Forklift trucks: buying, hiring and keeping them legal

A truck's rated capacity applies at a stated load centre and lift height. Lift higher, fit an attachment such as a side-shift or rotator, or carry a longer load, and the safe capacity drops. The data plate on the truck shows what it can actually lift in each configuration. Give the dealer your heaviest load, its dimensions and the height of your top racking beam, not just a tonnage.

Also measure the aisles, the door openings and the lowest overhead obstruction. A reach truck or very narrow aisle truck can store more in the same building than a counterbalance truck, but needs a good level floor and more operator skill. Outdoor work on rough ground calls for a different truck again.

Electric trucks produce no exhaust at the point of use, are quiet and cheap to run, and suit indoor work. Their limits are battery capacity and charging: a heavy multi-shift operation needs lithium-ion batteries with opportunity charging or spare lead-acid batteries and a charging area.

Diesel trucks suit outdoor yards, heavy loads and rough surfaces, but should not be used indoors where exhaust fumes build up. LPG trucks can work inside and out and refuel quickly, but you need safe storage for the gas cylinders. The best choice depends on where the truck works and for how many hours.

Buying new gives you the exact specification and a warranty, and a truck bought outright can usually be claimed under the capital allowances for plant and machinery; your accountant can tell you which allowance fits. A good used truck costs much less, but ask for the hour meter reading, the service history and the current report of thorough examination, and check the battery condition on an electric truck, because a replacement battery is a large part of the value.

Short-term hire covers peaks, breakdowns or a trial before you buy. Contract hire or leasing over several years spreads the cost and usually includes planned maintenance, but read what the contract says about hours per year, damage, tyres and the condition expected on return. Excess-hour and damage charges at the end of a lease are a common surprise.

Whichever route you take, agree in writing who carries out servicing and thorough examinations. HSE's guidance for hired trucks says both the hire company and the user have duties and should confirm who does what.

Forklifts are lifting equipment under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, known as LOLER. The lifting parts, including the mast, chains, carriage, forks and tilt mechanism, must be thoroughly examined by a competent person at least every 12 months, or every 6 months if the truck is used to lift people, or according to an examination scheme drawn up by a competent person. The examiner issues a written report, and any defect that is or could become a danger must be reported to you straight away.

The rest of the truck, including brakes, steering, tyres and lights, falls under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, known as PUWER, which requires it to be maintained and inspected as the risk requires. Daily pre-use checks by the operator are part of that.

LOLER also says lifting equipment coming from another business must be accompanied by physical evidence of its last thorough examination. When a hired or second-hand truck arrives, ask for the report before anyone uses it.

Source: hse.gov.uk

There is no government-issued forklift licence. What the law requires is adequate training, and HSE's Approved Code of Practice L117, Rider-operated lift trucks: operator training and safe use, sets out what that means. Training should cover three stages: basic training in the skills of operating a lift truck, specific job training on the truck and the tasks in your workplace, and familiarisation on the job under close supervision.

After all three, the employer should give each operator written authorisation for the types of truck they are trained on. Nobody else should drive the truck, except a trainee under close supervision, and keys should not be left where untrained staff can use them. Many employers use training providers accredited by one of the voluntary accrediting bodies; the accreditation is useful evidence, but authorising the operator is still the employer's job.

• heaviest load, its size and load centre
• highest lift and lowest overhead clearance
• aisle widths and floor conditions, indoor or outdoor
• hours of use per day and number of shifts
• attachments needed, such as side-shift or fork positioners
• who services the truck and carries out thorough examinations

The form asks whether you want to buy new, buy used or hire, the power source, capacity, lift height, number of units and timing. Once your phone number is confirmed by text-message code and your email by link, we offer the request without your name or contact details to forklift dealers and hire companies in your area. Just one company can buy it. It pays Offrano, you pay nothing, and the request is then taken off our shop.

We email you the dealer's name, address and phone number before it gets your details. You are not obliged to accept an offer and may ask elsewhere. There is no guarantee of a response; unsold requests are withdrawn after 21 days. We verify that buyers are registered businesses, not the condition of their trucks, so ask for the thorough examination report on anything used or hired.