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Inspection template in the LeanSuite app

Last reviewed

Reach truck pre-use inspection checklist

A daily pre-use inspection for a reach truck or order picker, done by the operator before the first lift of the shift. The 13 questions cover the forks, mast, chains, tires and guards, the operator's controls, and a function test of lift, tilt and reach. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.178(q)(7) requires trucks to be examined before being placed in service, at least daily, and a truck with a defect stays tagged out until it is fixed.

The operator does it at the start of each shift, one record per truck. What a failure looks like: a chain with stiff links that makes the forks drop unevenly, a reach mechanism that chatters, a damaged mast guard screen, or a horn that stopped working weeks ago. A truck with a defect gets tagged and parked, and a supervisor decides when it goes back into use.

What it is for, as built: Daily pre-use inspection of a reach truck or order picker.

Use this template in LeanSuite

The full question list

The 13 questions in the inspection

Every question is answered Yes, No or N/A. Each No is flagged and asks for a photo and a comment, so the finding arrives with its evidence.

Walk-around

  1. 1Forks are straight with no cracks and the locking pins are in place
  2. 2The mast, chains and hoses are in good condition
  3. 3Tyres and wheels are in good condition
  4. 4There is no fluid leak
  5. 5The load backrest and overhead guard are secure

Operator area

  1. 6The seat belt or restraint works
  2. 7The horn, lights and warning devices work
  3. 8The dead-man pedal, brake and steering work
  4. 9The display and controls show no faults

Function test

  1. 10The lift, tilt and reach functions are smooth
  2. 11The emergency stop works
  3. 12The battery is charged and secured
  4. 13Any defect is reported and the truck tagged out until fixed

Worked example, illustrative

A filled-in example

One section as it might be filled in on the floor, with every other section of the inspection answered Yes. The place and finding are made up to show how the inspection reads and scores.

Result: pass, 92.3% against a pass mark of 90

  • 13 questions, all of them count.
  • 1 answered No, so 12 of 13 are Yes: 12 ÷ 13 = 92.3%.
  • 92.3% is at or above 90, so the inspection passes. The No still needs its fix.

What happened next: Truck tagged out and parked at the charging bay. Maintenance fitted a new horn button the same morning.

Scored here as one point per question with N/A left out. In the app each answer carries the points set on the template, so change them after you clone it if your plant weighs some checks more.

Reach Truck Pre-Use Inspection

Inspection, daily

Truck ID
Truck 07
Hour meter reading
4,812

Operator area

  1. The seat belt or restraint worksYes
  2. The horn, lights and warning devices workNo

    Comment: Horn does not sound at all when pressed. Blue spot light and reversing beeper work. Other operators say it has been dead for a while.

    Photo attached to the No

  3. The dead-man pedal, brake and steering workYes
  4. The display and controls show no faultsYes
Drawn from this template's own questions, not a screenshot of the app. Illustrative answers.

When to use it

  • Every day, before first use or at the start of the shift.
  • The person responsible for the area or equipment answers each question on the spot.
  • Each record starts with: Truck ID, Hour meter reading.

How it is scored

The template is built with points per answer and a pass mark of 90. In this library every audit is set to pass at 80 and every inspection at 90. Each submitted inspection shows its score and pass or fail, and every No is flagged with its photo and comment.

Change the points or the pass mark after you clone it. How rules and scoring work.

Read and print

More in safety inspections and audits

All safety inspections and audits templates

FAQ

Reach truck pre-use inspection checklist: common questions

  1. Before the first lift of every shift, one record per truck. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.178(q)(7) requires trucks to be examined before being placed in service and at least daily. Do it again after a repair, a battery or attachment change, a collision or a tip, and when a new operator takes the truck over part way through a shift.

  2. The trained operator who will drive the truck does it, because they are the one who hears a chain chatter or feels a brake drag. They need the manufacturer's pre-use list for that model and the wear limit for the forks. Any defect goes to the shift supervisor, who decides when the truck returns to service after maintenance has fixed it.

  3. A fail means the truck is not safe to lift with: a cracked fork, a stiff chain that drops the forks unevenly, a horn or a brake that does not work. Tag it, park it and take the key, then report it. A defect found mid shift stops the job until a supervisor has signed the truck back in. In this template every No is flagged and asks for a photo and a comment, and an inspection that scores under its pass mark of 90 is a fail.

  4. Keep the truck ID, hour meter, operator, date and each defect found, with a photo of damage to forks, chains or guards. Keep the repair that closed each defect and the time the truck went back into service. Hours against defects show which trucks are wearing out and support the case for replacing them. In LeanSuite each submitted inspection is stored with its score, its pass or fail, and the photo and comment on every No.

  5. 13 questions in 3 sections: walk-around, operator area and function test. Every question is answered Yes, No or N/A.

Use this template in LeanSuite

It is ready in the Template Marketplace inside Lean Creator as “Reach Truck Pre-Use Inspection”. Clone it into your plant, change any question, then schedule it to a person, role or asset with reminders. Auditors complete it on a phone or tablet, with photo evidence where required.

Not on LeanSuite yet? On a 90-day pilot our team sets up your account and digitizes the forms and checklists you use today, this one included.

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