Forklift operator written test
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Open questions 1 to 6
Here are all the open questions from the forklift operator training course. You will be given any five random ones of these on your test so it's best to know the answers to all of them. Each course member may have different questions on the same training course as instructors have to pick any five from this master set of twenty six.
The format of these questions was changed in March 2025 because it was found that some people had difficulty in expressing themselves in written English even though they knew the answers.
To overcome this problem the questions were changed to multiple choice where the trainee is shown a question and there is a bank of answers and there may be more than one correct answer for the candidate to choose from. Here is an example:
In relation to a truck's capacity, select 3 items of information that must be known prior to any lifting operation.
- A. Lifting capacity
- B. Model of lift truck
- C. Weight of the battery
- D. Load centre
- E. The serial number of the truck
- F. Stacking height.
Hopefully the trainee would select A, D and F on the above question.
Note: I have left the original questions on this website with links to all of them and the answers below.
An operator on a forklift course will be given any ten questions from this bank of twenty six. This represents 20% of the marks available. All possible correct answers are shown.
1. Name 4 main safety checks you would make before loading or unloading a flatbed or curtainsider lorry.
A. Lorry brakes or wheels chocked
B. Lorry bed condition, width, height, level and curtains out of the way
C. Lorry driver where is he/she and what is required
D. A support stand is positioned on an unsupported semi trailer
2. Give 4 reasons why it is important to carry loads up to the heel of the forks.
A. To keep the load centre as far back as possible
B. To maintain truck stability
C. Maintain load stability against the fork arms and carriage/load guard
D. Keep the truck and its load as short as possible for confined spaces
3. Give 4 reasons why a lift truck can tip over sideways (lateral instability).
A. Turning too fast
B. Load offset
C. Uneven load
D. Sideshift
E. Forks not evenly spaced
F. Side sloping ground
G. Turning with mast/load raised
H. Turning on an incline
I. Live load
4. A truck’s rated capacity is 1800kg at 500mm load centre (LC).
You have a load of 33 bags weighing 50kg each and a pallet weighing 30kg. The pallet measures
1200mm x 1000 mm. Can you safely handle this pallet heeled up in either direction? Please explain your answer.
A. Total load = 1650kg + 30kg = 1680kg at 500 LC. The truck can lift 500mm load centre, but taking into account the additional 100mm load centre, the truck cannot handle the pallet at that longer load centre as the rated capacity of the lift truck at 600mm LC is 1500kgs (1800kg x 500mm ÷ 600mm = 1500kg)
5. Give 4 examples of places where you should not park an industrial lift truck.
A. In or near doorways
B. Near switches and electricity boards
C. Near firefighting equipment
D. Blind corners
E. Inclines
F. Loading bays
G. Wet or muddy areas
H. Soft ground or generally in the way of others
6. Name 4 different types of ground surfaces or conditions a lift truck operator could encounter.
A. Uneven
B. Wet/dry
C. Icy or greasy
D. Very smooth/rough
E. Loose surface
F. Sloping or inclined
G. Railway tracks or gullies
H. Speed bumps