How to Get Forklift Certified in Colorado

Colorado is not on OSHA’s list of State Plan states. Federal OSHA is the regulator for private-sector workplaces there, and the forklift rule is 29 CFR 1910.178(l), identical to the rule in Texas, Pennsylvania and every other federal OSHA state.

The rule calls for formal instruction (lecture, discussion, interactive computer learning, video and written material), practical training (demonstration and hands-on exercises) and an evaluation of the operator’s performance in the workplace. The employer then certifies that the operator was trained and evaluated. Colorado has no forklift licensing board, and OSHA does not approve, certify or accredit online training providers.

1. Take the online forklift course. Look for coverage of controls, steering, stability and capacity, inspection, charging or fueling, surface conditions, load handling, pedestrians, ramps and ventilation.
2. Pass the exam. The Gama Safety pass mark is 80% with unlimited free retakes.
3. Download the certificate and wallet card when you pass.
4. Get practical training on the type of truck you will use, from a qualified trainer.
5. Pass the workplace evaluation in your actual work area.
6. Collect the employer’s certification and keep a copy.

The standard does not mention altitude, but it does require training on workplace-related topics: surface conditions, ramps and slopes, ventilation, and hazards that are specific to the site. Colorado workplaces make several of those more important:

• Cold and winter conditions. Ice, snow and wet loading areas change stopping distance and traction at outdoor yards and docks.
• Ramps and sloped yards. Foothill and mountain locations often have grades that affect stability and load handling.
• Outdoor and rough-terrain trucks. Lumber, building materials and construction supply operations use these frequently, and they need their own training.
• Internal combustion trucks indoors. Ventilation and exhaust matter in enclosed warehouses and cold storage.

Your employer’s evaluation should be done on the actual truck in the actual work area for exactly these reasons.

Interactive computer learning is an accepted way to deliver formal instruction, so you can complete the classroom portion online. The practical training and evaluation cannot be done on a website. A Colorado “forklift license” sold online is not a thing, because the state does not issue one.

If you are not yet employed, finishing the online portion first is still helpful. Staffing agencies and warehouses along the Front Range often ask for proof of the classroom portion at hiring and then complete the hands-on steps on their own trucks.

• Denver metro. Distribution centres, cold storage, food and beverage supply, and building materials yards in Commerce City, Aurora, Denver and the northern suburbs.
• Colorado Springs and the southern Front Range. Manufacturing, aerospace-related suppliers and distribution.
• Northern Colorado (Fort Collins, Greeley, Loveland). Food processing, agricultural supply and warehousing.
• Interstate freight corridors. I-25, I-70 and I-76 move goods through Denver’s rail and trucking terminals.
• Western Slope and mountain communities. Building supply, resort and construction logistics, and regional distribution.

Denver’s warehouse districts mix older buildings with large modern distribution centres, so employers use everything from narrow-aisle reach trucks to outdoor rough-terrain equipment. No separate City of Denver forklift license turned up in our research, and the same federal rule applies. If a specific site asks for extra paperwork, ask for the requirement in writing. An online certificate for the classroom portion is the first step wherever you end up.

Colorado warehouses and staffing agencies hire quickly, particularly in the Denver metro area and along the Front Range. Candidates who already hold a certificate for the classroom portion tend to move faster, because the employer can go straight to practical training and the evaluation. When you interview, mention which truck types you have operated before. The employer must match training to the truck, and documented earlier experience on the same type can shorten the practical step, as long as the employer finds you competent in its own workplace.

Keep a copy of every training record you receive. If you change employers, those records show what you were trained and evaluated on, and when.

• Online instruction: about 2 hours, self-paced.
• Practical training and evaluation: commonly a few hours at the employer’s site.
• Online course price: Gama Safety’s forklift course is US$59, including certificate, wallet card and unlimited retakes.
• In-person classes with truck time cost more, and many Colorado employers pay.

Under 1910.178(l)(4), employers must evaluate each operator’s performance at least once every three years. Refresher training is required sooner after unsafe operation, an accident or near-miss, a poor evaluation, assignment to a different type of truck, or a change in workplace conditions. A new employer must certify you for its own trucks and workplace.

Colorado state and local government employees are not covered by federal OSHA in a state without a State Plan, per OSHA’s State Plans page, so public employers set their own written programs. Ask your safety office which one applies.

Gama Safety’s in-person classes are only in Fresno, California (forklift certification in Fresno, CA), so they are not available in Colorado. Colorado operators normally complete practical training with their employer. A business with a Colorado crew can request crew training.

Team pricing is on the forklift course page. The certification record required by 1910.178(l)(6) lists the operator’s name, training date, evaluation date and the name of the person who trained or evaluated. Build winter operating and ramp conditions into your site-specific training and re-evaluate at least every three years.

• OSHA, State Plans, list of states with State Plans.
• OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.178, Powered industrial trucks.
• eCFR, 29 CFR 1910.178.
• U.S. Department of Labor, Child labor rules for non-agricultural occupations.