How involved is your forklift training program?

rachel-krubsack
rachel-krubsack Posts: 1
in Training

We occasionally get questions where someone is looking to compare training programs for forklifts and other trucks in a situation where the company is struggling over giving employees enough time to learn. I’m wondering how involved other companies’ forklift training programs are. How long does it take to train each new driver on each truck?

Comments

  • holly-pups
    holly-pups Posts: 2

    In my prior experience of handling most of my company’s training, I am happy to share how my powered industrial training programs worked. The basic classroom portion was two hours of going over the ins and outs of forklift safety along with the company-specific rules. This was required for even the most experienced drivers. Then I tacked on another half hour for each truck. We gave tests at the end for each truck to make sure they absorbed most the information.

    The hands-on portion of the training greatly depended on the employee’s experience. Still, employees have a specific set of skills they are required to be able to do before they’re able to be officially evaluated for their certification. For experienced drivers, we shot for at least half a day to get acquainted with our specific equipment. Newer folks often needed a full day or two to feel comfortable. Evaluations only took about 30-minutes for each truck. So, at a minimum, training an experienced driver on 4 vehicles was roughly a full day, and newer drivers were about 2-3 days. I look at it like this, I’d rather spend the time upfront making sure they are in good shape then repairing racks or calling an ambulance later. 

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