Forklift truck types we train on
Every category of lift truck, trained on your own machine at your premises in Derby and Derbyshire.
Counterbalance Forklift
The classic forklift. Forks at the front, a heavy counterweight at the back, and no outriggers — so it can drive right up to a load.
Reach Truck
Built for narrow aisles and high racking. The mast or forks reach forward to pick and place pallets without the truck itself moving.
Double Deep Reach Truck
A reach truck with an extended pantograph, able to store pallets two-deep in the same racking bay to boost storage density.
4-Way (Multi-Directional) Reach Truck
A reach truck whose wheels rotate ninety degrees, so it can carry long loads sideways down a narrow aisle.
VNA Truck (Man-Up and Man-Down)
Very narrow aisle trucks work in guided aisles barely wider than a pallet, lifting to 15 metres or more. Man-up versions raise the operator with the load.
Bendi and Flexi (Articulated) Forklift
Articulated trucks that bend in the middle, so they can unload a lorry outside and then stack in a 1.8 metre aisle without changing machines.
Pivot Steer Truck
Pivot steer and articulated trucks share a hinged chassis; the pivot steer category covers machines that steer by bending the frame rather than turning the wheels.
Powered Pallet Truck
Pedestrian and rider-operated electric pallet trucks for moving pallets at floor level — the workhorse of goods-in, goods-out and vehicle loading.
Pedestrian Stacker Truck
A walk-behind or ride-on truck with a mast, for stacking pallets to 3 to 6 metres where a full forklift is too big or too costly.
Telehandler (Telescopic Handler)
A rough-terrain machine with a telescopic boom that lifts, reaches and places loads at height and distance — the forklift of construction and agriculture.
Order Picker (Low, Medium and High Level)
Trucks that lift the operator with the forks so they can pick individual cases straight from racking. Classified by working height.
Rough Terrain (Masted) Counterbalance
A counterbalance forklift built for mud, gravel and slopes: big tyres, high ground clearance, four-wheel drive and a diesel engine.
Side Loader
The truck for very long loads. The mast sits in the middle of a flat deck and reaches out sideways to pick timber, steel and pipe.
Why the truck type matters
A forklift certificate is specific to a category of truck. A counterbalance operator is not trained on a reach truck, and neither is trained on a telehandler. The HSE's Approved Code of Practice L117 expects employers to make sure operators have basic training on the type of truck they use, plus specific job and familiarisation training. If you are unsure which category your truck is, send us the make and model and we will confirm.
Need operators certificated in Derby or Derbyshire?