“I’ve got my forklift licence.”

It’s a phrase heard regularly across warehouses, factories, construction sites and logistics operations. But here’s the problem: there is no such thing as a forklift licence in the UK.

That might come as a surprise to many forklift operators and employers. So, what do you actually need to legally and safely operate a forklift?

So, is there really a forklift licence?

No. Unlike driving a car on public roads, there is no government-issued forklift licence that allows someone to operate any forklift.

Instead, UK health and safety law requires employers to ensure that anyone operating material handling equipment (MHE), including forklift trucks, is adequately trained, competent and authorised to do so.

Forklift training is generally delivered by regulated training providers such as us, and results in a certificate of training or similar evidence of competence. This is sometimes informally referred to as a “forklift licence” or “FLT licence”.

The terminology may be convenient, but it can create confusion.

For a list of our most common forklift courses, please click here.

Why does everyone call it a licence?

The term “forklift licence” has become widely used because it provides a simple way of describing evidence that an operator has completed forklift training.

However, completing a training course doesn’t mean an operator has a permanent licence to drive forklifts.

Training demonstrates competence on particular types of equipment and under particular conditions. The employer must still assess the operator’s competence and authorise them to operate the equipment in their workplace.

What does the law actually say?

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) place duties on employers regarding the safe use of work equipment.

More specifically, LOLER and the HSE’s guidance on lift trucks are also important considerations depending on the equipment and how it is being used.

The HSE’s guidance makes it clear that lift-truck operators must be adequately trained and competent.

Training should cover the type of truck being operated, the working environment, and the tasks the operator is expected to perform.

A certificate isn’t a licence to drive any forklift

One of the biggest misconceptions is that once someone has completed a forklift course, they can operate any forklift anywhere.

That’s not the case.

Forklift training is typically truck-specific. An operator who has trained to operate a counterbalance forklift shouldn’t automatically assume they are competent to operate a reach truck, rough-terrain telescopic handler or another category of truck without the appropriate training.

There may also be differences between workplaces.

An experienced operator moving pallets around a large warehouse may still require familiarisation when moving to a different site with different traffic routes, racking systems, floor conditions, pedestrian movements or operating procedures.

What about refresher training?

Another common myth is that forklift training simply “expires” after three years.

There isn’t a universal legal three-year expiry date for forklift training.

However, the HSE recommends that employers provide refresher training where appropriate. It is particularly important where an operator’s performance has deteriorated, there has been an accident or near miss, the operator has not used the equipment for some time, or there have been significant changes to the workplace or equipment.

Many employers use three years as a sensible benchmark for reviewing operator competence, but this should not be confused with a legal expiry date.

What does an employer need to do?

Employers have an important role to play. Simply asking to see a “forklift licence” isn’t enough.

Employers should ensure that operators:

• Have received appropriate training.
• Are competent to operate the specific type of forklift.
• Understand the risks associated with the task and environment.
• Receive appropriate familiarisation when necessary.
• Are authorised to operate the equipment.
• Receive supervision appropriate to their level of experience.
• Receive refresher or additional training when required.

Keeping accurate training records is also important, as it provides evidence that appropriate steps have been taken to ensure operators are competent.

The bottom line

So, the next time someone says, “I have my forklift licence,” remember that there isn’t actually a government-issued forklift licence in the UK.

What they should have is appropriate training and evidence of competence, followed by authorisation from their employer to operate the relevant equipment.

Getting the terminology right isn’t just about semantics. Understanding the difference between a “licence”, training, competence and authorisation can help employers manage their legal responsibilities and, more importantly, help keep forklift operators and everyone working around them safe.

Don’t let the forklift licence myth put your workplace at risk.

If your business needs forklift training, refresher training or advice on operator competence and authorisation, speak to us today to ensure your operators have the right skills and knowledge for the equipment and environment in which they work.

Circus Starr is a fantastic organisation that creates magical circus themed shows with a difference, as they ensure that these types of events can be enjoyed by every child, no matter what their circumstances may be.

They go the extra mile and are leading the way in accessible arts, with Changing Places toilet facilities on sites and each of their performances featuring a British Sign Language Interpreter.

The shows are inclusive, exciting, non-judgemental, animal-free, accessible and magical, and are a fantastic outing for all the family, and we are proud supporters now for the third year running.

Across the UK, many vulnerable and disabled children often feel isolated and lack access to relaxed, inclusive performances like theirs. With all our help, they were able to offer a transformative experience to children like Freya, a young girl with additional sensory needs.

Freya attended the show with her mum and dad and was captivated by the inclusive atmosphere and vibrant energy. Since then, her living room has become her personal stage, where she dazzles with freestyle dance routines and circus-inspired performances

Her parents shared:

“Freya has come a long way, but she’s still hypersensitive to sounds and textures.

Busy and loud environments can be overwhelming for her, so we have to plan carefully when we go out—choosing quieter times and places.

That’s why Circus Starr was so special.

It gave her a space where she could be herself, make noise, move freely, and connect with other children who understand what that feels like.”

Across the UK, many vulnerable and disabled children often feel isolated and lack access to relaxed, inclusive performances like theirs. With all our help, they were able to offer a transformative experience to children like Freya, a young girl with additional sensory needs.

Freya attended the show with her mum and dad and was captivated by the inclusive atmosphere and vibrant energy. Since then, her living room has become her personal stage, where she dazzles with freestyle dance routines and circus-inspired performances.

Can you help a child like Freya?  They would love to hear from you. Whether it’s sponsoring more tickets, spreading the word, or partnering with them, everyone’s involvement helps them reach even more children who deserve to feel seen, celebrated, and included.

The next show in our area will be held on Wednesday 23rd September 2026, at MECA, Regent Circus, Swindon, SN1 1PR, so please contact Starr in the Community if you’d like to book tickets for yourself or buy them for someone else.

Call them on 01260 288690 or email donations@circus-starr.org.uk or visit their website www.circus-starr.org.uk

We have now released our open course dates for the rest of the year, and we’re delighted to share these with you.

These are ideal if you only have a small number of people who need training, or if you’re booking for just yourself.

Spaces are limited, so book now to avoid disappointment.

These will be running in our training centre in Swindon, in our fully air-conditioned office, so you can focus on the course and not the soaring heat!

For more information about these courses, please click here.

Our open courses give you a cost-effect way for you to meet your HSE regulations and to learn some essential skills.  Our trainers are as good as they get, so you can be guaranteed a high quality, enjoyable training experience.

Don’t just take our word for it – please click here to see what our customers think.

We keep hearing on the news about the ever-increasing rise in unemployment amongst our young people, with a truly staggering number of over 1 million young people now out of work.

Whilst the issue is complex, the outcome is simple – a generation being denied the opportunities previous generations enjoyed and absolutely took for granted. 

When my husband and I started our working lives, we both walked into schemes taking on school leavers.  I was one of nearly 100 school leavers taken on each year by Allied Dunbar – a big insurance employer in the town, now known as Zurich.  All you needed was your A-levels, and I walked into a full-time, well-paid & well-trained job.

Now my daughter is the same age, the opportunities for her are so tough.  She applied for an entry-level job in a Highstreet shop and was one of over 200 applicants for one vacancy.

This generation have already been through so much already – they were young, impressionable children when COVID hit, and had to live through the fear of that, and the premature loss of family members.  Add to that the lack of socialisation during those formative years, and the reduction in social-skills building school activities, it’s no wonder so many of them have struggled with their mental health.

The Government have committed to the Youth Guarantee – a scheme which will combine multiple agencies to try to join up support services, employment support and employers, with the aim to improve the outcome for young people.

I was privileged enough to join the Department of Work and Pensions last week, alongside many local agencies and partners, such as Seetec, Building Bridges, New College Swindon, Wiltshire College, Working Minds, Swindon Borough Council, CGL, National Careers Service and Enterprise Works.

As I listened to all the amazing people sat around the table, all discussing how we can work together better to improve outcomes for young people, what was clear was that everyone wants this to succeed, and there were so many kind, passionate, talented people working on the problem, so we have to make this work.

But whilst we can offer all the support, guidance and time into this scheme, we need the buy-in from not only young people who are willing to take an entry-level job but also employers who are willing to take a young person on and take the time to train them up.

We have a national skills shortage in so many roles, and a rising number of young people out of work, so if we can join these two elements together, we should be able to give this generation the opportunity to learn entry-level skills and get their careers started now.

What are we able to do?

As a training company, we can offer fully funded training to any young person over 19 years old.  We can train you on our Level 2 Warehouse and Forklift courses, with a view to getting you into a starting position in Logistics, Transport or Distribution sectors.

Click here for more information.

What can you do to help?

If you are an employer, then when you advertise for a new role, think about whether experience is actually essential.  You will have to provide on-the-job training to any new starter, so why not focus on the personality type and try to get a good match with your existing staff, rather than focusing on experience.  A keen, eager to learn staff member is going to be a plus to any business.

There is support now available to employers, from subsidies and incentives for hiring apprentices, to payments if you take hire some who has been out of work for over 6 months – check out the support and get involved at www.business.gov.uk/recruit

What can young people do?

If you are a young person, and you are offered an opportunity, then our advice is to grab it with both hands.  If someone takes a chance on you, then reward that effort by being a reliable, positive asset to their team.

Why this is good for us all

We all had a business or a person that took a chance on us for that first job, so if you can, try to remember that when your next vacancy comes around.  If you can, pay it forward. 

If everyone who is able to, plays their small part, then we will all benefit from a healthier economy, with reduced vacancies, reduced welfare bills, and an increased number of working people paying into the system.  

So let’s help give young people the same hope for a bright future that we had in any way we can.

Streamline Shipping Agencies Limited has been fined after a yard operative was struck by a forklift truck at its Aberdeen Harbour premises.  The employee suffered serious and life-changing injuries at the company’s yard.

An HSE investigation found the company failed to ensure adequate separation between pedestrians and vehicles during loading and unloading operations.

The 43-year-old man was working at Streamline’s premises at Palmerston Quay, Aberdeen, when he was struck by a reversing forklift truck driven by a colleague on 26 September 2024. The worker was on foot, unclipping the curtain side of an articulated trailer, when the rear nearside wheel of the forklift made contact with his right leg, pulling him to the ground.

The worker suffered multiple fractures to his right foot and lower leg, as well as a de-gloving injury, undergoing two surgical procedures and skin grafts. He has also required counselling because of the incident and has yet to return to work.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Streamline failed to ensure its workplace was organised in such a way that pedestrians and vehicles could circulate safely. While the company had a traffic management plan in place, it lacked the necessary detail to ensure that loading and unloading – which routinely took place concurrently in the same area – could be carried out safely without putting employees on foot at risk from moving vehicles.

HSE concluded it was reasonably foreseeable that an employee on foot faced a risk of being struck by a moving vehicle when both the pedestrian and driver were concentrating on their respective tasks near each other.

Following the investigation, an Improvement Notice was served on the company. In response, Streamline made a series of improvements to its traffic management arrangements to the satisfaction of HSE.

By law, employers must ensure traffic routes can be used without putting workers at risk. Guidance on managing vehicle movements in the workplace is available on the HSE website.

Streamline Shipping Agencies Limited, of Streamline Terminal, Blaikies Quay, Aberdeen, AB11 5PU, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 17(1) of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 and Section 33(1)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

The company was fined £146,700 and ordered to pay a Victim Surcharge of £11,000 at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on 22 May 2026.

HSE Inspector Nicky Smith said:

“This was a serious and wholly avoidable incident that has had a profound and lasting impact on this worker’s life.

“Employers have a legal duty to ensure that pedestrians and vehicles can move safely within their workplaces, particularly in busy areas where loading and unloading takes place.

“Having a traffic management plan is not enough if it does not contain the detail needed to protect workers on the ground.

“We will not hesitate to hold companies to account when they fall short of their obligations.”

Are your staff adequately trained?

You may have staff who know how to operate, but have they been adequately trained?  If they’ve had no formal training before, they may not have the necessary knowledge and understanding around how to operate a truck safely around pedestrians.

Our RTITB accredited forklift training courses ensures that operators not only understand how to operate a forklift but also how to consider those around them including pedestrians and other workers.   To see our range of courses, please click here.  

Our high-quality training is the best way to ensure that your forklift operators have been told everything they need to know to keep themselves and all others on site safe.

We are very proud to announce that we are the winner of the prestigious Diamond Distinction Award for the best Lift Truck Training Centre in Wiltshire 2026.

This award, which we were nominated for, recognises not only the high quality of our work but also our dedication to improving workplace safety standards.

The full press briefing is available here.

We are all immensely proud of the work we do here, so we were delighted to accept the award. It’s a testament to our wonderful staff and all the hard work and diligence that they all bring to their roles every day.

Thank you to them and to Diamond Awards for the beautiful crystal award itself – it’s so sparkly and has pride of place in our display cabinet!