Counterbalance lift truck Training
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration does require drivers utilizing a counterbalanced forklift to have received classroom or lecture style training. They additionally require that a supervised driving course is finished along with periodic refresher training. There is no minimum time requirement for the supervised driving or classroom training. What's more, there is no frequency mandated for the refresher training either.
Counterbalanced Forklifts
A counterbalanced lift truck balances its load using the truck's weight. The forks on a lift truck are in a fixed position; they go down and up and do not pivot. The forks run parallel to the forklift's body. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration require that people who will be using counterbalanced forklifts on the job be trained on the trucks while being in the environment that they would be utilizing them.
Classroom Training
Classroom training or lecture style training provides information regarding the truck that the driver would be driving. This training covers aspects such as weight and load capacity, height, how to charge or fuel the lift truck. It covers how to gauge the time on the engine in addition to any lift truck specific safety information like where to stand when walking around the truck. Either written and/or oral testing is part of the classroom training. There is no required minimum time for the training.
Supervised Driving
The lift truck driver needs to learn how to drive the counterbalanced lift truck while being supervised. The supervised driving has to take place in an area that reflects the environment the driver will be driving in. This atmosphere must include the kind of terrain she will be traveling on, have similar surrounding structures nearby, and similar vehicle and pedestrian traffic close by too. There is no required minimum number of hours the driver has to drive while being supervised.