Forklift Operator Evaluation Form

A free one-page form for the hands-on test. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.178(l) requires employers to evaluate every forklift operator in the workplace and certify it in writing. Watch the operator do 10 tasks on the real truck, mark each one, and sign. It takes about 15 minutes.

Type in the operator and truck details, or leave them blank and fill them in by hand. Print it or choose Save as PDF, and it fits on one page, Letter or A4. Need a plain file? Download the blank PDF.

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Finished the course? Send this page to your supervisor. The evaluation is their part.

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Employer evaluation form

Forklift operator hands-on evaluation

Watch the operator do each task on the truck and in the area they will actually work in.

Operator
Truck class
Date
Make / model
Unit #
#TaskOKNeeds workDoesn't apply
1Pre-shift check done and any defect reported
2Seat belt on before moving
3Smooth forward and reverse, looking where they're going
4Horn at corners and intersections
5Watches for and yields to people on foot
6Picks up a load squarely, forks fully under
7Travels with forks low, mast tilted back
8Stacks and unstacks at height safely
9Sets the load down level and backs out clear
10Parks correctly: forks down, brake set, power off
·Other tasks this job needs (docks, ramps, attachments):

Stop the evaluation if you see:

  • No seat belt on a truck that has one
  • Raising or lowering a load while moving
  • A near-miss with a person on foot
  • Driving a truck with a known defect

Then: mark Not yet, note what to retrain on, and evaluate again after retraining. Until they pass, they drive only under direct supervision. A truck with a defect stays out of service until it is fixed.

Result: Pass Not yetRetrain on:

Employer certification record

Operator
Evaluation date

Training: Online training by Easy Forklift Certification, completed , certificate no.

Check it's real at easyforkliftcertification.com/verify

Evaluator name
Title
Signature
Re-evaluate by (at least every 3 years)

This form helps you record the hands-on evaluation required by 29 CFR 1910.178(l). Your company decides who evaluates and keeps this on file.

easyforkliftcertification.com/forklift-operator-evaluation/

Every operator on this form needs training first. Put your team through the online course and track who has finished.

Certify Your Operators

How to run a forklift evaluation, step by step

The short version: check the training is done, put the operator on the truck they will drive in the area they will work in, watch them do each task on the form, then mark Pass or Not yet and sign. For one truck in one work area it typically takes about 15 minutes. That is a typical time, not a rule. OSHA sets no minimum.

  1. Check the training first. The evaluation comes after the formal instruction, not instead of it. Look at the operator's training certificate. If it came from us, check it at easyforkliftcertification.com/verify before you sign anything.
  2. Use the real truck, in the real work area. 1910.178(l)(2)(ii) calls it an "evaluation of the operator's performance in the workplace." That means the type of truck they will drive, on the floors, aisles, and docks they will drive on. A loop around the parking lot on a different truck does not show that.
  3. Pick a time when no one is at risk. Until they pass, the operator is still a trainee. Under 1910.178(l)(2)(i), a trainee may drive only under the direct supervision of someone qualified to train and evaluate, and only "where such operation does not endanger the trainee or other employees." A quiet aisle at the start of a shift works well.
  4. Watch, don't coach. Ask for each task in order, starting with the pre-shift check. Mark each one OK, Needs work, or Doesn't apply. If the job includes docks, trailers, ramps, narrow aisles, or an attachment, write it on the "Other tasks this job needs" line and watch that too.
  5. Stop if you see a stop item. Driving without a seat belt, raising a load while moving, a near-miss with someone on foot, or driving a truck with a known defect ends the evaluation. The result is Not yet, whatever else went well.
  6. Mark the result and sign. Pass means the evaluator signs and dates the form, and it goes on file. Not yet means you write what to retrain on, retrain, and evaluate again on another day.

How long it takes depends on the job, not the form. An operator who only moves pallets down one aisle may show everything in 10 minutes. A dock job with trailers, dock plates, and a ramp takes longer, because the evaluator has to see each of those.

What the evaluator watches for

The 10 tasks on the form are the ones nearly every forklift job has. Most come straight from OSHA's operating rules in 1910.178:

  • Pre-shift check: trucks must be examined before being placed in service, at least daily, under 1910.178(q)(7).
  • Horn at corners: the driver must "slow down and sound the horn at cross aisles and other locations where vision is obstructed," under (n)(4).
  • Looking where they are going: the driver must "look in the direction of, and keep a clear view of the path of travel," under (n)(6).
  • People on foot: no one may stand or pass under raised forks, loaded or empty, under (m)(2).
  • Picking up a load: forks go under the load as far as possible and the mast tilts back to stabilize it, under (o)(5).
  • Stacking at height: an elevated load may not be tilted forward except when it is in the deposit position over a rack or stack, under (o)(6).
  • Parking: forks fully lowered, controls in neutral, power off, and brakes set, under (m)(5)(i).

The seat belt comes from the truck maker's instructions rather than 1910.178 itself. On a stand-up truck with no seat, mark it Doesn't apply.

Who can do the forklift evaluation?

Anyone your company decides has the right background. 1910.178(l)(2)(iii) says: "All operator training and evaluation shall be conducted by persons who have the knowledge, training, and experience to train powered industrial truck operators and evaluate their competence."

That is the whole rule. OSHA issues no evaluator license, card, or certificate, and sets no hours. The employer decides who meets the test, and should be able to explain the choice if an inspector asks. In practice it is usually a supervisor, lead operator, or safety manager who drives the same trucks well, knows the hazards of the site, and knows what operators are trained on.

The trainer and the evaluator can be the same person. The certification record in 1910.178(l)(6) asks for "the identity of the person(s) performing the training or evaluation," so one name or several both work. An outside trainer can also evaluate, as long as it happens on your truck, at your site.

What to keep on file after the evaluation

A written certification with four items. 1910.178(l)(6) says: "The certification shall include the name of the operator, the date of the training, the date of the evaluation, and the identity of the person(s) performing the training or evaluation." The sign-off block on this form has a line for each:

  • The operator's name
  • The date of the training
  • The date of the evaluation
  • Who did the training and who did the evaluation

OSHA does not supply or approve a form for this. A signed sheet, a training database entry, or a certificate works, as long as it has all four items and you can produce it. Keep the signed evaluation form with the operator's training certificate, so the training date and the evaluation date sit together.

Before you sign, check the certificate is real. For our certificates, go to easyforkliftcertification.com/verify and enter the operator's last name and certificate number. It shows whether the name and completion date match our records.

The standard does not say how long to keep the record. A common practice is to keep each certification through its 3-year life and the next cycle, so you can always show both the current one and the one before it. That is a practical choice, not an OSHA rule.

When to evaluate a forklift operator again

At least every 3 years, and sooner if something goes wrong. 1910.178(l)(4)(iii) says: "An evaluation of each powered industrial truck operator's performance shall be conducted at least once every three years." Write that date in the "Re-evaluate by" box when you sign.

Under 1910.178(l)(4)(ii), refresher training is required when:

  • The operator has been observed to operate the vehicle in an unsafe manner
  • The operator has been involved in an accident or near-miss incident
  • The operator has received an evaluation that reveals that the operator is not operating the truck safely
  • The operator is assigned to drive a different type of truck
  • A condition in the workplace changes in a manner that could affect safe operation of the truck

Refresher training includes "an evaluation of the effectiveness of that training," under (l)(4)(i), so each of these means a new evaluation too, and the new evaluation date starts a new 3-year period. To find the exact date a certification runs out, use our forklift certification expiration calculator.

Want to train and evaluate operators in-house?

This one-page form covers the tasks every forklift job shares. Companies that hire often and want to run the whole program themselves, training and evaluation both, use our Train the Trainer course. It has 13 online lessons for the person who will train and evaluate, plus a kit: a longer hands-on evaluation form with 31 tasks and coaching notes, an 82-slide operator training deck, two written tests with answer keys, and certificate and record templates, all as editable Word and PowerPoint files.

It gives your evaluator a documented training record, which is one of the three things 1910.178(l)(2)(iii) asks for. Knowledge and experience on your trucks still come from the job.

Frequently asked questions

They only watched me for 5 minutes. Is that normal?
It can be. OSHA sets no minimum time for the evaluation. What matters is whether the evaluator saw enough to judge you competent on your truck, doing your job, in your work area. Five minutes of pallet moves may cover a job that is only pallet moves in one aisle. If your job includes docks, trailers, ramps, or stacking at height and the evaluator saw none of it, it is fair to ask them to watch those parts too. It protects you both.
Does the evaluation have to be on the truck I'll drive?
It has to be on the type of truck you will drive, in the place you will drive it. 1910.178(l)(2)(ii) calls for an evaluation of your performance "in the workplace," and training covers "the types of truck the operator will be authorized to operate." A pass on a sit-down counterbalance truck does not cover a reach truck or an order picker. Under (l)(4)(ii)(D), moving to a different type of truck means refresher training and a new evaluation.
Can an online course do the evaluation?
No. An online course covers the formal instruction part of the training, which 1910.178(l)(2)(ii) lists as including "interactive computer learning." Practical training and the evaluation happen at work, on your truck, with a person your employer chooses. A webcam, a video, or a quiz cannot replace someone watching you drive. Our course covers the formal instruction. This form is for the part your employer does.
Do I need a new evaluation at a new job?
Yes. Each employer certifies its own operators under 1910.178(l)(6), so a certification from your last job does not carry over. Under (l)(5), your new employer does not have to repeat training on topics you already covered, as long as that training fits the new truck and working conditions and you have been evaluated and found competent. In practice, the new employer accepts your training certificate and moves straight to the evaluation on its own trucks.
Does OSHA require this form?
No. OSHA requires the evaluation and a written certification with four items: the operator's name, the training date, the evaluation date, and who did the training and evaluation. It does not supply or approve any form. This one has a place for all four items, which makes it one simple way to keep that record.
What if the operator doesn't pass?
Mark Not yet and write down what to retrain on. Retrain on those points, then evaluate again on another day. Until they pass, they may drive only as a trainee under 1910.178(l)(2)(i): directly supervised by someone qualified to train and evaluate, and where it does not endanger them or anyone else. OSHA sets no limit on how many times an operator can be evaluated.
Do electric pallet jack operators need an evaluation too?
Yes, if the pallet jack has a motor. Electric pallet jacks, walkie stackers, and other motorized hand trucks are powered industrial trucks under 1910.178, so the same training, evaluation, and 3-year rules apply. A manual pallet jack with no motor is not covered. On this form, mark the tasks that don't fit the truck, like the seat belt, as Doesn't apply.

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