Forklift Inspection Checklist

A free, printable daily inspection sheet built for your truck type and fuel. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.178(q)(7) requires the inspection at least once a day and after each shift on round-the-clock operations. Pick your truck, add your company and unit number, and print one page per shift.

Build your checklist

Class I (electric) or Class IV / V (engine)

Power
Shifts at your site

One page, Letter size. Choose "Save as PDF" in the print dialog to keep a copy.

26 checks: 15 before starting, 11 after starting. Your truck's operator manual may add items. It governs.

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Daily Forklift Inspection Checklist

Sit-down counterbalance forklift · LP gas or gasoline

Do not operate a truck with any defect that affects safety. Tag it out and report it to your supervisor before it moves.

Company 
Truck / unit # 
Date 
Operator 
Hour meter 
ShiftDaySwingNight

Before starting

Key off. Walk around the truck.

OKFix
  1. Leaks under and on the truck: hydraulic oil, fuel, engine oil, coolant, battery
  2. Tires: cuts, gouges, chunks missing, pressure (pneumatic), lugs tight
  3. Forks: cracks, bends, heel wear, top clip retaining pin and lock in place, both forks matched
  4. Load backrest extension attached and undamaged
  5. Mast assembly: broken welds, cracked or bent channels, worn or missing stops
  6. Lift chains and rollers: kinks, rust, worn links, even tension (check with a stick, not your hands)
  7. Hydraulic hoses, cylinders, and fluid level: leaks, cracks, chafing, low fluid
  8. Overhead guard attached: no broken welds, missing bolts, or bent members
  9. Finger guards in place at the mast and controls
  10. Data plate and warning decals in place and legible; plate matches the truck and attachment
  11. Seat belt latches, retracts, and is free of cuts or frays
  12. Engine oil and coolant levels (never open the radiator cap when hot)
  13. LP tank: locator pin seated, bracket locked, no dents, rust, or cracks, tank inside the truck profile
  14. LP hose and connector: no frays, kinks, or pinches, tight connection, no propane smell
  15. Attachment (if any) locked to the carriage, hoses connected, and listed on the data plate

After starting

Key on, engine or motor running.

OKFix
  1. Gauges and warning lights: hour meter, oil pressure, temperature, fuel or charge level, monitors
  2. Drive control forward and reverse: smooth, no hesitation or jerking
  3. Service brake stops the truck in both directions; pedal does not go to the floor
  4. Parking brake holds the truck (it should not roll on an incline)
  5. Steering: no excessive free play, power steering responds, no unusual noise
  6. Hoist and lowering control: raises and lowers smoothly with no drift or hesitation
  7. Tilt control forward and back: smooth, holds position
  8. Attachment control (side shift, clamp, rotator, if equipped): full travel, no hesitation
  9. Horn works
  10. Lights and back-up alarm working (if equipped)
  11. No unusual noises, vibration, smoke, or smell while running

Defects found

Operator signature 
Supervisor 

OSHA 29 CFR 1910.178(q)(7): powered industrial trucks must be examined at least daily before being placed in service, and after each shift where trucks run around the clock. Defects must be reported and corrected immediately. The truck's operator manual and your employer's procedures govern; this sheet is an aid.

easyforkliftcertification.com/forklift-inspection-checklist

Every operator who signs this sheet needs current certification. Volume pricing from $30 per operator.

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How to use the checklist

  1. 1

    Pick the truck type and power source. The items change with each, so a reach truck sheet has no LP tank check and a diesel sheet has no battery restraint.

  2. 2

    Add your company name and the truck's unit number if you want them printed. Leave them blank for a sheet the operator fills in by hand.

  3. 3

    Print it, or choose "Save as PDF" in the print dialog. One Letter page per truck per shift, with a defects box and a signature line.

The items come from OSHA's Powered Industrial Trucks eTool and its sample daily checklists, trimmed to what applies to each truck and to what an operator can check in about five minutes. OSHA's own sample sheet runs 35 lines; this one keeps the checks that can park a truck and leaves belts, filters, and fluid top-ups to scheduled maintenance. Your truck's operator manual may add items, and it governs. This sheet is an aid, not a substitute for the standard or for the manufacturer's instructions.

Printable checklists by truck type

Prefer a ready-made sheet? Each one is a one-page PDF, in English or Spanish. No sign-up.

What OSHA actually requires

The rule is short. 29 CFR 1910.178(q)(7) says industrial trucks "shall be examined before being placed in service, and shall not be placed in service if the examination shows any condition adversely affecting the safety of the vehicle. Such examination shall be made at least daily. Where industrial trucks are used on a round-the-clock basis, they shall be examined after each shift. Defects when found shall be immediately reported and corrected."

Three things follow from that. The inspection happens before the truck moves, not at the end of the day. On a two- or three-shift operation, each shift inspects the truck it takes over. And a defect that affects safety takes the truck out of service until it is fixed, not at the next scheduled maintenance.

OSHA does not prescribe a form and does not require you to keep the sheets. It does require, under 1910.178(l), that operators be trained on the inspection they are expected to do. A signed sheet is how most employers show both things happened. The daily check covers all the powered industrial trucks the standard applies to, including electric pallet jacks. For the rest of the standard, see all OSHA forklift regulations in plain English.

The two halves of the inspection

Before starting (key off)

A walkaround with the key off. Look under the truck for leaks first, since a fresh puddle is the fastest sign something failed overnight. Then work front to back: forks and the retaining pins, load backrest, mast channels and chains, hydraulic hoses and cylinders, tires, overhead guard, data plate and decals, and the seat belt.

Electric trucks add cables, connectors, the battery restraint, and electrolyte level. Engine trucks add oil and coolant. LP trucks add the tank mount, the hose and connector, and a sniff test for propane. Never put your hands inside the mast to check chain tension. Use a stick.

After starting (key on)

With the motor or engine running and the truck in an open area: gauges and warning lights, service brake in both directions, parking brake on a slope, steering free play, lift and lower, tilt forward and back, any attachment, horn, lights, and the back-up alarm.

Reach trucks and order pickers add the reach mechanism, deadman pedal, platform interlock, and height limiter. Telehandlers add boom extension, the frame level indicator, and the load moment indicator. An unusual noise, vibration, or smell on any truck gets reported before the first load.

When something fails

Mark it in the Fix column, describe it in the defects box, and tell your supervisor before the truck moves. If the defect affects safety, the truck comes out of service: key out, a tag on the wheel or the steering wheel, and a note on the sheet. 1910.178(q)(1) says repairs are made by authorized personnel, so the operator does not fix it unless that is part of their job.

Some defects have their own rule. A truck that throws sparks or flames from the exhaust is pulled immediately under 1910.178(q)(8). A truck running hotter than its normal temperature is pulled under (q)(9). A leak anywhere in the fuel system stops the truck under (p)(4) until it is fixed.

Not every item on the sheet is a stop-the-truck defect. A missing operator's manual or a faded decal goes in the defects box and gets fixed, but the truck can usually work the shift. Brakes, steering, forks, mast, hydraulics, the overhead guard, the seat belt, and anything to do with fuel or the battery are the ones that park it.

Inspection is part of certification

OSHA's training rule, 1910.178(l)(3), lists "vehicle inspection and maintenance that the operator will be required to perform" as a required topic. So a checklist on a clipboard is half the job. The other half is an operator who has been trained on what each item means and evaluated on your trucks.

Our online course covers the inspection for all seven truck classes, takes about an hour, and issues the certificate the same day. Teams get volume pricing from $30 per operator, and the buyer manages seats from one dashboard. Individuals can get certified for $59. After that, the employer still owes each operator a hands-on evaluation. Our free operator evaluation form covers it.

Frequently asked questions

Does OSHA require a daily forklift inspection?
Yes. 29 CFR 1910.178(q)(7) says powered industrial trucks must be examined before being placed in service, at least daily, and after each shift where trucks run around the clock. A truck that fails the examination cannot be placed in service, and defects must be reported and corrected immediately.
What is on a forklift inspection checklist?
Two parts. With the key off: leaks, tires, forks, load backrest, mast and chains, hydraulic hoses and fluid, overhead guard, data plate and decals, seat belt, and the battery or fuel system. With the key on: gauges, service and parking brakes, steering, lift and tilt, attachment controls, horn, lights, back-up alarm, and any unusual noise. The exact list changes by truck type and fuel, which is what the generator on this page handles.
Do forklift inspection checklists need to be kept on file?
OSHA requires the inspection, not a written record of it, and sets no retention period for the sheets. Most employers keep them anyway, because a signed sheet is the only proof the inspection happened if there is an incident or an OSHA visit. A common practice is to keep them for at least a year.
Who is responsible for the forklift inspection?
The operator performs it at the start of their shift, and the employer is responsible for making sure it happens and that defects get fixed by authorized people. Under 1910.178(l) the operator has to be trained on the inspection and maintenance they are expected to perform, which is why vehicle inspection is part of every certification course.
What happens if a forklift fails the inspection?
It is removed from service until an authorized person repairs it. 1910.178(q)(1) says any truck not in safe operating condition must be taken out of service, and 1910.178(p)(1) says no truck in need of repair or in any way unsafe may be driven. Tag it, report it, and use a different truck.
How long does a pre-shift forklift inspection take?
About five to ten minutes for an experienced operator: a couple of minutes on the walkaround, a couple of minutes testing controls, and a moment to sign the sheet. It takes longer the first few times, which is normal.

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