Forklift F Endorsement

The Forklift F Endorsement course teaches you how to drive a forklift safely and legally on a road in New Zealand. You do the theory online, then sit a final theory and practical assessment with TR Driver Training. Passing gives you unit standard 18496, which you need to get the F endorsement on your licence.

An F endorsement is a code on your driver licence that lets you drive a forklift on a road in New Zealand. The Forklift F Endorsement course is how you get it. You need one before you drive a forklift anywhere the public can go, even for a short distance.

A road includes streets, footpaths, public car parks, wharves, road shoulders and a yard with no gate. A full Class 1 (car) licence covers forklifts up to 18,000 kg. For a heavier forklift, you need a full Class 2 licence (Land Transport (Driver Licensing) Rule 1999)

The Forklift F Endorsement course is for forklift operators who drive on a road for work and already know how to drive a forklift. It suits:

• operators who already have a forklift operator's certificate and now need to work on a road
• drivers who load and unload trucks on the street
• operators who move a forklift between sites or across a public car park
• employers who need staff covered for any of these jobs

The course doesn't teach you to drive a forklift. Trainees should already be able to drive one safely before the assessment.

In the Forklift F Endorsement course, you learn the rules and practical skills for driving a forklift on a road. Topics include:

• the legal rules for getting and holding an F endorsement
• the licence class, size and weight limits, registration and warrant of fitness for a forklift on a road
• how to check a forklift before you drive it on a road
• how weather, light, road conditions and other road users affect safety
• loading and unloading a truck on a road with little disruption to traffic
• travelling with and without a load, and controlling fork swing and rear-end swing
• parking, shutting down and securing a forklift on a road

An F endorsement lets you drive a forklift on a road. A forklift operator's certificate (often called an OSH certificate) shows you've been trained to use a forklift safely at work. The Forklift F Endorsement course covers only the F endorsement.

Unit standard 18496 doesn't meet the forklift training duty in section 13 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. Most employers need the operator's certificate for anyone who drives a forklift. If you need both, take the F + OSH course.

No. You don't need a forklift operator's certificate or unit standard 10851 to do the Forklift F Endorsement course or get an F endorsement in New Zealand. NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi doesn't ask for either one before it issues the endorsement.

Some training companies ask for them, but that's their own rule. Your employer may still need you to hold an operator's certificate for health and safety reasons.

The Forklift F Endorsement course gives you unit standard 18496: Demonstrate knowledge and skills for driving a forklift on a road for endorsement F. It's a Level 3 standard worth 2 credits. TR Driver Training registers it with NZQA when you pass the final assessment.

The course is based on version 4 of the standard, released in 2024.

An F endorsement lasts as long as your driver licence in New Zealand. It ends on the same date as your licence and renews when you renew your licence. You don't need to repeat the Forklift F Endorsement course to keep it.

A forklift operator's certificate is different. WorkSafe's approved code of practice recommends refreshing it every 3 years

The Forklift F Endorsement assessment is held at a TR Driver Training branch. There are 10 branches: Auckland, Hamilton, Mt Maunganui, Hastings, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Wellington, Blenheim, Christchurch and Dunedin. Dates are subject to branch and trainer availability.

For groups, a TR Driver Training trainer can assess at your workplace instead. Call 0800 637 000 to arrange it.

After you pass the Forklift F Endorsement assessment, TR Driver Training gives you a certificate. Take it to a driver licensing agent, such as AA or VTNZ, with your driver licence. The agent adds the F endorsement to your licence and charges a separate fee for this.

Bring your full driver licence to the assessment. You can't drive a forklift on a road with just the course certificate. Wait until the endorsement is on your licence.

With the Forklift F Endorsement course, you do the theory online with DT Training and the assessment in person with TR Driver Training. Both are part of TR Group. TR Driver Training is an NZQA Category 1 private training establishment [CHECK: and an NZ Transport Agency approved course provider for the F endorsement].

TR Driver Training assesses at 10 branches nationwide, or at your workplace for groups.

The online part of the Forklift F Endorsement course takes around 40 minutes, depending on the trainee. The final theory and practical assessment takes about 1.5 hours. You can spread the online modules over several days.

• You will need one course licence per person taking the course - you can't use one licence for multiple operators
• You will need a computer, smartphone or tablet with internet access to take the theory training
• You must take a final theory test and practical assessment at a TR Driver Training branch (or your workplace if a TR Driver Training trainer goes there) at the end of this course
• You must have a full Class 1 (car) licence, or a full Class 2 licence for forklifts over 18,000 kg, and bring it to the assessment
• The final theory test and practical assessment are in English

Yes. The online theory in the Forklift F Endorsement course has translation support:

• Video subtitles: available in 25 languages. Choose the language in the video.
• Questions: can be viewed in 76 languages - check the language option at the top of the page (note that written answers must be in English).
• Question audio: every question has an audio recording in English
• Documents: English
• Some captions are AI-generated and, as such, may have occasional errors.

The final theory test and practical assessment are in English.

The staff would highly recommend this course to others as they found it valuable, convenient and effective."

Ravlin Deo, Branch Manager, TWL