You might be in a hurry to get a forklift license for whatever reason. The next thing might be in your mind is how long does it take to complete a training course. This a common question we heard mostly from beginners.
To tell you honestly, don’t take the shortcut. Be in the class and spend as much time to absorb knowledge. Some schools do make false promises that they can train you in just 2 hours. Stay away from this kind of training provider.
Actually, it really depends on the curriculum. AS per OSHA, the course should compose of theory, practical training and skill evaluation. Please do keep this in mind. If the school has a higher training standard, these three (3) parts tend to be longer.
Where Else Does the Duration of the Forklift Training Depend?
There are several types of forklifts and the course must correspond to the type of truck you are aiming to operate. Therefore, the duration of the training will also depend on the type of truck you plan to operate. Commonly, if you are planning to operate a counterbalance forklift, the most common type of truck, it only takes a day or two to complete its training course. But, if you want to drive a rough terrain forklift truck, the training is comprehensive, hence, the training time tends to be lengthier that usually lasts for 3-5 days.
Before you enroll in a training course, you must inquire with the school what your desires are so they can tailor the curriculum to your need.
Before you go on, I would like to invite you to spend a little time reading these important articles, CHECK IT OUT:
- I Was Injured at Work Driving Forklift, Is My Employer Liable?
- If You Habe a Valid Forklift Certification, Can You Still It to Work in Another Company in Other State?
- Tips on Choosing the Best Forklift Training School
- Is Online Forklift Training the Right One for You?
- When to Take Forklift Retraining/Refresher Course?
- How to Become Forklift Certified?
If you are an Employer, here are some advices for your, READ these:
- Will the Employer Train the Operator to Drive Forklift?
- How Do You Find Cost-effective training for Your Workers?
- 3 Ways to Receive Forklift Train-the-Trainer Course
- Requirements of Forklift Safety Training
The Alternative: Online Training
If you are thinking of taking this, then you must understand this: you cannot be totally certified by taking the course online.OSHA states that certification must compose of actual practice and performance test, and you cannot take that through this mean. I am not an advocate of this method, and I used to discourage someone to take this kind of training.
You could find dozens of training schools online offering such a course. I do not know how they can promise you to become certified. This opposes the OSHA rule. That’s the problem with the current standard, there’s no government authority monitoring the kind of training being given to forklift operators by these online providers.
Be Prepared Before Taking Your Forklift Certification
If you are in rush to get a forklift license, you need to prepare first the requirements before you enroll for a course in order to help you speed up the process.
- You must be a high school graduate or have its GED equivalent.
- Fair Labor Standards Act states that forklift operator before getting accepted for a job must be 18 years old and above.
- Must know basic calculation and literate to understand instruction.
- A forklift operator must be in good physical conditioning because the job demands it. You need to work for long hours, for that reason, you must have excellent stamina.
- Must have a clean background. Background check could be performed by the employer before hiring a worker.
- Must not have an addiction to drugs, alcohol or any substance abuse.
These requirements are typical and may differ depending on the training company. When prospecting where to take your forklift training, ask about the requirements first, how long does the forklift certification last and how much.
Some Words for Employers
The law requires you to provide designated trainer who can conduct the forklift training in your company. The success of the training program will depend on the competence of the trainer. Though the law doesn’t specify the skill level of the trainer, it only states that the trainer is knowledgeable and capable to deliver such training. It would be much appropriate to exceed the standard.
You can send someone from your force to take “train-the-trainer” forklift training from an outside source. Assign him to become your internal instructor. There are myriad of benefits doing this such as: refresher training will be done by the instructor, you can save lots of money in the long term because you do not need to send each operator for a refresher course outside, having an internal trainer can conduct training that tackles condition of the workplace in order to diminish accidents and close-calls thus reducing the amount of money you pay for insurance, instructor can maintain training records that you can show whenever OSHA inspector visits your site, by showing the records you are in compliance and it eliminates fines and penalties.
To Finalize This
The forklift license will be given after you successfully passed the written exam and skill evaluation. The forklift license is a wallet-size card that you can present anytime when your employer asked about it. It does not take long to get a license, you must only spend some time and effort attending the training and having one can boost your career as a forklift operator.
