Does servicing cover the statutory examination?

No. Servicing is preventative maintenance; the Thorough Examination is a separate statutory inspection by a competent person with a written report. Many operators book both on the same visit for convenience, but they remain two distinct pieces of work.

What are the most common causes of forklift downtime?

Battery neglect on electric trucks, tyre and fork wear left too long, hydraulic hose failures, and small defects reported on daily checks that were never actioned. All four are preventable with a working schedule.

Do you service forklifts you did not supply?

Yes — our engineers work on all makes, including Toyota, Linde, Hyster, Jungheinrich, Yale, Crown, Combilift, Still and Doosan, as well as the Xilin, MasterMover and ORI ranges we distribute.

How fast can you get an engineer on site?

Contract customers have a 4-hour response SLA nationwide. Ad-hoc callouts are typically same-day in the greater Dublin area and next working day elsewhere in Ireland.

Is a maintenance contract worth it for one truck?

Often yes, because it fixes the cost and guarantees response time. The comparison to make is contract cost against the value of the hours the truck would be down waiting for an ad-hoc callout and parts.

Operations & Maintenance

Forklift Maintenance Schedule: Daily, Weekly, Monthly and Annual

Most forklift breakdowns are predictable. A four-tier schedule — daily, weekly, monthly, planned service — catches the faults before they become downtime.

7 min read · Last updated 7 August 2026

A working forklift maintenance schedule has four tiers: a daily pre-use check by the operator, a weekly housekeeping check by the supervisor, a monthly deeper inspection, and planned preventative maintenance by an engineer at set hour intervals — commonly every 250–500 operating hours, or two to four visits a year on typical single-shift use. On top of that sits the statutory Thorough Examination, which is a legal inspection and not a service.

The four tiers

Tier	Who	Frequency	Covers
Pre-use check	Operator	Every shift	Tyres, forks, chains, leaks, brakes, horn, lights, seat switch
Weekly check	Supervisor / team lead	Weekly	Battery water and terminals, fluid levels, cleanliness, defect log review
Monthly inspection	Supervisor or engineer	Monthly	Chain stretch, fork wear measurement, hose condition, mast wear pads
Planned maintenance	Qualified engineer	250–500 hours	Full service, adjustments, diagnostics, parts replacement
Thorough Examination	Competent examiner	6 or 12 months	Statutory inspection of lifting components with written report

What changes by power source

Electric

›Battery water levels, specific gravity and terminal condition on lead-acid.
›Charger and connector condition, cable chafing and plug wear.
›Controller diagnostics and fault-code history.
›Brake wear is lower thanks to regeneration — but still measured, not assumed.

Diesel and LPG

›Engine oil and filter, air filter, fuel filter at the specified hours.
›Coolant condition and radiator cleanliness — a blocked radiator is a common summer failure.
›Exhaust and after-treatment condition, LPG hose and regulator inspection.
›Belt tension and condition.

Designing the schedule around downtime, not the calendar

Service intervals should follow hour meter readings, not months. A truck running 60 hours a week needs attention far sooner than one running 10. Read the hour meter as part of the daily check, log it weekly, and plan the service before the interval, not after.

Group the dates

Put planned maintenance, Thorough Examination and operator refresher training on the same calendar. One combined visit costs less and one review catches all three expiries before an auditor does.

In-house or contract maintenance?

Below roughly three trucks, a service contract is almost always cheaper than carrying parts, tooling and skills in-house. A contract also converts a variable repair bill into a fixed monthly cost and, on AWE contracts, brings a 4-hour breakdown response anywhere in Ireland with genuine parts carried on the van.

Frequently asked questions

Every 250–500 operating hours as a general rule, which is two to four visits a year for typical single-shift use. Follow hour meter readings rather than the calendar, and check the manufacturer's schedule for the specific model.

Written by

The AWE Forklifts Team

Materials handling engineers, trainers and account managers, Rathcoole, Co. Dublin

AWE has supplied, hired, serviced and inspected materials handling equipment for Irish industry since 1985. Our guides are written by the same engineers who service the trucks, the instructors who deliver operator training, and the account managers who quote the hire rates — not by outside copywriters.

Trading in Ireland since 1985
Authorised Xilin forklift dealer for Ireland
Official MasterMover electric tug distributor for Ireland
Dublin workshop, parts store and training facility
Nationwide mobile engineers, 4-hour contract SLA

Technically reviewed by AWE service department, Rathcoole, Co. Dublin.

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LOLER & Thorough Examination for Forklifts in Ireland: Who Needs What, and When

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