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