How to Get Forklift Certified in Michigan

Michigan is one of the OSHA-approved State Plan states, and unlike many of them, Michigan has its own written rules for forklifts. They are in MIOSHA General Industry Safety Standard Part 21, Powered Industrial Trucks. The employer must be able to show that an employee is trained and qualified before the employee operates a truck (R 408.12151), must train the employee (R 408.12152) and must test the employee, including a performance test on the assigned truck (R 408.12153). The employer may then issue a powered industrial truck permit (R 408.12154).

So in Michigan the end product is an employer permit. It is not a state license, it is not issued by MIOSHA, and OSHA does not approve, certify or accredit online training providers. An online course can supply the classroom portion of the training.

• Trained and qualified first. R 408.12151 says an employer must be able to demonstrate that an employee is trained and qualified before the employee operates a powered industrial truck.
• Training before assignment. R 408.12152 requires training before an employee is assigned to a truck. It covers truck capacities and attachments, the purpose and limits of the controls, daily checks, and practice on the mechanical functions of the assigned truck. It may combine lectures, discussions, interactive computer learning, videos, written material, practical training and performance testing.
• Refresher training. Required after unsafe operation, an accident or near-miss, an evaluation showing unsafe operation, assignment to a different type of truck, or a change in workplace conditions.
• Testing. R 408.12153 requires testing before authorisation: operating ability, knowledge of the equipment and daily checks, and a performance test on the assigned truck. An employee who already holds a valid permit from a different employer may be tested under this rule without repeating the R 408.12152 training.
• Permit. R 408.12154 lets the employer issue a permit once the first three rules are met. It must state the truck type and any restrictions, show the issue and expiry dates, be carried or available to a MIOSHA representative, and be issued for not more than three years. It is valid only with the employer that issued it.
• Renewal. An evaluation of each operator’s performance is required before the permit is renewed (R 408.12152).
• Trainee period. A trainee may operate without a permit for up to 30 days under the supervision of a qualified, employer-authorised person, provided it does not endanger anyone.

This summary comes from the published text of the rules. If your employer has questions about a specific situation, such as motorised hand trucks, which have their own carve-outs, ask MIOSHA or check the rule text directly.

1. Take the online forklift course for the classroom portion: controls, capacity, stability, inspection, charging or refueling, load handling, pedestrians and ventilation.
2. Pass the exam. The Gama Safety pass mark is 80%, with unlimited free retakes.
3. Download your certificate and wallet card.
4. Complete practical training on the truck you will drive, with someone your employer has authorised and who has the knowledge and experience to judge competence.
5. Take the employer’s test and performance test.
6. Receive your employer’s operator permit and keep it available at work.

R 408.12152 lists interactive computer learning among the ways training may be delivered, so an online course can legitimately cover the classroom part. It cannot replace the practical training or the performance test on the assigned truck, and it cannot produce the permit, because the permit is issued by your employer for your truck type. Also, the permit is valid only with the issuing employer. If you change jobs, a new Michigan employer can test you under R 408.12153 if you hold a valid permit from another employer, but it still issues its own permit.

• Detroit and southeast Michigan. Automotive plants and parts suppliers, distribution centres, rail yards and cross-border freight connected to the Ambassador Bridge area.
• Grand Rapids and west Michigan. Furniture and office manufacturing, food processing and large distribution operations.
• Lansing, Flint and mid-Michigan. Manufacturing, metal fabrication and warehouses.
• Kalamazoo, Battle Creek and southwest Michigan. Food, paper, pharmaceutical and logistics employers.
• Ports and the Upper Peninsula. Lake shipping terminals, forestry and mining supply.

Detroit-area manufacturers and suppliers often run their own forklift programs that include the written test, performance test and permit. Because the permit is tied to the employer and the truck type, a new hire usually goes through the employer’s own training process even if they bring a certificate. Your online certificate still counts as classroom training and can speed things up, particularly with staffing agencies that place people at several plants.

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

A Michigan operator permit is issued for a period of not more than three years, and an evaluation of the operator’s performance is required before it is renewed. Refresher training comes earlier after unsafe operation, an accident or near-miss, a poor evaluation, assignment to a different type of truck, or a workplace change. Check the expiry date printed on your permit, since it is employer-specific.

Gama Safety does not run in-person classes in Michigan. Our only in-person forklift class is in Fresno, California (forklift certification in Fresno, CA). Michigan operators get practical training from their employer. A business that wants help with crew training can request it through our in-person page.

Team pricing is on the forklift course page. Use the online course for the classroom portion only, then deliver practical training, the performance test and the permit yourself under Part 21. The permit should carry the contents R 408.12154 lists, including the employer’s name, the operator’s name, truck type, restrictions, issue and expiration dates. Keep matching training and evaluation records, including the operator name, training date, evaluation date and the evaluator’s name, which also satisfies the record-keeping approach in federal 1910.178(l)(6).

• MIOSHA, General Industry Safety Standard Part 21: R 408.12151, R 408.12152, R 408.12153, R 408.12154 (Michigan Administrative Code).
• OSHA, State Plans.
• OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.178, the federal benchmark.
• U.S. Department of Labor, Child labor rules for non-agricultural occupations.