Today, let’s talk about what it takes to become a forklift article. Most people who want to become a forklift operator start typically by jumping online, calling around to different training centers, just figuring out what the cost is, what the process is and how long the course is. That is regardless of where you live, whether you’re in Canada or the United States.
There Is No Such Thing As A Forklift License
There is no such thing as a forklift license. There’s only a forklift certificate. So why is this important to know when someone receives a license in something? It means that their establishment is strictly monitored by the government to ensure that they’re completing the proper training and testing. Certificates specifically in the forklift world, they’re not monitored or authorized by the government whatsoever. They don’t even know you went to one of these schools. So this means you could end up paying a couple hundred dollars all the way up to a thousand dollars for a forklift course, literally receive no hands-on training, or you might be only given a few hours to operate the lift truck.
Often times, these companies certify you on one or multiple machines in just those few hours in that same day and send you on your way. That sounds good to some people, but then you have to find a job, right? What they failed to tell you is that you won’t be getting a job because you still don’t know how to operate this lift truck properly. You need more hands-on training than just a few hours. In fact, I’ve never met anybody who can learn how to operate a new lift truck and just a few hours and be rightfully certified.
Forklifts Can Kill
This shouldn’t be any secret to anybody, but these lift trucks can kill you. They’re three times the weight of a car. And if you don’t know what you’re doing on them, you could severely hurt or kill yourself or somebody else. I want to tell you what it’s like going for a job interview as a forklift operator.
There’s actually two parts to getting a job as a forklift operator. The first part is you’re going to sit down with a recruiter or someone at that office. You’re going to do a face-to-face meeting and you’re not going to talk to them about the certifications and the qualifications that you have. Your resume might look flawless. It might look like you’ve got a brand new shiny card, some even come with different decals and things on them.
You might get past that first stage. You may be able to impress a recruiter with your certificate that you just got. You won’t be able to impress the warehouse manager or supervisor. The warehouse manager is who is going to test you on the forklift at their facility. That’s the second part of the hiring process. When you get to that facility, they’re just going to put you on the lift truck.
You Need Days Of Hands On Training
If you don’t know what you’re doing, cause you only had a few hours of training, it’s really going to show. What you really need is days of hands-on training. For example, in the CSA standards, B3 five dash one five safety standard for lift trucks. It says that all new operators must require to have eight hours of theory and eight hours of hands-on training per lift truck. If you’re not getting that from a training provider, then it’s a complete waste of time and money. Ideally, you should be getting up to 48 hours of hands-on training before you seek a job.
How to automate your warehouse
For all new operators out there that are looking to get into the forklift industry, do your research. Don’t just do this by phone. Don’t just look online. You should visit a few nearby training schools in your area. Make sure you really get to see what they’re teaching and how long they’re teaching it for. Make sure they have professional instructors at the establishment, rather than just some guy sitting in a warehouse, just watching you.
I emphasize, you need to be taught professionally before you hurt yourself for somebody else. If you have any questions or comments about this article, please reach out to HCO Innovations.