How often do you inspect a forklift, and how often must operators be re-evaluated?

General information, not legal advice.

The short answer

OSHA's forklift standard, 29 CFR 1910.178, covers these points among others:

• Daily examination, paragraph (q). Examine each forklift before it is used, and at least daily. If a truck is used around the clock, examine it after each shift.
• Operator training, paragraph (l). Certify that each operator was trained and evaluated. The certification gives the operator's name, the training date, the evaluation date and the trainer.
• Re-evaluation. Evaluate each operator again at least every 3 years.
• How long to keep the records. The rule states no retention period.

This guide covers only those points. Read the full text of 1910.178 for everything else it asks.

Daily examinations

What the rule says

Examine each forklift before use and at least daily. For a truck that runs around the clock, examine it after each shift. The rule states no retention period for these records.

Good habits (ours, not the rule's)

• Write each examination down, when it happens. Without a record, it is hard to show it happened. Note the truck, date and time, shift, who examined it, and the result.
• Use a fixed check list. Build it from the truck maker's manual and your own site; for example brakes, horn, steering, forks, tires and leaks. Use the same list every time, so a missed item stands out.
• One record per truck per examination. "All trucks fine" is hard to match to one truck later.
• Write down problems and what happened next: who was told, whether the truck was parked or repaired, and when.

Operator training and evaluation

What the rule says

• Certify that each operator has been trained and evaluated.
• The certification gives the operator's name, the date of training, the date of the evaluation, and the trainer.
• Re-evaluate each operator at least every 3 years.
• The rule states no retention period for the certification.

Good habits (ours, not the rule's)

• One certification per operator per evaluation, with names spelled as on your staff list, so a search finds them.
• Set the reminder early. Plan the next evaluation months before the 3 years run out.
• Keep the evidence with the certificate. A signed sign-in sheet or the evaluator's notes.

How long to keep forklift records

The rule states no retention period, for the daily examinations or for the operator certifications. Do not borrow the 5-year period from OSHA's injury log: that is a different rule.

Our suggestion, not the rule's: plan no throw-away date. We did not research state rules; check whether one applies where you work, and follow any period your insurer or your own policy sets.

Checklist

• Rule: examine each forklift before use and at least daily
• Rule: if a truck runs around the clock, examine it after each shift
• Rule: certify that each operator was trained and evaluated
• Rule: the certification gives name, training date, evaluation date and trainer
• Rule: re-evaluate each operator at least every 3 years
• Habit: write down each examination: truck, date, time, shift, who, result
• Habit: use the same check list every time, built from the maker's manual
• Habit: record each problem found and what was done about it
• Habit: set the re-evaluation reminder months before the 3 years run out
• Habit: keep records with no throw-away date (the rule states no retention period)
• Habit: fix mistakes with a new, dated record, never by changing the old one
• Habit: check state rules and insurer requirements separately

How Cibotti helps

On a clipboard or in a spreadsheet, a date can be changed or a tick added later. Cibotti does not decide whether you meet a rule. It helps you keep these records and prove, later, what they said on the day they were written.

• A routine for each truck. Set a routine to repeat every day or every weekday, assigned to a person. Cibotti tracks whether each check was done on time and emails the assignee a reminder (once they confirm an email address). Routines repeat at most every 12 months, so for 3-year re-evaluations use a yearly routine to review whose date is coming up.
• Sealed when saved. Each entry gets a fingerprint and is chained to the one before it. Every 10 minutes the newest fingerprint is sent for a Bitcoin timestamp, which Bitcoin confirms some hours later. Once an entry is covered, any change to it shows when the chain is checked. There is no edit button: a correction is a new entry. Attach a photo of the truck or the signed training sheet to the entry.
• Quick to fill in at the truck. Speak instead of typing. On Inspection and Training completed entries, the Oversight box sums up what the forklift rule says.
• Proof from outside. An outside trainer can confirm an operator's training record through a one-time link, with no account.
• Ready to show. Filter All entries by type and date, export to CSV or JSON, or print a report. The Lens and the printable Bird's-Eye Summary show how many routines were kept on time.

Sources

The rule details in this guide come from the official text, read on 2026-10-08. Each link opens the current official text in a new tab; check it there before you rely on a detail.

• 29 CFR 1910.178 on eCFR (opens in a new tab): forklifts; paragraph (q), daily examination, and paragraph (l), operator training.

Try it

Open the live demo at https://cibotti.app ("Open the live demo"), set up a daily check for one forklift, save an entry, and then look for a way to change it. There is none; a correction is a new entry. If you save anything there, use made-up details: the demo company is shared, and entries in it are permanent.

John, Cibotti