Pallet Truck Inspections

What pallet truck inspections are required?

A standard hand pallet truck lifts only enough to clear the floor. That work is covered by PUWER: the truck must be suitable, maintained, and inspected where deterioration could cause injury. There is no automatic LOLER thorough examination for that low lift. Frequency of any formal inspection follows risk assessment — daily use in a busy aisle usually means a recorded pre-use check, not a once-a-year glance.

LOLER can apply where the forks raise a load well above floor-clearing height. High-lift pallet trucks and stackers, manual or powered, are commonly treated as lifting equipment and then need a thorough examination by a competent person at the statutory interval. Powered pallet trucks still sit under PUWER for training, brakes and electrical condition even when LOLER does not apply.

These products record the site check on the truck. They are not a LOLER report and they are not a substitute for teaching people how to pump, steer and stop.

What should a pallet truck pre-use check cover?

Do the check before the first pallet of the shift, not after the truck has already been dragged down the aisle.

The Pallet Truck Inspection Books cover hand trucks and powered pallet trucks. The product listing walks through:

• Lifting mechanism, forks, steer wheels and load rollers for debris, flat spots or leaks
• On powered trucks: directional controls, emergency reverse, battery condition and horn

Look at the fork heels and the tiller. Confirm the truck lowers under control, not in a drop. On a powered unit, test the belly-button reverse and the stop before you take a load. If the capacity marking is missing or the frame is bent, park it.

A ride-on or high-lift variant still needs the same walk-round, plus any extra controls on that model. If the printed list does not match, use the Create Your Own book rather than skipping items.

How the Good to Go inspection system works

The tag sits on the handle, where the next person takes hold.

1. Complete the pallet truck checklist at the start of the shift.
2. Put the top copy in the status tag so the truck shows as good to go or do not use.
3. Leave the carbon copy in the book as the warehouse record.
4. Seal the tag so last week’s sheet cannot cover a flat wheel found this morning.
5. After a collision, a leak or a battery change, complete a new sheet before the truck goes back out.

Daily kits match a start-of-shift record on a busy fleet. Weekly kits suit a recorded weekly inspection where that is what the risk assessment has set. Neither kit is an annual engineer’s inspection or a LOLER examination.

The Pallet Truck Inspection and Maintenance Station gives the charge bay or packing area a wall for spare books, manuals and a dry-wipe fault list so a tagged-out truck is not mixed back into the pool.

Choose the right pallet truck inspection products

The printed items for this equipment are the book and the poster. There is also a dedicated pallet truck station. The rest is shared Good to Go hardware.

• Pallet Truck Inspection Books – 25 Checklists — carbon-copy sheets for manual and powered pallet trucks.
• Create Your Own Inspection Books – 25 Checklists — blank books if a house form or an unusual high-lift / ride-on model is not covered.
• Equipment Inspections – Daily Checklist Kits — select the pallet truck option. Checklists, tags, seals, wallet and pen.
• Equipment Inspections – Weekly Checklist Kits — pallet truck option for a weekly recorded inspection.
• Pallet Truck Inspection and Maintenance Station — wall board for books, guidance and maintenance notes.
• Inspection Information Station — larger central board if the same wall also holds other equipment books.
• Good To Go Safety Status Tag and Anti-Tamper Seals (Pack of 100) — fit on the handle or frame.
• Weather Resistant Inspection Holder, Check Book Wallet & Pen and Equipment Inspection Book Dispenser — keep the current book at the truck park.
• Equipment User Manuals – Document Holder — for the handbook and any examination report on high-lift models.
• Pallet Truck Inspection Checklist – A2 Safety Poster — wipe-clean reminder of the daily points.

A forklift, stacker used as a lift truck, or tow tractor has its own book.

Who these products are for

They are for people who move pallets on the floor, not on forks in the air:

• Warehouse and stores staff using hand pallet trucks all day
• Operators of powered pallet trucks in dispatch and production
• Supervisors collecting books at shift change
• Retail stockrooms and manufacturing cells with a small pool of trucks
• Hire desks issuing pallet trucks with a consistent check method

If the same site also runs counterbalance forklifts, keep those on the forklift book.

Pallet truck inspection FAQs

Does a hand pallet truck need a LOLER thorough examination?
Usually no, if it only lifts enough to move the pallet. PUWER still requires maintenance and inspection. High-lift trucks and stackers often fall under LOLER as well.

How often should the book be completed?
Before use on a busy shift is the usual pattern. Increase the recorded interval where collisions, wet floors or heavy daily use wear the truck faster.

Can one book cover manual and powered trucks?
Yes. The listed book is written for both, with extra control and battery checks on powered models.

Where should the status tag go?
On the handle, where the next user will see it before they pump or drive.

Can I use the forklift inspection book on a pallet truck?
No. The machines fail in different places. Use the pallet truck book.

Do these products replace operator training?
No. PUWER still requires people to be trained to use the truck and to understand the risks.

Free UK mainland delivery on orders over £50. Trade discounts and bespoke options are available for warehouse packs or a different checklist layout.