Top 12 Forklift Driver Skills to Put on Your Resume
Forklift work looks straightforward until it isn’t. Employers scan fast, decide faster. A resume that spotlights the right skills? That’s how you break through the noise and land interviews. Below, the top 12 forklift driver skills—clear, practical, and tuned to how warehouses actually run today.
Forklift Driver Skills
- Pallet Jack
- Inventory Management
- OSHA Compliance
- RF Scanner
- Safety Protocols
- Preventive Maintenance
- Warehouse Operations
- Order Picking
- Load Stabilization
- Reach Truck
- Hazardous Materials
- Forklift Certification
1. Pallet Jack
A pallet jack—manual or powered—moves palletized loads in tight spaces where a forklift won’t fit or isn’t needed. Compact, quick, and perfect for short hauls and final positioning.
Why It's Important
It fills the gap. Faster handling in cramped aisles, safer movement of lighter loads, fewer bottlenecks, more precision where inches matter.
How to Improve Pallet Jack Skills
Ergonomic control: Use proper grip, neutral wrist, and shoulder-led turns to cut strain and improve accuracy.
Maintenance habit: Check wheels, forks, and hydraulic action daily; fix binding, leaks, or flat-spotted rollers before they turn into downtime.
Right wheels: Match wheel material to floor and load—poly for smooth concrete, softer compounds for noise and uneven surfaces.
Safety add‑ons: Audible horn, handle neutral return, and good brakes on powered jacks keep people and product out of harm’s way.
Smart pathing: Plan short, direct routes with clean corners and visible exits. Less weaving, fewer near misses.
Training refresh: Practice tight turns, ramp control, and load entry/exit to reduce product damage and rework.
How to Display Pallet Jack Skills on Your Resume
2. Inventory Management
Keeping goods tracked, stored, and moved with accuracy—from receiving to putaway to picking and shipping. For drivers, it’s about correct locations, clean moves, and bulletproof records.
Why It's Important
Right item, right place, right count. Less searching, fewer write‑offs, safer aisles, and orders that leave on time.
How to Improve Inventory Management Skills
Clear slotting: Label locations, keep aisles tidy, and standardize bin sizes so putaway and picks are repeatable and quick.
Scan everything: Use barcodes/RFID with real‑time updates. No moves without a scan. Errors shrink fast when data is live.
Cycle counts: Small, frequent counts catch issues early. Prioritize high‑velocity and high‑value items.
Lean travel: Group items and plan routes to cut empty travel and backtracking.
Tight handoffs: Flag damages, mislabels, or count mismatches right away so inventory stays trustworthy.
How to Display Inventory Management Skills on Your Resume
3. OSHA Compliance
Following the safety requirements for powered industrial trucks (such as OSHA 1910.178): training, evaluation, inspections, safe operation, and documented procedures.
Why It's Important
It saves lives. It also prevents costly incidents, equipment damage, and chaotic floors where people and machines tangle.
How to Improve OSHA Compliance Skills
Train and evaluate: Formal instruction, hands‑on practice, and regular performance checks.
Daily inspections: Brakes, horn, lights, forks, mast, hydraulics, tires—record it, fix what’s off, tag out when needed.
Service on schedule: Preventive maintenance aligned to hours and usage.
PPE and rules: Wear what the job demands. Honor speed limits, load limits, and pedestrian zones.
Incident learning: Report near misses and hazards; adjust procedures before the next shift starts.
How to Display OSHA Compliance Skills on Your Resume
4. RF Scanner
An RF scanner (handheld or truck‑mounted) reads barcodes or tags to confirm item identity, location, and movement in real time.
Why It's Important
Accuracy without guesswork. Faster picks, cleaner inventory, fewer wrong‑item headaches.
How to Improve RF Scanner Skills
Know your device: Shortcuts, batch modes, scan angles, and how to clear jams or freezes.
Keep it healthy: Clean lenses, inspect triggers, protect screens, replace worn batteries before they fail mid‑route.
Update software: Current firmware and app versions reduce crashes and speed up scans.
Mounts and grips: Use secure mounts on lifts and ergonomic straps for fast swap‑outs.
Solid Wi‑Fi: Work with IT to eliminate dead zones; roaming and coverage make or break scan speed.
How to Display RF Scanner Skills on Your Resume
5. Safety Protocols
Rules and routines that keep people, products, and equipment out of harm’s way: inspections, right‑of‑way rules, load limits, speed control, and pedestrian awareness.
Why It's Important
Safety isn’t a poster on the wall. It’s the daily rhythm that prevents injuries, protects freight, and keeps operations humming.
How to Improve Safety Protocols Skills
Deep training: Start thorough, refresh often, practice real scenarios.
Maintenance discipline: Machines in top shape fail less and handle predictably.
Environment design: Mark walkways, mirror blind corners, light the aisles, and separate people from traffic.
PPE every time: High‑vis, eye protection, hard hats, gloves—what the task demands.
Emergency drills: Tip‑over response, spill steps, fire routes—muscle memory matters.
Speak up culture: Report hazards; fix them quickly; thank the messenger.
Enforce fairly: Clear consequences, consistent follow‑through.
How to Display Safety Protocols Skills on Your Resume
6. Preventive Maintenance
Planned inspections and service that catch issues early—fluids, filters, forks, chains, hydraulics, tires, batteries—so equipment stays reliable and safe.
Why It's Important
Breakdowns derail shifts. PM extends lifespan, reduces surprise repairs, and keeps operators protected.
How to Improve Preventive Maintenance Skills
Daily checks: Use an OSHA‑compliant checklist. Don’t skip the horn, brakes, mast, and leaks.
Service cadence: Follow manufacturer hours and intervals; adjust for harsh conditions.
Right usage: Respect capacity, avoid impacts, and stop riding the inching pedal—parts last longer.
Battery care: For electrics, water correctly, charge on schedule, and keep contacts clean.
Records that tell a story: Log defects, fixes, and parts replaced so patterns are obvious and preventable.
How to Display Preventive Maintenance Skills on Your Resume
7. Warehouse Operations
The end‑to‑end flow inside the four walls: receiving, putaway, replenishment, picking, packing, shipping, and returns. Drivers make that flow physical—and fast.
Why It's Important
Better flow means fewer delays, safer aisles, happier customers, and cleaner numbers on the board.
How to Improve Warehouse Operations Skills
Certify and cross‑train: Versatility reduces downtime and staffing gaps.
PM for uptime: Less surprise repair, more steady throughput.
Layout that works: Shorten travel, widen chokepoints, zone by velocity.
WMS discipline: Scan on every move; let the system drive accuracy.
Safety first: Clear rules, visible signs, guarded racking, and frequent walk‑throughs.
5S and feedback: Sort, set in order, shine, standardize, sustain—then keep improving with operator input.
How to Display Warehouse Operations Skills on Your Resume
8. Order Picking
Finding and moving the exact items a customer ordered, to the dock or pack station, without mix‑ups.
Why It's Important
Pick errors snowball—returns, re‑ships, chargebacks. Accurate picks make everything else look easy.
How to Improve Order Picking Skills
Good ergonomics: Proper lift technique, line‑of‑sight scanning, and break rotations reduce fatigue and mistakes.
Smart slotting: Keep top movers close and grouped; heavy items low, fragile items protected.
Tech assist: Barcodes, pick‑to‑light, or voice systems speed verification and cut errors.
Route logic: Optimize pick paths to avoid zigzagging and dead ends.
Right equipment: Order pickers, reach trucks, or pallet jacks matched to aisle width and rack height.
Relentless QA: Spot checks and short feedback loops catch issues before they leave the building.
How to Display Order Picking Skills on Your Resume
9. Load Stabilization
Keeping the load balanced, secure, and steady on the forks so it doesn’t shift, tip, or slide while moving.
Why It's Important
Unstable loads break product, bend steel, and injure people. Stability is non‑negotiable.
How to Improve Load Stabilization Skills
Even distribution: Heaviest items low and near the carriage; don’t stack past capacity or common sense.
Smooth controls: No sudden turns, jabs, or hard stops. Slow is fast with tall or odd loads.
Fork height discipline: Travel with the load low; lift only when you’re in position.
Securement: Stretch wrap, straps, corner boards—use them for tall or mixed cases.
Right attachments: Side shifters, fork positioners, clamps—choose the tool that keeps the load centered and safe.
Equipment condition: Healthy hydraulics and good tires reduce wobble and drift.
How to Display Load Stabilization Skills on Your Resume
10. Reach Truck
A narrow‑aisle forklift with an extendable mast that reaches into racking, letting you store high and tight without driving deep into the aisle.
Why It's Important
It unlocks vertical space, trims travel, and makes dense storage workable.
How to Improve Reach Truck Skills
Consistent service: Smooth mast stages, straight rails, solid brakes—precision depends on condition.
Focused training: Practice fine mast control, inching, and visibility checks at height.
Ergonomics: Set seat/controls right, use mirrors and cameras where needed, reduce neck strain.
Height confidence: Use tilt/level indicators and lasers if equipped; verify fork alignment before commit.
Pre‑shift checks: Load wheels, chains, carriage rollers—catch issues before the first lift.
How to Display Reach Truck Skills on Your Resume
11. Hazardous Materials
Substances that can harm people, property, or the environment. Handling demands strict labeling, storage, and movement rules.
Why It's Important
One slip can become a spill, an exposure, or worse. Knowledge and discipline here protect everyone.
How to Improve Hazardous Materials Skills
Targeted training: Identification, segregation, and emergency response tailored to what your site handles.
PPE that fits the risk: Gloves, eye protection, respirators, and protective clothing as required.
Know the SDS: Review Safety Data Sheets so you understand hazards and first‑aid steps before you move a single container.
Equipment integrity: Leak‑free hydraulics, clean forks, spark control where required.
Storage discipline: Correct labels, secondary containment, and proper segregation—no incompatible neighbors.
Spill readiness: Kits stocked, routes clear, and a plan everyone can execute under pressure.
How to Display Hazardous Materials Skills on Your Resume
12. Forklift Certification
Formal training and evaluation that proves you can operate safely and effectively under applicable standards.
Why It's Important
It legitimizes your skills, reduces risk, and keeps both you and your employer compliant.
How to Improve Forklift Certification Skills
Current content: Align training with the latest safety rules and site‑specific hazards.
Hands‑on intensity: More reps on real layouts—tight aisles, mixed loads, ramps, dock plates.
Refresher cadence: Re‑train at least every three years or sooner after incidents, behavior issues, or equipment changes.
Measure and coach: Post‑training evaluations with targeted feedback and follow‑ups.
Specialize: Add endorsements for reach trucks, order pickers, rough‑terrain, or powered pallet jacks.
Safety mindset: Encourage reporting, celebrate good catches, and keep safety visible in daily huddles.
How to Display Forklift Certification Skills on Your Resume
