Operating forklift trucks and other industrial trucks

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Operating forklift trucks and other industrial trucks

Industrial trucks are used in businesses to transport, stack or store goods. These include, for example, forklift trucks, hand pallet trucks, reach trucks and order pickers. Many people simply refer to them as “forklift trucks” or “trucks”.

In Germany, there is no regulated vocational training programme for operating industrial trucks. Therefore, there is also no recognition procedure for foreign professional qualifications.

If you wish to operate industrial trucks in Germany, you need an industrial truck operator certification (in German: “Flurfördermittelschein”). It is often simply referred to as a “forklift licence” (in German: “Staplerschein”). In Germany, you can obtain a “forklift licence” after completing a qualification. This usually takes the form of a training course or instruction.

You must also meet the following requirements:

You must be at least 18 years old.
You must be physically and mentally fit.

Regulations of the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV):

Finding a training course

There are many providers of training courses. You can often obtain information from the Chambers of Industry and Commerce (IHK) or the Chambers of Crafts (HWK). Private companies and organisations also offer training courses.

You can search for suitable courses on these websites, for example. Type in a search term, such as “Staplerschein”: