Forklift Driver

A forklift driver operates powered lift trucks in warehouses, distribution centres, manufacturing plants, and retail environments to move, stack, and position goods and materials. The role requires safe manoeuvring of the vehicle in confined spaces, precise load placement, and adherence to workplace safety protocols and load limits. Drivers perform daily vehicle inspections, maintain accurate records of movements, and communicate with supervisors and other site personnel to coordinate logistics efficiently.

Operate forklift trucks to lift, stack, and transport palletised goods and materials across warehouse floors, loading bays, and outdoor storage areas. Conduct pre-operation safety inspections of the forklift including tyres, brakes, hydraulics, and load-handling attachments, and report defects to maintenance. Verify load weight and dimensions against safe working load limits and weight distribution charts before lifting to prevent instability or tipping. Navigate forklifts safely in confined spaces, around pedestrians, and in high-density warehouse environments whilst maintaining safe speeds and distances. Position loads accurately onto shelving systems, into shipping containers, or onto delivery vehicles using visual assessment and rack-positioning techniques. Load and unload goods from delivery trucks and transport containers, organising them according to warehouse location codes and customer orders. Maintain handwritten or digital records of loads moved, goods received, pallet locations, and equipment usage for inventory and compliance tracking. Follow Safe Work Australia guidelines and site-specific work method statements for forklift operation, including speed limits, exclusion zones, and communication protocols.

The standard entry pathway requires a Certificate II or III (ABS skill level 4). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

The work is repetitive and physically demanding with long shifts in noisy, cold or hot environments. You need a forklift licence (costs money and takes time), and one safety incident can end your career in the field.

Some regional jobs exist near manufacturing or agricultural processing, but most opportunities are in or near cities with major ports and logistics networks.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 7213, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Attention to Detailcore
• Dispatch Documentationcore
• Forklift Licence Coordinationcore
• Goods Receipt Processingcore
• Incident Reportingcore
• Inventory Trackingcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Stock Counting and Stocktakecore
• Team Collaborationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)core
• Act reliably
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Basic Arithmetic and Numerical Accuracy
• Carry out stock rotation
• ERP and Inventory Systems
• Freight Coordination
• Returns Processing
• Stock Reconciliation
• Supplier Communication
• Workload Self-Management

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

What Forklift Driver workers move into, from ten years of tax records.

Last updated: 30 October 2026