Forklift F Endorsement & Operator's (OSH) Certificate

The Forklift F Endorsement and Operator's Certificate course combines Unit Standard 18496 with a forklift operator's certificate (often called an OSH certificate or forklift licence). The F endorsement gives you the right to drive a forklift on a road, while the operator's certificate proves that you met a minimum requirement based on the Approved Code of Practice. 

You need an F endorsement whenever you drive a forklift on a road. The legal meaning of a road is wide. It includes footpaths, wharves, rights of way and any place the public can drive. If the forklift only works on private property, such as a closed warehouse or yard, you need an operator's certificate but not an F endorsement.

You also need the right licence class for the forklift's loaded weight. A class 1 licence covers forklifts up to 18,000 kg. A class 2 licence covers heavier forklifts.

The Forklift F Endorsement and Operator's Certificate course is for anyone who drives a forklift at work and sometimes needs to go on a road. This includes:

• forklift operators who load or unload trucks on a road or right-of-way
• truck drivers who load or unload their own truck
• supervisors and managers who drive a forklift to cover for absent staff

The Forklift F Endorsement and Operator's Certificate course covers how to drive a forklift safely at work and on a road. Topics include:

• the law and road rules for forklifts
• types of forklift, their parts and fuel or battery safety
• load capacity and stability
• pre-operational checks and managing hazards
• stacking, attachments, parking and shutdown

Yes. The F endorsement course theory applies to all types of forklift, including counterbalance forklifts and reach trucks. The safety principles are the same. Your employer must still give each operator a practical induction on every forklift and attachment they use. This is a duty under the Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016. The induction can be done in-house, by the supplier or by an outside trainer.

Yes, but they may also need hands-on practice before the assessment. The F endorsement course teaches the theory a new operator needs. The final assessment includes a practical driving test, so they should spend supervised time on a forklift first. Their employer must also give them a practical induction on the forklift they will use. Learning safe operation first, then practising, is a sensible order.

No. If you have a recent forklift operator's certificate, you can do the shorter Forklift F Endorsement course instead. It covers only the F endorsement theory and the final assessments. Your operator's certificate must have been issued in the last year, or you must hold a DT Forklift Operator's Certificate course licence. You need a full Class 1 licence for either course.

Yes. To get an F endorsement in New Zealand, you must pass an approved course assessed against unit standard 18496. The assessment must use material approved by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). The Forklift F Endorsement and Operator's Certificate course includes this assessment, and TR Driver Training registers the unit standard for you. Unit standard 10851 is a separate, optional workplace forklift qualification and isn't part of this course. It is not required to register 18496.

A forklift F endorsement lasts as long as your driver licence. It expires on the same date as your licence. When you renew your licence, the F endorsement is renewed with it. You don't need to do the F endorsement course again.

A forklift operator's certificate should be renewed every three years. This is the interval in the WorkSafe Approved Code of Practice for training forklift operators. You can refresh more often, but not less often. A longer gap gives a worse safety result than the code expects, which could breach the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. For the refresher, use the Forklift Operator's Certificate course.

The F endorsement final theory and practical assessments are 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. For groups, a TR Driver Training trainer can come to your workplace. The online theory can be done anywhere with internet access. Once it's finished, request your assessment. Times depend on branch and trainer availability.

Yes. Simply purchase the required number of course licences and assign one per trainee. Trainees get full access to all training materials for 6 months. These include videos in the modules plus a downloadable load plate cheat sheet.

Included is a comprehensive practical assessment checklist and overview video for the operator's certificate part

The account holder can add managers at no extra cost to help manage multiple trainees. Managers can download detailed reports, plus track and manage operators

Set-up is free whether you are purchasing one course licence or a hundred course licences.

When you finish the online theory of the Forklift F Endorsement and Operator's Certificate course, you get a certificate of achievement. When you pass the final assessments, TR Driver Training gives you a certificate to take to a driver licensing agent for the F endorsement. It also registers Unit Standard 18496 (level 3, 2 credits) on your NZQA record. You also receive your forklift operator's certificate. The course includes a load plate cheat sheet.

You must hold, at minimum, a full New Zealand Class 1 (car) licence to take the assessment, and you must show your licence to the trainer. Once you have finished and passed the theory and practical assessment with TR Driver Training, the trainer will give you a certificate that you can take to VTNZ or AA to have the F endorsement added to your driver licence. VTNZ/AA charge separately for this (the cost is not included in the course fee)

No. You can only drive a forklift on a road once the F endorsement is on your driver licence. Passing the F endorsement course isn't enough by itself. The licensing agent gives you a temporary licence with the endorsement until your new licence arrives. The forklift must also be registered, display its plate and have a current warrant of fitness.

DT Training and TR Driver Training are both part of TR Group. DT Training provides the online F endorsement theory. TR Driver Training runs the assessments with its own trainers at 10 branches nationwide. TR Driver Training is a Category 1 Private Training Establishment (PTE). TR Group uses the same forklift training for its own yard and refurbishment teams.

• You will need one course licence per operator taking the course. You can't use one licence for several operators.
• You will need a computer, smartphone or tablet with internet access to do the theory training.
• You must take a final theory test and practical assessment at a TR Driver Training branch, or at your workplace if a TR Driver Training trainer comes to you.
• You must have a full class 1 car licence to sit the F endorsement assessment. You can do the operator's certificate theory before you have one.
• The assessments are in English.

The F endorsement and operator's certificate come with literacy and language help:

• 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 (written answers must be in English).
• Question audio: every question has an audio recording in English.
• Documents: English.
• Some captions are AI-generated and may have occasional errors.

The final assessments at the TR Driver Training branch are in English.

The theory is the same regardless of what type of forklift truck you use. The only difference is that you must provide specific practical induction and training on each piece of equipment that your operators use. This can be done internally, by the manufacturer/distributor, or by an external trainer. The same applies to using attachments.