72-question written theory test, pass standard 80% (58 of 72). Answered in the candidate’s own handwriting, covering:
Roles, responsibilities and the law
Machine preparation and pre-use inspection
Controls, steering modes and travelling
Load assessment and use of the capacity chart
Lifting, transferring and placing at height and reach
Loading and unloading vehicles
Post-operational checks, parking and shutdown
Machine transport on road freight vehicles
The following are safety-critical and must be answered correctly regardless of the overall score:
Seat belt use
Overhead services exclusion distances
Excavation and edge clearances
Capacity chart interpretation before lifting
Isolation on leaving the machine
Practical assessment
Structured exercises, each marked against observed performance criteria. Every criterion must reach competent; any dangerous act terminates the assessment.
Pre-use inspection and preparation to the manufacturer’s specification, with defect recording
Travel and manoeuvre laden and unladen: steering modes, confined areas, gradients, rough terrain, pedestrian awareness, reversing under observation
Lifting, transferring and placing loads at height and reach, planned from the capacity chart, machine levelled, stabilisers as required
Loading and unloading a vehicle: vehicle security, load placement and sequence, communication
Load information, housekeeping, goods handling and waste segregation
Machine transport onto and off road freight vehicles
Parking, shutdown, isolation and post-operational checks
The assessor deemed Fred Bloggs competent within the stated scope, and the qualification was awarded in August 2026.
The legal position
No UK government body issues a licence to operate a telescopic handler, and no statute requires one. The duty to train and assess competence sits with the employer, under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 section 2(2)(c) and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 regulation 9.
The Approved Code of Practice L117, Rider-operated lift trucks, sets out a three-stage training model: basic training, job-specific training, and familiarisation with the particular machine and site. The employer completes this with a written authorisation for that operator to use that machine. Where the machine is used for lifting, LOLER 1998 requires thorough examination at 12-monthly intervals, or 6-monthly where it lifts people.
The full site evidence statement sets out the basis of the qualification, the assessment decision and the audit trail, for presentation to site management and health and safety personnel.
The full site evidence statement is issued with the operator’s pack.
Site-specific familiarisation and the employer’s written authorisation to operate are separate and remain the employer’s responsibility.