Reach Truck Practice Test

Fifteen questions on the stand-up narrow aisle truck: steering, keeping your body inside, backing toward racks, stacking high, and the powered industrial truck (PIT) rules for every truck.

The short answer

A reach truck is a Class II narrow aisle truck whose forks extend forward into the rack. Its test questions cover what a sit-down forklift doesn't have: steering that can turn the opposite way from what you expect, a stand-up compartment where your feet must stay inside, the crush hazard when backing toward a rack, and stepping off backward in a tipover instead of staying on.

Reach truck Practice Test

15 questions: 12 on the reach truck itself and 3 on OSHA rules that apply to every truck. Each answer is explained with the rule behind it as you go.

Score 12 out of 15 (80%) to pass. No time limit, no signup.

What is on a reach truck test?

The rules below are what the questions test. Each one lists its source: a paragraph of OSHA's forklift rule, 29 CFR 1910.178, another OSHA rule, or the OSHA or manufacturer guidance it comes from.

  • Travel with the forks low, retracted, and tilted back, with the load against the backrest. (Crown RR 5700 manual; Appendix A-7.2)
  • Steering: some reach trucks are built with "reverse" steering, and steering differs forks first and power unit first. Drive slowly until you know the truck. (Crown RR 5700 manual; 1910.178(l)(3)(i)(E))
  • Keep every part of your body inside the operator compartment, at any speed. (1910.178(m)(4); Crown RR 5700 manual)
  • Backing toward a rack with the forks trailing can let a rack beam enter the compartment (under-ride). Look where you are going. (OSHA SHIB 07-27-2009; 1910.178(n)(6))
  • In a tipover or dock fall on a stand-up, rear-entry truck, step off backward. The sit-down rule of staying on does not apply. (OSHA eTool: Tipover; Crown RR 5700 manual)
  • High tiering: heaviest loads on the bottom tier, less weight at full height, and tilt forward only over the rack. (OSHA eTool: High tiering; 1910.178(o)(6))
  • Never drive toward someone standing in front of a rack or other fixed object. (1910.178(m)(1))
  • Experience at another job does not skip the evaluation: a new employer evaluates you before you drive. (1910.178(l)(5), (l)(6))

Sample reach truck test questions and answers

  1. 1. You switch to a different model of stand-up reach truck. What might be different about the steering?

    • A. Nothing, steering is the same on every reach truck
    • B. It may turn the opposite way from what you are used to, so drive slowly until you know it (correct)
    • C. Reach trucks cannot turn while moving
    • D. Steering only works when traveling forks first

    Why: Crown's RR 5700 manual says this style of truck can be built with either of two steering types (one sometimes called reverse steering), that steering is not the same in both travel directions, and to drive slowly until you are used to the controls. Steering is a required training topic under 29 CFR 1910.178(l)(3)(i)(E).

  2. 2. You are backing a stand-up reach truck toward a storage rack with the forks trailing. What hazard does OSHA warn about?

    • A. The battery running down
    • B. A rack beam entering the operator compartment and crushing the operator (correct)
    • C. The tires wearing flat
    • D. The load sliding off the front

    Why: OSHA's Safety and Health Information Bulletin on stand-up forklift under-ride (SHIB 07-27-2009) describes a rack crossbar entering the operator's compartment when the operator travels with the forks trailing and backs toward a rack. Look in the direction of travel, as 29 CFR 1910.178(n)(6) requires.

  3. 3. A stand-up reach truck with a rear-entry compartment starts to tip over or go off a dock. What should the operator do?

    • A. Stay inside and hold on, as on a sit-down forklift
    • B. Jump forward over the forks
    • C. Step off backward and move away from the truck (correct)
    • D. Lean toward the direction of the tip

    Why: OSHA's eTool says operators of stand-up forklifts with rear-entry access should step backward off the truck if a tipover occurs. That is the opposite of the sit-down advice to stay in the seat. Crown's RR 5700 reach truck manual says the same for tipovers and falls from docks: immediately exit and move away from the truck. Follow your truck's operator manual.

How do you get certified on a reach truck?

OSHA requires formal instruction, practical training, and an evaluation of your driving in the workplace, 29 CFR 1910.178(l)(2)(ii), on the type of truck you will drive. Your employer then certifies you under (l)(6).

Sit-down forklift experience does not transfer on its own. Being assigned to a different type of truck triggers new training and evaluation under (l)(4)(ii)(D), and that includes moving between two Class II trucks, such as a reach truck and an order picker.

An online course covers the formal instruction only. For the full picture, read our reach truck certification guide.

More practice tests

Last updated:

More free forklift tools

See all resources

Cover the classroom part online

Our $59 course covers the general classroom part of OSHA's training, in English or Spanish. Your employer adds instruction on the reach truck itself, hands-on practice, and the evaluation.

Get Certified