058 - Colmar | $44,265 - Pineville |
$42,431 - Creamery | $44,265- Richboro |
$44,140 - Danboro | $43,065 - Silverdale |
$43,042 - Devon | $42,431- Skippack |
$41,146 - Dingmans Ferry | $44,211- Solebury |
$43,417- Dublin | $43,042- Southeastern |
$44,084 - Erwinna | $42,489 - Thorndale |
$44,265- Feasterville Trevose | $42,587- Unionville |
$42,776- Franconia | $43,549- Warrington |
$44,225- Furlong | $44,306 - Washington Crossing |
$43,058 - Glen Riddle Lima | $42,603- Westtown |
Want to know how much you will get from your work as a forklift operator in another state or city?
If you searching for a job as a forklift operator. These articles can assist you:
- Finding Jobs as Forklift Operator with No Experience
- Is Driving Forklifts the Right Job For You
- How to Turn Your Job into a Lifetime Career
- Shifting to Another Job as Forklift Driver
- What You Need to Know When Choosing Your Career
- When to Shift to a New Job
Authorities:
If you have inquiries and questions about wages related matters, occupational safety and health standards and forklift certification in Pennsylvania, you can contact any concerning government agencies:
Department of Labor and Industry
1700 Labor and Industry Bldg.
7th and Forster Streets
Harrisburg, PA 17120
OSHA Pennsylvania
Saucon Valley Plaza
3477 Corporate Parkway
Suite 120, Center Valley, PA 18034
(267) 429-7542
Cities and Boroughs of PA
Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Wyomissing, Allentown, Uniontown, Pottstown, Plum, Murrysville, Monroeville, Bethel Park, West Mifflin, Baldwin, Lansdale, Phoenixville, Pottsville, Kingston, Bloomsburg, Greensburg, Hanover, Wilkinsburg, Franklin Park, Sharon, Dunmore, Ephrata, Berwick, Munhall, Lower Burrell, St. Marys, Coatesville, New Kensington, Waynesboro, Yeadon, Elizabethtown, Nanticoke, Lansdowne, Emmaus, Jefferson Hills, Erie, Reading, Oil City, Upper Darby, Scranton, Bethlehem, Lancaster, Bensalem, Harrisburg, Altoona, York, State College, Wilkes-Barre, Norristown, Williamsport, Easton, Lebanon, Hazleton, Allentown, Reading, New Castle, Johnstown, Chambersburg, McKeesport, Carlisle, West Chester, Hermitage