Free template
Forklift inspection checklist
A forklift inspection checklist is the pre-shift check an operator makes before using a forklift: a walk-around with the truck off, then a test of the controls with it running. Anything that affects safe use means the truck is not used until it is repaired. This template covers one truck for a week on page 1: 13 visual checks and 10 operational checks, each marked OK, not OK or N/A for each day, with the operator's initials and the hour meter reading. Page 2 is the defect report and repair log, where every failed check is recorded until the truck is back in service, with a supervisor's weekly review. The Excel version fills in the dates for the week and turns a day to DO NOT OPERATE when any check is marked not OK.
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When to use it
When to use a forklift inspection checklist
- Before the first use of each forklift on every shift it runs.
- For every type of truck: electric, LPG, diesel, reach trucks and order pickers (cross out what does not apply).
- When a truck comes back from repair, before it goes back into service.
- To give maintenance a record of defects and when they were found.
How to fill it in
- 1
Fill in the truck and week
Truck number, make and model, type and the date the week starts. One sheet per truck per week.
- 2
Do the visual checks
With the truck off: tires, forks, mast and chains, hoses, leaks, fluids, battery or LPG, guards, seat belt, capacity plate.
- 3
Do the operational checks
In a clear area with the truck running: horn, lights, alarm, brakes, parking brake, steering, lift, tilt and attachments.
- 4
Mark each check
OK, not OK or N/A, then initial the day and write the hour meter reading.
- 5
Stop on a failed check
Anything that affects safe use: do not operate. Take the key, tag the truck out of service and tell your supervisor.
- 6
Log the defect
Write it on page 2 and keep the truck out of service until it is repaired and approved for use.
What's on the checklist
The 23 checks on the forklift inspection checklist
Thirteen visual checks with the truck off and ten operational checks with it running. On the sheet each one is marked OK, not OK or N/A for each day of the week; cross out what the truck does not have and add anything the maker's manual asks for.
Visual checks
Before starting, with the truck off
- 1Tires: no cuts, missing chunks or low pressure; wheel nuts tight
- 2Forks: no cracks, bends or heel wear; locking pins in place
- 3Mast, chains and rollers: no damage, chains even and lubricated
- 4Hydraulic hoses and cylinders: no leaks, cracks or rubbing
- 5No oil, fuel, coolant or hydraulic fluid leaking under the truck
- 6Fluid levels checked: hydraulic oil, and engine oil and coolant on engine trucks
- 7Battery charged, cables and connector undamaged (electric trucks)
- 8LPG cylinder secure, valve and hose undamaged, no smell of gas (LPG trucks)
- 9Overhead guard and load backrest secure and undamaged
- 10Seat belt fastens and is undamaged
- 11Capacity plate fitted and readable
- 12Fire extinguisher present and charged, if fitted
- 13Attachments secure and rated for the load, if fitted
Operational checks
Truck running, in a clear area
- 14Horn sounds
- 15Headlights, work lights and warning beacon work
- 16Reversing alarm works, if fitted
- 17Service brakes stop the truck smoothly and in a straight line
- 18Parking brake holds the truck
- 19Steering is smooth, with no excess play
- 20Lift and lower are smooth, with no jerking or drift
- 21Tilt forward and back works and holds its position
- 22Side shift and other attachment controls work, if fitted
- 23Gauges and warning lights normal, no unusual noise or smell
A filled-in example
Illustrative, not a benchmarkAn example: one week of checks for a three-wheel electric forklift in a warehouse (illustrative).
- Monday to Wednesday: all checks OK, hour meter from 4,212 to 4,231.
- Thursday: the operator found the reversing alarm silent and marked it not OK. The truck was tagged out and logged on page 2.
- Maintenance replaced a corroded connector the same morning, tested the alarm, and the shift supervisor approved the truck for use at 10:40.
- Friday: all checks OK.
The supervisor's weekly review found a check on every shift the truck ran, and maintenance added the alarm connector to the truck's PM checklist.
Common mistakes
Ticking without looking
A column of ticks filled in at the end of the week is worse than no check. Do it at the truck, before use.
Using the truck after a failed check
A failed brake, horn or steering check means the truck stays parked until it is fixed.
Only one check a day on a round-the-clock truck
Where trucks run on every shift, check them at the start of each shift.
Defects with no record
Log every failed check on page 2, so repeats show up and repairs are tracked.
Download the template
Free to use: print it, copy it and edit it for your team. Enter your name and work email once to download.
Run this template in LeanSuite
In LeanSuite forklift inspections are among the marketplace templates for safety procedures, and a failed item on a safety inspection raises a safety tag automatically.
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FAQ
Forklift inspection checklist: common questions
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A shift handover sheet, a red tag log, a changeover checklist for one machine: if your team uses it on the floor, ask.