Who Can Train and Evaluate Forklift Operators?

OSHA does not certify forklift trainers. It sets one test in 29 CFR 1910.178(l)(2)(iii), and the employer decides who meets it. Here is what the test means, how to document it, and when training your own trainer costs less than buying seats.

The short answer

Anyone who has "the knowledge, training, and experience to train powered industrial truck operators and evaluate their competence" can train and evaluate forklift operators, under 29 CFR 1910.178(l)(2)(iii). That can be the owner, a supervisor, an experienced operator or an outside trainer. There is no OSHA trainer license, card or certificate. The employer picks the trainer and should be able to explain the choice to an inspector.

What does OSHA require of a forklift trainer?

One sentence. Here it is in full:

"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 1910.178(l)(2)(iii). The same test applies to whoever supervises trainees on the truck, under (l)(2)(i)(A). There are no required hours, no exam and no minimum years on the job.

OSHA left the choice to the employer on purpose. In the 1998 final rule it said the employer "may have the necessary prerequisites to qualify as a trainer and evaluator, or he or she may assign the responsibility for training and evaluation to one or more employees or an outside trainer and evaluator having those prerequisites." Read the standard on osha.gov.

Does OSHA certify forklift trainers?

No. OSHA issues no forklift trainer card, license or certificate, and it does not approve train-the-trainer courses. When it wrote the rule, some commenters asked for trainer accreditation. OSHA said no, noting that it "does not have the resources to evaluate and certify trainers and does not consider it necessary to do so", and that many small businesses train their own operators, so accreditation "would be unnecessarily burdensome."

So a "certified forklift trainer" usually means someone who finished a train-the-trainer course. That course certificate is good evidence of the "training" part of the test. It is not a license, and it does not cover the "experience" part on its own.

One source of confusion: OSHA does authorize trainers for its 10-hour and 30-hour Outreach classes. Those are general safety courses, and OSHA says that program "does not meet the training requirements for any OSHA standards." They have nothing to do with forklift trainer qualifications.

What qualifies someone to be a forklift trainer?

Use these five points to pick your trainer and to write down why you picked them. The first two come from OSHA; the last three are our guidance, labeled as such.

Operates your trucks safely, in your conditions

OSHA letter, July 23, 2003

OSHA reads "experience" as having "the practical skills and judgment to be able to himself operate the equipment safely under the conditions prevailing in the employer's workplace." That includes every attachment you use. They do not have to drive every day.

Knows the required topics and the rule

1910.178(l)(3)

The truck-related and workplace-related topics in 1910.178(l)(3), and the requirements of the standard itself, since those are what they will teach.

Knows your site's hazards

Our guidance, based on (l)(3)(ii)

Your ramps, dock plates, narrow aisles, pedestrian routes and loads. Workplace topics are part of the required training, and only someone who knows the floor can teach them.

Has learned how to teach and evaluate

Our guidance

Explaining, demonstrating, coaching a nervous trainee, and scoring an evaluation the same way every time. A good operator is not automatically a good teacher.

Will judge competence honestly

Our guidance

Someone who will fail a friend who is not ready. The whole point of the evaluation is a judgment you can stand behind.

Keep a short memo in your training file that names the trainer, the trucks they are qualified on, and the training they have had. If an inspector asks why this person is your trainer, the memo is your answer.

Do you need a paid course to certify your own employees?

No law requires one. OSHA said so directly in a 2000 letter: "There is no requirement that the trainer attend a train-the-trainer course. However, you may find it useful to have trainers attend such a course." An experienced supervisor who has learned to teach and evaluate some other way can meet the test.

A course helps in two practical ways. It gives you a dated record for the "training" part of the test, which is easier to show an inspector than "he's been here 12 years". And it teaches the part most experienced operators have never done: planning a session, coaching, and running an evaluation the same way for every operator.

Whatever the trainer learned elsewhere, the training they deliver has to fit your site. The same 2000 letter looked at a general train-the-trainer class run for several companies. As operator training, OSHA said it "would not be acceptable unless the training program content covered the truck and workplace-related topics listed at §1910.178(l)(3)(i) and (ii) respectively."

Can the same person train and evaluate forklift operators?

Yes. The 1998 final rule says a qualified employee "could himself or herself conduct the required training (both initial and refresher) and evaluations."

You can also split the work. The proposed rule used the term "designated person". Commenters raised concerns, one asking for the flexibility to have several trainers, and OSHA dropped that term. The final rule says "persons". The certification record under (l)(6) then lists "the identity of the person(s) performing the training or evaluation".

Can an outside company or an online course evaluate my operators?

An outside trainer can, in person. An online course cannot. In a 1999 letter OSHA said that if the employer "has a reasonable basis to believe that the third-party trainer is qualified and has a program that meets the requirements of the standard", it can rely on that trainer to train and evaluate its employees and then certify them. The employer may still need to add site-specific or truck-specific training.

The evaluation has to happen in your workplace, on your trucks, under (l)(2)(ii). In April 2025 OSHA was asked whether an evaluator could watch over a live video stream. Its reply: direct supervision means the evaluator "is physically located at the location where any practical training and evaluation takes place."

An online course, ours included, covers the formal instruction part. It cannot run practical training or watch anyone drive. That part always needs a qualified person on site.

What does a forklift trainer have to do?

Run the whole cycle for every operator, and keep the paperwork. Under 1910.178(l), the trainer's jobs are:

  • Teach the truck-related and workplace-related topics in (l)(3), or confirm an operator already covered them, under (l)(5).
  • Supervise practical training, where the trainer demonstrates and the trainee practices, under (l)(2)(i) and (l)(2)(ii).
  • Evaluate each operator doing real work in the workplace, under (l)(2)(ii). A written test alone does not count, OSHA said in a 2005 letter.
  • Give the employer what it needs for the (l)(6) record: name, training date, evaluation date, and who trained and evaluated.
  • Deliver refresher training and a new evaluation after any of the five triggers in (l)(4)(ii), such as an accident, a near-miss or a new truck type.
  • Evaluate every operator again at least once every three years, under (l)(4)(iii).

For the tools: our free forklift operator evaluation form, the checklist of what a certification record must show, the step-by-step forklift training program, and when refresher training is due.

Train the trainer or buy seats: which costs less?

It depends on how many operators you certify and how they arrive. Our Train the Trainer course is $299 once, for one trainer. The operator course is $59 per person, or $50, $40 or $30 per seat when you buy 2 to 4, 5 to 9, or 10 or more in one order.

Operators One at a time ($59 each) Team seats, one order Train the Trainer
1 $59 $59 $299
3 $177 $150 $299
5 $295 $200 $299
6 $354 $240 $299
8 $472 $320 $299
10 $590 $300 $299
15 $885 $450 $299
20 $1,180 $600 $299

On course fees alone: if you hire through the year and certify people one at a time, the trainer course costs less from the 6th operator (five individual courses cost $295, six cost $354). If you certify a group in one order, it costs less at 8 or 9 operators, about the same at 10 ($300 against $299), and less again from 11.

The table leaves out time. Seats cover the classroom part only. Every operator still needs practical training and an evaluation at your site by someone who meets (l)(2)(iii), so you need a qualified person on site either way. The trainer route adds to that person's load: about 4 to 5 hours to take the trainer course, then the hours they spend teaching the classroom part that the online course would otherwise cover. The real question is whether that person should also teach the classroom part, and whether you want them trained to do it.

Seats have their own advantages. Each operator gets our certificate and wallet card with a number anyone can check, the course comes in English and Spanish, and a team dashboard tracks who has finished. With the trainer course, your company issues its own certificates from the kit's templates.

The trainer course is 13 online lessons, about 4 to 5 hours, with quizzes and a final exam; pass it to download a trainer certificate of course completion. The kit includes an 82-slide operator training deck with speaker notes, two 30-question written tests with answer keys, a hands-on evaluation form, inspection and pre-practice checklists, certificate and wallet card templates, a trainer's guide with a sample memo naming your trainer, and a training record and roster. It is in English.

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Fewer than 6 operators a year? Certify Your Operators with team seats instead.

How to become a forklift trainer

Five steps. The first and last matter most; the middle three are how you get good at it.

  1. 1

    Be a safe, practiced operator on the trucks you will train on. Every truck type and attachment your operators use. This is the "experience" in the rule.

  2. 2

    Learn the rule and the topics. Read 1910.178(l) and the (l)(3) topic list, and know how each topic applies on your floor.

  3. 3

    Take a train-the-trainer course. Optional under the rule, but it is the quickest way to learn to teach, coach and score evaluations, and it gives you a dated record.

  4. 4

    Practice evaluations with a second evaluator. Score the same operator side by side and compare. Our suggestion, not a rule, and the fastest way to make your scoring consistent.

  5. 5

    Get named in writing. Your employer puts a memo in the training file naming you as trainer and listing your qualifications. Then your name goes on every certification record you sign off.

Frequently asked questions

Can the business owner be the forklift trainer?
Yes, if the owner meets the knowledge, training and experience test in 1910.178(l)(2)(iii). In the 1998 final rule OSHA said the employer "may have the necessary prerequisites to qualify as a trainer and evaluator". An owner who drives the trucks alongside employees should also go through training and evaluation.
Does a forklift trainer certification expire?
OSHA issues no trainer certification, so there is nothing federal to expire. What can lapse is the experience part of the test: if you bring in a new truck type or attachment the trainer has never used, they need hands-on time with it before training or evaluating others on it.
Can a trainer from another company train our operators?
Yes, as long as you have a reasonable basis to believe they are qualified and their program meets the standard. OSHA said in a 1999 letter that an employer can rely on a qualified third-party trainer to train and evaluate its employees, but may need to add training on site-specific or truck-specific matters. Your company still issues the certification.
How does my employer certify me as a forklift operator?
A qualified person trains you, supervises your practice on the truck, and evaluates you doing real work at the site. Your employer then writes down your name, the training date, the evaluation date and who trained and evaluated you, under 1910.178(l)(6). That record is your certification.
Is the Train the Trainer course available in Spanish?
No. The Train the Trainer course and kit are in English only. The operator course comes in English and Spanish, so Spanish-speaking operators can take the classroom part in Spanish through team seats, while your trainer runs the practical training and evaluation.

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