Forklift Refresher Training for Victorian Employers: How to Choose

Compare Transport Driver Training and Start Training on equipment coverage, practical assessment and outcome records—not attendance alone. TDT describes a dedicated refresher service and practical-driving assessment; Start Training promotes refresher training but provides fewer details in its further-training article, which was published in April 2021.[3][4]

This comparison concerns Victorian services and WorkSafe Victoria guidance. Employers elsewhere should check their own regulator’s requirements.

Compare the published refresher options

Transport Driver Training

• Equipment coverage: LF forklifts, reach trucks and LO order pickers; TDT’s refresher page does not state specific attachment coverage.[3]
• Practical assessment: TDT says it assesses and monitors practical driving skills; assessment criteria, competency threshold and a separate theory test are not specified.[3]
• Price and group size: TDT lists A$1,200 per half day or A$1,800 per day, with a maximum of 6 people per session and up to 2 sessions per day.[3] It says onsite refreshers run in 4-hour sessions, with minimums and conditions applying, and that onsite costs are negotiable depending on numbers.[3]
• Assessment records: TDT’s refresher page does not specify a certificate or formal outcome document.[3]

Start Training

• Equipment coverage: Start Training’s 2021 article does not specify truck types or attachments.[4]
• Practical assessment: Refresher training promoted, but assessment method unspecified.[4]
• Assessment records: Employer or operator outcome records unspecified.[4]

These are gaps in the descriptions, not evidence that either service lacks those elements. TDT gives a more detailed starting point, but that does not establish better assessment or better-trained operators.[3][4]

Turn observed gaps into a targeted brief

WorkSafe Victoria says employers must provide the information, instruction, training or supervision necessary for safe work. A licensed operator may still need familiarisation when the workplace forklift differs from the model used during licence training and assessment.[1]

Prepare a short brief covering:

• Licence and duties: the relevant licence held, current tasks and changed responsibilities.
• Equipment: truck models, attachments and loads involved.
• Concerns: observed behaviours, incident concerns and time away from operating.
• Demonstration: what the operator should show in practice.

Replace “needs safer habits” with “observe pre-start checks, information-plate interpretation and safe load handling on the nominated truck”—task areas covered by WorkSafe Victoria’s guidance.[1]

Start Training identifies bad habits, long periods away and low confidence as reasons for further training. Treat these as vendor-reported prompts, not an independent assessment framework.[4] Describe the specific concern in the brief rather than assuming every operator needs the same refresher.

Check models, attachments and workplace conditions

Use WorkSafe Victoria’s familiarisation guidance to build the equipment and task checklist:

• Truck model: safe operation, safety features, capacity and load limits, interpreting the information plate and pre-start inspections.[1]
• Attachments: familiarisation for every attachment used with the forklift.[1]
• Workplace conditions: loads, traffic-management arrangements, pedestrian safety, exclusion zones and task procedures.[1]
• Supporting procedures: refuelling or recharging, reporting breakdowns, collisions and damage, and responding to defects or faults.[1]

Send each provider the same model, attachment and task list. Ask for written confirmation of what can be trained and assessed; an equipment-category label is not a substitute for agreement on the specific work.

Include any communication needs in the brief. WorkSafe Victoria says employers should account for language and cultural barriers affecting communication and take steps to address them.[1]

Agree on practical assessment before booking

Ask each provider to explain what successful practical performance will look like. Use the proposed workplace tasks to make the discussion specific:

• Demonstration: What will the operator demonstrate, on which truck and attachments, under which conditions—and against what criteria?
• Starting gaps: How will the assessor identify weaknesses and record observations before instruction?
• Improvement: What happens after an unsuccessful demonstration, and how will improvement be checked after coaching?
• Assessor: Who assesses performance, and what relevant credentials and equipment experience do they have?

Make task-specific findings your purchasing criterion. Request an outcome distinguishing tasks demonstrated successfully from those needing further work, rather than accepting attendance as the outcome.

Request usable records and agree on follow-up

Ask for a sample assessment record before booking and agree on its contents. A useful employer record would include:

• Operator name, assessment date and assessor.
• Truck and attachment identifiers, plus tasks observed.
• Findings against agreed criteria, separating demonstrated skills from unresolved gaps.
• Recommended next steps for each gap.

Where gaps remain, nominate who will arrange corrective instruction, agree on interim operating arrangements and set a review or reassessment point. Keep attendance separate from practical findings.

This is a proposed employer workflow: WorkSafe Victoria’s guidance does not prescribe how refresher-assessment findings should be documented.[1] Agree internally on record storage and access, and ask the provider how any reassessment will be recorded.

What to confirm with each provider

TDT lists refresher delivery at Hallam, Bendigo, Sale, Sunshine and Ballarat in Victoria.[3] Start Training’s article promotes refresher training in Melbourne.[4]

Start Training’s 2021 article does not state price, duration, class size, eligibility or cancellation and contract terms, so check its current refresher offer directly.[4] TDT publishes its half-day and full-day prices and a 6-person session limit, but not its cancellation terms or exact onsite minimums.[3]

Request a written quotation confirming:

• Delivery location and access to the nominated equipment.
• Group size, duration and total price for the agreed training and assessment scope.
• Onsite requirements, including any minimum booking.
• Eligibility, cancellation and applicable contract conditions.
• Assessment criteria, outcome records and arrangements for further instruction or reassessment.

Compare quotations against the same brief. A convenient venue should not outweigh unresolved equipment or assessment questions.

Keep refresher training separate from licensing

WorkSafe Victoria distinguishes licensed-operator familiarisation from training arrangements for unlicensed trainees.[1] AVT’s initial-licensing course, for example, includes knowledge, calculation and practical testing; it is not presented as an employer refresher package for licensed operators.[2]

Do not book a refresher as a substitute for licence renewal or initial licensing. Direct renewal questions to the relevant state or territory regulator. WorkSafe Victoria’s guidance and the TDT and Start Training material do not establish a universal Australian refresher interval.[1][3][4]

Choose against the agreed scope

TDT offers a more defined starting point, with published prices and session limits, for employers seeking LF, reach-truck or LO practical-driving assessment.[3] For Start Training, obtain the equipment and assessment details before deciding.[4]

Choose the provider that confirms the required tasks, practical assessment and usable records in writing. Send both the same targeted brief and request a sample outcome record. If neither proposal addresses the identified gaps, ask for a revised scope or consider another provider.

References

1. Forklift training and competency | WorkSafe Victoria (vic.gov.au)
2. TLILIC0003- License to Operate a Forklift Truck (avtraining.edu.au)
3. Forklift Refresher Course | Forklift Truck Refresher Training (transportdrivertraining.com.au)
4. How Every Forklift Operator Can Benefit From Further Training (starttraining.com.au)