The Ultimate Guide to Forklift Maintenance & Servicing

Why Forklift Maintenance Matters

Regular forklift maintenance will deliver important business benefits:

• Better workplace safety: Every year, 1,300 people are involved in forklift-related accidents. Regular inspections ensure equipment always works as intended
• Reduced downtime: Spotting potential issues early means forklifts are fixed before they break down.
• Longer equipment lifespan: Preventive maintenance ensures forklifts last longer and retain their resale value.
• Cost savings: Address issues before they escalate and prevent the need for major, more costly, repairs.

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Understanding UK Compliance Standards

Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) 

LOLER covers a forklift’s lifting components, like the mast and hydraulics, to address risks connected to:

• Equipment failure
• Incorrect use of equipment
• Danger to people in the operating area
• Danger to the operator

A bit like your car’s MOT, the ‘Thorough Examination’ is a legal requirement, which must be performed at least annually.

Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 

PUWER inspects the forklift’s non-lifting components, such as the conveyor belts and pallets, to ensure equipment is:

• Suitable for the intended use
• Safe for use and correctly installed
• Only used by people with appropriate training
• Accompanied by suitable H&S measures, like protective devices and controls

Although PUWER does not explicitly state how often an examination takes place, best practice is to inspect each forklift annually.

Consolidated Fork Truck Services (CFTS)

Because LOLER and PUWER fail to check every component in a forklift, CFTS developed its own testing standard, to include tyres, chassis, steering components, brakes and more. While not a legal requirement, the inspection is considered best practice in the industry, and should only take an hour to complete.

Rider-Operated Lift Trucks: Operator Training and Safe use

The Approved Code of Practice is designed to ensure forklift drivers have appropriate training to use the vehicle safely. Available as simple checklists, the guidance covers best practice in relation to operating a forklift, safe loads, how to work on slopes, and people considerations.

Health and Safety at Work Act (1974)

Legal obligations in relation to forklifts under the H&S Act are largely covered by the Rider-Operated Lift Trucks Approved Code of Practice. The key points to know are you must:

• Have adequate staff training
• Have a safe, well-maintained working environment
• Provide relevant information, instruction, and supervision

Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (1999)

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations are concerned with how you assess, control and manage risk in your workplace. This means you need to have:

• Carried out a risk assessment on your forklifts
• Systems in place to monitor any risks
• Given access to H&S advice 
• Provided training to operators

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Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Forklift Maintenance Checklists

If you’re maintaining your own forklifts, the below list covers the main components you should be checking before and after using a forklift. There are recommended daily, weekly, and monthly checks to keep your equipment in top condition.

If you provide maintenance for customer forklifts, then it would not be down to your engineers to carry out these checks. However, we would recommend that you advise your customers on how to properly check their equipment, to reduce your workload from unexpected breakdowns due to poor maintenance between servicing. 

Daily checks

Before using the forklift

• Condition of the mast
• Chassis for external wear and tear
• Condition of the forks
• Engine hoses
• Oil, water and other hydraulic fluid levels
• Safety devices, such as finger guards and seat belts
• Tyre pressure and condition
• Fuel level
• Horn, breaks, lights, alarms and other safety mechanisms

After using the forklift

• Lights and horn 
• Stopping power of the brakes
• Ability to move the fork up and down
• Accelerator, parking brake, and turn signals 
• Hosing is tightly wrapped around the guardrails 
• All the instruments and gauges are in good working order

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Weekly checks

• Engine oil
• Machine for cracks
• Drive belt tension
• Spark plugs distributor point, cap and rotor
• Security of overhead guard
• Security of load back-rest extension
• Bolts and nuts (retighten if necessary)
• Lubricate chassis, mast, and steering linkage
• Clean air filter

Optional

• (for electric forklifts) Check battery

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Monthly checks (or after 200 hours of operation)

• Replace the engine filter, engine oil, and air filter
• Clean and wipe down battery terminals
• Top up fluid levels
• Hydraulics system: test cylinders, hoses, valves, and fittings are secure
• Fuel-related components: spark plugs, mufflers, ignition switches, filters, and belts
• Parking brake
• Tyre treads
• Alarms and lights

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Common Forklift Issues and How to Prevent Them

If you’re a forklift maintenance provider, it’s your job to ensure engineers are carrying out regular servicing and inspections to keep on top of the following issues before they arise. If you are hearing the following complaints too often, it is likely that you are not keeping on top of maintenance tasks for your customers, or not advising your customers on what they need to be doing between engineer visits.

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“The forklift won’t start”

Check the battery, which could be flat if the vehicle isn’t used regularly. Alternatively, the fuel level may be low or the engine could have overheated.

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“The steering feels funny”

Faulty steering usually occurs when the steering axles are damaged, the brushes or bearings are worn, or due to a lack of steering fluid.

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“The engine’s overheating!”

Check the coolant system and radiator for blockages, and try giving them a gentle clean – and do it quickly before the forklift breaks down completely!

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“The tyres are looking worn”

With the constant lifting of heavy loads, it’s only natural for tyres to wear thin. You should be able to check this simply by looking at the tread depth. 

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“There’s something up with the mast”

Check the hydraulic levels first, and if the problem persists, look at whether it’s time to replace faulty or worn out parts.

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“That was a near miss!”

A lack of training can lead to bad observations and unsafe loads, which increase the risk of accidents. Both the Road Transport Industry and Training Board and British Safety Council recommend refresher forklift training every 3-5 years.

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Scheduling Maintenance: When and How Often?

How often a forklift needs servicing depends on several factors, including:

Manufacturers recommendations: LPG forklifts, diesel forklifts, and electric forklifts all require different types and frequency of maintenance.

Hours worked: as a general rule of thumb, an internal combustion (IC) forklift needs servicing every 250 hours/2 months, while an electric forklift can last until 500 hours/4 months.

Age, condition and value of the forklift: older vehicles generally require more frequent maintenance as their parts age, while those with a good maintenance history may go longer between services.

Nature of the environment: forklifts exposed to the weather and those in a busy warehouse wear more quickly, so need inspections at least every 90 days.

However, if the forklift is doing any of the following, get an engineer to take a look at is ASAP:

• Unusual noises
• Struggles to handle the usual load
• Leaking fluids
• Steering or braking issues
• Dashboard warning lights
• High engine temperature
• Bumpy ride

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Cost of Forklift Maintenance 

Direct maintenance costs

These cover a full inspection of the vehicle, including general parts, like grease and fluids, and labour. With fewer moving parts, you should generally be charging less for electric forklifts services than IC forklifts. Servicing companies usually charge around £1,000 p.a. for an electric and £1,600 for an IC.

In addition to servicing, the costs of LOLER and PUWER inspections also need to be factored in, which are about £100 - £200 p.a. per forklift.

Indirect costs

Fail to properly maintain equipment and the business can’t work at 100%. This is going to impact wider business KPIs, like performance and productivity. Worn parts also increase the likelihood of a H&S accident, which can lead to more costly repairs, reputational damage, and if someone is hurt, fines, legal fees, and compensation.

Budgeting for Efficiency

It pays to plan for your maintenance programme in advance, which can be done in several ways:

By last year: the quickest way to calculate your maintenance budget is to look at costs for last year and increase it by a percentage to allow for factors, such as inflation and equipment age.

By hours: calculate how frequently each forklift needs servicing and multiply by the cost per service, to create an annual budget per forklift. 

By outsourcing: if maintenance isn’t a strategic priority, sign up to a third-party managed service and pay a fixed monthly fee for all your maintenance needs. 

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Why Service Management Software for Maintenance Tracking?

Service management software, like that offered by Service Geeni, ensures every forklift has its services, repairs, and parts tracked. This allows businesses to run smoothly and efficiently.

• Asset-focused maintenance: tracks each forklift's history, performance, and depreciation.
• Automated PPM scheduling: reduces downtime and ensures LOLER and PUWER compliance.
• Fast breakdown response: auto-assigns the nearest qualified engineer with the right parts and skills.
• Stock & parts tracking: prevents delays with automated reordering and van stock sync.
• Compliance & reporting: digitally logs service records and inspections for safety audits.
• Multi-site visibility: manages forklifts across warehouses, depots, or rental fleets.

With service management software underpinning your forklift maintenance schedule, you’ll never miss a service. The tool helps you plan ahead, receive timely reminders, and keeps equipment in tip-top shape.

Service Geeni's forklift maintenance software helps to reduce downtime, because we track vehicle usage in real-time to schedule maintenance based on actual workload, rather than just fixed intervals. This also prevents overuse-related failures, while avoiding unnecessary servicing and engineer costs.

And it removes the guesswork out of maintenance. Detailed servicing kits and work instructions are tailored to each forklift, so service plans can be carried out consistently and thoroughly every time.

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Case Study: How CSM Services Enhanced Fleet Maintenance with Service Geeni

"It was the right fit for the repair and maintenance work we carry out as it enables us to use custom job sheets to keep a digital record of all our forklift trucks, service records and annual Thorough Examinations we complete, which we have to keep for a minimum of 7 years…Data visibility is really important and this is massively improved with Service Geeni, benefiting everyone in our business."

Case study in full: CSM Services Ltd

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Your Next Step: Smarter, Safer Forklift Maintenance

Regular forklift maintenance improves workplace safety, reduces downtime, and prolongs the life and value of forklift fleets. But managing maintenance schedules is a challenge, because each plan is based on a forklift’s use, age, environment, and manufacturer's specifications. 

Keeping track of what needs servicing and when could be a full-time job in itself. That's why it pays to have service management software in place, taking care of the grunt work, so you're free to focus on bigger, better things.

With Service Geeni you'll never miss a service. We help hire companies, service companies, and direct customers to reduce downtime, avoid unnecessary servicing and engineer costs. While improving workplace safety and removing the guesswork out of maintenance, by ensuring every service is done the same way, every time.

To find out more about Service Geeni:

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