High Risk Work Licence - Forklift Truck (LF)
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The Forklift Truck (LF) licence is a Australian high risk work licence that authorises you to operate a forklift in the workplace. It is issued under work health and safety legislation and is typically valid for five years, after which it must be renewed. Candidates come from warehouses, logistics, manufacturing, construction, horticulture and retail - anyone whose job involves moving palletised or bulky loads with a powered industrial truck. The assessment has three parts: a knowledge test covering legislation and duty of care, hazard identification and risk control, forklift types and stability, pre-operational checks, load assessment and weight estimation, operational technique, traffic management, and emergency procedures; a written or calculation component; and a practical assessment where you demonstrate pre-start inspection, load handling, manoeuvring, placement and shutdown under an assessor's observation. Preparation works best in layers: learn the stability principles and load chart maths until they are automatic, practise the pre-start checklist until you can complete it from memory, then spend supervised hours on the machine so the practical tasks feel routine. Your registered training organisation supplies the logbook and supervised hours requirement, and the regulator publishes current fees, application steps and licence conditions on its website.
What you'll study
About High Risk Work Licence - Forklift Truck (LF) preparation
What does the LF licence actually let me do?
It authorises you to operate a forklift truck - a powered industrial truck with a mast and forks - in Australian workplaces. It does not cover order-picking forklifts, telehandlers or other high risk plant, which need separate licences or training.
How is the assessment structured?
Three parts: a knowledge test, a written or calculation component, and a practical assessment. You must be competent in all three. The practical is observed by an accredited assessor and covers pre-start checks, load handling, travelling and manoeuvring, placement and shutdown.
How long is the exam and how many questions are there?
The regulator and your registered training organisation set the current structure, and it can differ between providers. Check the official website and your enrolment pack for the current question count and time allowance rather than relying on secondhand figures.
What score do I need to pass?
Passing requirements are set by the regulator and the assessment instrument in use. The current figure is published on the official regulator website. Ask your training provider which instrument they use and confirm the requirement before you sit the assessment.
Can I retake if I fail a component?
Usually yes, but the process and any waiting period depend on your provider and the regulator's rules. Contact your training provider to arrange a re-assessment of the specific component you did not pass. The official website sets out the current policy.
How hard is it really?
The knowledge test is manageable with steady study, but the practical is where most people struggle. Stability, load charts and pre-start checks are the areas candidates most often underestimate. Time on the machine matters more than memorising theory alone.
What is the best study order?
Start with stability and load charts, because they underpin load handling and the calculations. Then learn the pre-start checklist cold, followed by operational technique and traffic management. Finish with emergency procedures, then practise everything on the machine.
What do candidates most often get wrong?
Common failures are misreading load centre distances on the chart, forgetting to check capacity at the actual lift height, skipping pre-start items, travelling with the load too high, and poor communication with pedestrians. Small habits cost marks in the practical.
Do I need supervised hours before the assessment?
Yes. You must log supervised operational hours with a registered training organisation before the practical assessment. The exact number is set by the training package and your provider, so confirm the current requirement with them at enrolment.
How long is the licence valid?
The licence is typically valid for five years and must be renewed before it expires. Renewal requirements and any refresher training are set by the regulator, so check the official website as your expiry date approaches.