Forklift License in Connecticut: Training Schools and Salary

Forklift license Connecticut Forklifts are a common piece of heavy equipment used in many different types of industries primarily to lift and transport heavy loads. But this equipment can be deadly if handled improperly by an untrained operator, they require due diligence for safe operation.

Forklift safety training is important, without this, the operator can become an immediate threat to himself and other employees in the workplace.

The safety training is a basic process and easy to take. It doesn’t cost a lot of time and effort to finish. In just as short as 8 hours the training can be completed.

At the end of successful training, the student will be issued with a certificate and an operator card as confirmation of being certified. They refer to it as a forklift license. This credential is what you need in order to work with a forklift.

Getting a forklift license in Connecticut is necessary. If you are an individual, having such qualification can put you easily on a job. If you are an employer, having your workers certified to have this can definitely save you from a lot of headaches.

There’s no reason why shouldn’t train to get a forklift license.

This is the primary reason why we came up with this guide. We would like to help you obtain such a qualification.

Here are the things what you need to do. Read on…

How to Take the Forklift Training Course

Taking the training and getting your certification is not as complicated as you may think. It only involves passing the exam and evaluation. Here’s what you need to do:

Find a school or training school that offers a forklift training course. The list of schools in Connecticut is below where you can refer to.
Enlist for a training course. Enrolling in the training does cost some amount of money, how much? It will depend on the duration of the training course you need. It usually costs around $100 or less.
Attend the classroom training. The training consists of formal lectures and interactions. The trainer will give lectures in power-point presentations and video showing. There will also be a trainer-student discussion just to make sure that every student is participating in the class.
Take the written test. The trainer may administer a written test in a certification class. The test questions could come up in many forms, depending on what the trainer wants. The written test could have multiple choices, true or false, or mixed questions. You need to pass the test with 80% passing rate, the passing grade varies depending on the standard. Here’s a guide on how to pass the written test.
Do the driving exercises with the forklift. This is what they refer to as practical training. You will demonstrate what you’ve learned from the classroom by doing driving exercises or hands-on operation, the trainer oversees your performance. You will perform different tasks such as loading/unloading, lifting loads, transporting materials, maneuvering in tight spaces, picking loads from the rack, etc.
Get your skill evaluated. The most important part of the certification course is performance evaluation. This is where you will exhibit your actual skill operating the forklift. The trainer will give you sets of instructions and a series of activities to complete. Make him satisfied with your performance driving the forklift, you will be guaranteed of passing this test. Here’s a guide on how to pass the practical test.
Receive your credentials. After course completion, the school will issue your certificate of training and/or operator license card. These are proofs you can present to your employer that you have been certified. The employer may take a copy of these documents; the original copy will be yours to keep.

The certification has a 3-year validity. You need to take recertification every three years to make a renewal.

Forklift Training Schools in Connecticut

Here are the training schools in this state where you can take forklift training at:

Safety Aspects LLC - 860-214-7402
Allstate Commercial Driver Training School – 249 Pearl St, Seymour, Phone: +1 203-922-8252
Summit Toyota Lift - 11 Defco Park Road, North Haven, CT 06473, Phone: (203) 239-5351, Fax: (203) 234-8090
Summit Toyota Lift - 39 Murphy Road, Franklin, CT 06254, Phone: (860) 642-4377, Fax: (860) 642-4521
NITCO Materials Handling Solutions - 150 N Plains Industrial Rd # 3, Wallingford, Phone: +1 203-626-7670
Chase Equipment Corporation - 372 Danbury Road ~ Route 7, New Milford, Connecticut, Telephone: 860.355.1950, Toll Free: 800.560.3316, Fax 860.355.3466
New England Industrial Truck, Inc. - 20 N. Plains Industrial Rd., Wallingford, CT 06492, Phone:(781) 935-9105
Starlift Equipment Company - 829 First Avenue, West Haven, CT 06516, 203.937.8101, (203) 937-8101
Berkshire Forklift Inc. - 22 Alain White Road, Morris, CT 06763, (860) 567-3181 fax (860) 567-4418
Safety Equipped, Inc. - Located in the state of MA but offers service in Connecticut and other in other states, Tel.: 508-332-8959, Fax: 508-567-6743
Forklift Services and Sales - 16 Industrial Rd, Prospect, Phone: +1 203-758-3334
Superior Fork Lift, Inc. – 150 N Plains Industrial Rd, Wallingford, 203 265 9510

You can READ this guide to choosing the best forklift training school.

You can take forklift training from school in the neighboring state of Massachusetts, and apply for work in Connecticut.

If you want to know if you can use your forklift license to work in another state, country or company, here are the answers:

Requirements for Taking the Forklift Training

18 years old and above
High school diploma
Can communicate well with others
Can write and speak English
In very good health
Passed drug test
No substance abuse
Good background check
Driver’s license, if the employer will require it

Types of Forklift Certification

Operator certification that stresses out the importance of safe forklift driving at the workplace. This course is given to a new operator or experience ones during recertification. The course involves formal education and actual operation.
Train-the-Trainer Program – This is for on-site instructors who want to upgrade competency to be able to certify other forklift operators at the workplace according to the training standards laid down by OSHA.

Does Your Employer Require You To Take OSHA 10-Hour Training?

Connecticut is one of the states that requires workers who work in general industries (warehouses, storages, etc) and especially those work in the construction sites to take OSHA 10 training.

This is a local state legislation and therefore everyone must abide it. If you are looking for training providers, here are your options.

Tunxis Community College
271 Scott Swamp Road, Farmington, CT 06032
Phone: 860.773.1300
Northwestern Connecticut Community College
Park Place East, Winsted, CT 06098
Phone: 860.738.6300
Home Builders & Remodeler's Association
160 Avon Street, Stratford CT 06615, US
Call: 203-335-7008
Hamden Adult Education
2040 Dixwell Avenue, Hamden, CT 06514
Call: 203-407-2028 to register
Independent Electrical Contractors of New England
273 Dividend Road Suite A, Rocky Hill, CT 06067
Phone: 860-563-4953; Fax: 860-756-5300
OSHA Pros USA
Contact: (469) 480-9063
Service Hartford, Connecticut and will come to your faility
OSHA Training
24×7 Support: (877) 881-2235

OSHA also has a list of authorized instructors, see this page.

The cost for taking this training is somewhere in the ballpark figure of $120-$180. Online training could be cheaper but we still suggest taking it in-person.

Passing this course involves passing a written exam and an evaluation. Students will be given up to three (3) attempts to pass the tests, and the passing grade will primparily depend on the training provider or instructor.

At the end of the training, the trainer will give documentation in the form of a DOL wallet card as proof of training completion.

In this state, the renewal of OSHA 10 training must be done every five (5) years.

If you are still looking for job, having an OSHA 10 training completed can boost your chance of getting employed. Take a little time and invest a small amount in attaining this credential.

Salary of Licensed Forklift Operator in Connecticut

According to US BLS, there’s a constant demand for qualified forklift operators in this state and will continue to go up in the next coming years.

As of February 27, 2023, in the state of Connecticut, the average salary an operator is $43,952.00 per year. In the neighboring state of Rhode Island, the salary is significantly lower compared to Connecticut. Here are the cities and towns of this state with high paying wages for forklift operator:

$46,145 - Bridgeport	$45,095 - Newtown
$43,871 - Bristol	$44,021 - New Haven
$45,095 - Danbury	$45,082 - New Milford
$43,984 - East Hartford	$46,745 - Norwalk
$46,145 - Fairfield	$46,745 - Old Greenwich
$46,645 - Greenwich	$46,745 - Stamford
$44,021 - Hamden	$46,145 - Stratford
$43,984 - Hartford	$43,789 - Waterbury
$43,984 - Manchester	$42,985 - West Hartford
$43,871 - Meriden	$45,001 - Woodbury
$46,145 - Milford	$43,395 - Yantic

If You are an employer, planning to provide training for the operators, read these:

Governing Bodies:

For more much need information such as current laws and legislation affecting your health and safety standards and licensing procedures, you may visit these offices:

Connecticut Department of Labor
www.ctdol.state.ct.us
200 Folly Brook Boulevard, Wethersfield, CT 06109
Phone: 860-263-6000

Connecticut Licensing Information Center
http://www.ct-clic.com
05 Brook Street, Bldg 4. Rocky Hill, CT 06067
1-800-392-2122 or 860-571-7136

Federal OSHA
Hartford Area Office
Federal Building, 450 Main Street, Room 613, Hartford, Connecticut 06103
(860) 240-3152

Other Cities and Towns of CT

Andover, Ansonia, Ashford,Avon, Barkhamsted, Beacon Falls, Berlin,Bethany,Bethel, Bethlehem, Bloomfield, Bolton, Bozrah, Branford, Bridgeport, Bridgewater, Bristol, Brookfield, Brooklyn, Burlington, Canaan, Canterbury, Canton, Chaplin, Cheshire, Chester, Clinton, Colchester, Colebrook, Columbia, Cornwall, Coventry, Cromwell, Danbury, Darien, Deep River, Derby, Durham, East Granby, East Haddam, East Hampton, East Hartford, East Haven, East Lyme, East Windsor, Eastford, Easton, Ellington, Enfield, Essex, Fairfield, Farmington, Franklin, Glastonbury, Goshen, Granby, Greenwich, Griswold, Groton, Guilford, Haddam, Hamden, Hampton, Hartford, Hartland, Harwinton, Ebron, Kent, Killingly, Killingworth, Lebanon, Ledyard, Lisbon, Litchfield, Lyme, Madison, Manchester, Mansfield, Marlborough, Meriden, Middlebury, Middlefield, Middletown, Milford, Monroe, Montville, Morris, Naugatuck, New Britain, New Canaan, New Fairfield, New Hartford, New Haven, New London, New Milford, Newington, Newtown, Norfolk, North Branford, North Canaan, North Haven, North Stonington, Norwalk, Norwich, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Orange, Oxford, Plainfield, Plainville, Plymouth, Pomfret, Portland, Preston, Prospect, Putnam, Redding, Ridgefield, Rocky Hill, Roxbury, Salem, Salisbury, Scotland, Seymour, Sharon, Shelton, Sherman, Simsbury, Somers, South Windsor, Southbury, Southington, Sprague, Stafford, Stamford, Sterling, Stonington, Stratford, Suffield, Thomaston, Thompson, Tolland, Torrington, Trumbull, Union, Vernon, Voluntown, Wallingford, Warren, Washington, Waterbury, Waterford, Watertown, West Hartford, West Haven, Westbrook, Weston, Westport, Wethersfield, Willington, Wilton, Winchester, Windham, Windsor, Windsor Locks, Wolcott, Woodbridge, Woodbury, Woodstock.

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