Driving Instructor’s Guide: Things to Avoid When Driving Forklift

Even though being small in size, a Forklift can cause some serious damage if not operated carefully. But even the most experienced operator or forklift driver can assure you that you are bound to make some mistakes while operating it and the only way to avoid them is by consciously looking out for the potential mistakes and avoiding them.

In a logistic or warehouse environment, there are many potentials hazards that can result in fatal accidents. To avoid them, you need to follow our guide made by the expert driving instructors in Toronto. It states all the things that you should avoid while driving a forklift.

1. Poor Awareness of Space

Drivers tend to not acknowledge the size of their weight or load. Due to this, they bash into the logistics and walls around. Thus, try to keep a good eye on the mirrors and be fully aware of the equipment’s size to manage and control it in a better way.

2. Reckless Operation and Driving

There are a few errors that make a driving reckless but the most prominent one that causes many accidents is not checking the rear mirrors. Perceiving the potential risks is the best way of avoiding them. Thus the operators or drivers need to check behind and avoid taking sharp turns. This will help the machines to perform under the eyes of safety and care.

3. Being Unobservant of the Surroundings

Operators or forklift drivers need to at any cost be aware of the surroundings. As a warehouse is a working place, there can be workers working on their feet. To avoid bumping into them and cause physical problems, you need to observe your environment and maintain a safe distance from them as well as the materials lying around in the place. Also, try to communicate with the pedestrians around, to make them anticipate your presence with the forklift. You can use lights to communicate when driving a forklift.

4. Putting More Weight Than the Forklift’s Capacity

Forklifts come in different sizes with respect to the capacity they can carry. If you overboard the forklift, it can result in poor balance and cause harm not only to the goods on board but also to yourself and people working around. Thus, before loading the goods, ensure the forklift’s capacity and maintain the prescribed weight.

5. Irregular Inspections

To have a proper maintenance, the forklift should be checked regularly. The inspection may include lifting chains, controls and brakes. This can possibly avoid the unnecessary breakdown.

6. Working Without Assistance

It is imperative that you need an extra set of eyes. It is a lot for the forklift driver to work without any assistance. This will make the toughest maneuvering easy as you will have someone to guide you through it.

7. Speeding

Several videos have surfaced where the operators engage in a speeding contest in the warehouses. On this note, we would like to make one thing very clear. Forklifts are not made for speeding. They are highly unstable in their design and can easily tip, if not driven under a certain speed limit.

There are many times when even the most experienced forklift driver, in the pursuit of finishing the task quickly, over-speeds. This can rather increase the time of finishing the task if met with an accident in the warehouse. Never speed while operating the forklift.

You possibly need a professional driving instructor in Toronto do teach you in detail about the DOs and DON’Ts of forklift driving and other safety measures. Get in touch with S&A Sprint Driving who have the best driving instructors in Toronto, who move at your own learning pace. Call us at 416 222 4190 to inquire more about our forklift training program.