Practical Operating Skills Assessment
This domain tests observed operating skill: the practical test usually combines a pre-use inspection, a control exercise, a load pick-and-place, a confined route, and a parking/shutdown sequence. Safety-critical errors generally fail the assessment regardless of speed.
What assessors look for
- Pre-use inspection: systematic walk-around, correct defect response, and accurate component naming.
- Control: smooth acceleration, braking, steering, and hydraulic movement; no jerking, no riding the clutch, no harsh mast contact.
- Load handling: square approach, forks level and fully inserted, load centred and against the backrest, tilt back, low travel, accurate placement, and controlled withdrawal.
- Observation: looking in the direction of travel, mirror use, horn at blind spots, pedestrian awareness, and safe speed.
- Shutdown: forks down, mast vertical, neutral, brake set, key off, and truck parked clear of walkways.
Worked example
The task is to place a pallet into a rack bay. The operator stops squarely, raises the forks to the bay height, moves forward until the pallet is over the beams, lowers gently, tilts to level, and withdraws slowly while checking clearance. Rushing the approach, hitting the rack upright, or dragging the pallet across the beams are scoring errors because they indicate loss of load control.
Traps
Excessive speed; failing to look behind before reversing; forks not fully inserted; clipping racking or door frames; forgetting the seat belt; leaving the truck in gear at shutdown.