This is a grey area and great care must be taken, in broad terms if a forklift truck is being used in the ‘immediate vicinity’ (immediate vicinity is loosely defined as 1000 yards) of your premises for example to load or unload a delivery vehicle then it can be classed in law as a ‘Works Truck’ this means it can be operated on the highway for this purpose but you must register it with DVLA as a ‘Works Truck’ your insurers must also be notified that you are taking your fork lift truck onto the highway in case there is an accident such as a collision between your truck and another vehicle or pedestrian, it must also be in sound condition and fitted with lights if used during the hours of darkness, for more information on this subject you should consult your nearest DVLA office or obtain BITA Guidance Note GN57 – Industrial Trucks On Public Roads, BITA can be contacted on Tel (01344) 623800 or www.bita.org.uk

Last updated on July 11, 2009 by Michael Pearce