What does the law require?
Two sets of regulations apply to every lift truck at work. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) require the truck to be maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair, with a maintenance log kept up to date where one exists. The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) require a thorough examination of the lifting parts by a competent person at set intervals, and a written report of each one.
Servicing is how you meet PUWER. The thorough examination is a separate, statutory inspection, not a service, and the two should not be confused: a truck can be freshly serviced and still be overdue its examination, or vice versa.
How often should a forklift be serviced?
The manufacturer's schedule is the starting point, and most are written in operating hours: a minor service every 250 to 500 hours and a major one every 1,000 or 2,000. For a truck on a single shift that works out at roughly every three to six months. Trucks in cold stores, dusty yards, wash-down areas or on multiple shifts need more frequent attention, and electric trucks need their batteries and chargers looked after between services.
The LOLER thorough examination is separate: at least every twelve months for a truck that lifts loads only, and at least every six months for one that lifts people, such as an order picker or a truck with a working platform, or for the lifting accessories. A competent person can set a written examination scheme with different intervals.
What does a forklift service cover?
- Brakes, steering and the parking brake.
- Mast, carriage, forks, lift chains and chain anchors, checked for wear, stretch and cracking.
- Hydraulic system: cylinders, hoses, seals, fluid level and leaks.
- Tyres and wheels, including cushion tyre wear limits.
- Engine or motors, transmission, cooling, drive belts; on electric trucks the battery, connectors, charger and controllers.
- Overhead guard, seat, seat belt, lights, horn and other safety devices.
- Fluids, filters and lubrication to the manufacturer's schedule.
- A road test, and a record of what was done and what was found.
Why does it matter?
Safety first. Brakes, chains and hydraulics wear gradually and fail suddenly. The operator is the person in the seat when they do, and the people around the truck are the ones a runaway or dropped load hits. Lift trucks are involved in a large share of workplace transport injuries every year, and worn equipment is a recurring cause.
Then availability. A truck that stops mid-shift stops the loading bay, the line or the dispatch behind it. A planned service takes an hour or two at a time you choose; a breakdown takes as long as it takes, plus the wait for an engineer and possibly a hire truck to cover.
Then cost. A worn chain is a chain; a snapped chain is a chain, a mast repair, a damaged load and a stopped truck. Servicing converts unpredictable large bills into predictable small ones, and a serviced truck with a full record is worth more when it is sold or returned.
What are the signs a forklift needs repair now?
- Grinding, knocking or squealing that was not there last week.
- The mast lifts slowly, jerks, or drifts down under load.
- Oil under the truck, or a wet patch on the mast or cylinders.
- Brakes that need more pedal than they did, or a truck that pulls to one side.
- Steering that is heavy, loose or delayed.
- Warning lights, error codes, or an electric truck losing range or charge unusually fast.
- Chunks missing from tyres, or cushion tyres worn to the wear line.
Any of these is a reason to take the truck out of service and call an engineer, not to finish the shift first. The pre-use check the operator does every day is designed to catch them early.
What should you look for in a servicing provider?
- Engineers who work on all makes, so one contract can cover a mixed fleet.
- Mobile engineers for site work, and a workshop for the jobs that need a bench.
- LOLER thorough examinations carried out and documented by the same people, so nothing falls between two providers.
- Parts availability, carried on the van or held in stock.
- Written records of every visit, kept where you can find them for an inspector.
- A breakdown response you can actually call at the time you need it.
BJB's service department is on call 24 hours a day, maintains over 750 customer fleets on all makes and models from the Grimsby workshop and a fleet of mobile engineers, and carries out LOLER examinations alongside servicing.