4-Wheel CounterbalanceServices / Driver Training
Forklift Driver Training Ireland — accredited, on-site, nationwide
Novice, experienced and refresher courses on every truck class. Trainer to your site, certified on the day, records kept for you.
Authorised Xilin Dealer
Official MasterMover Distributor
40+ Years Experience
4-Hour Response Time
Forklift training in Ireland
Every operator on your site trained, certified and current
Irish workplace legislation requires that every forklift operator is trained, certified and competent on the specific truck type they're using. Uncertified operators expose the business to HSA prosecution, invalidated insurance and — most importantly — safety incidents. AWE has been running accredited RTITB-style operator courses across Ireland for four decades. Our trainers deliver on your site using your equipment where practical, so operators are competent on the exact trucks they'll drive after certification. We cover every class from counterbalance to VNA, plus pallet trucks, order pickers, MEWPs and manual handling — and we manage your certification calendar so no operator ever runs an expired ticket.
Courses
Every truck class, every experience level
Book any course as novice (3–5 days), experienced (1–2 days) or refresher (1 day).
B1 / B2
Counterbalance
The standard forklift — front-loading, sit-on, indoor / outdoor use. Novice and refresher available.
D1 / D2
Reach Truck
High-rack reach forklift for narrow-aisle warehouse racking. 3–5 metre lift height covered.
A1 / A2
Pallet Truck
Ride-on and pedestrian powered pallet trucks for goods-in and dispatch work.
C1
Powered Pallet Stacker
Low-level racking, walk-behind and platform-stand stackers.
E1
VNA / Very Narrow Aisle
Man-up and man-down VNA trucks for high-density warehousing.
E2
Order Picker
Man-riser order picker training — 3, 6 and 9-metre lift.
MH
Manual Handling
Safe manual handling for warehouse, yard and production staff.
MEWP
Cherry Picker / MEWP
Powered access training on scissor lifts and cherry pickers.
Which course?
Novice, experienced or refresher — the right level, the right length
| Novice | Experienced | Refresher | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration | 3–5 days | 1–2 days | 1 day |
| Prior experience needed | None | Some | Currently certified |
| Theory | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Practical | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Assessment | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Certificate issued | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 3-year validity | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | First-time operators | Cross-training | Re-certification |
How it works
Book, train, certify — the process.
01
Book your course
Tell us truck type, number of operators and experience level. We confirm dates and price within one working day.
02
Trainer to your site
Nationwide delivery. We bring the syllabus, materials, testing kit and paperwork — you supply the truck and space.
03
Theory + practical
HSA-recognised syllabus: legislation, pre-use checks, safe operation, load handling, stacking, refuelling / charging, practical assessment.
04
Certificate + records
Certificate issued on the day for successful candidates. Digital and paper records; automated reminder before 3-year expiry.
Why AWE
Why train operators with AWE
HSA-recognised syllabus
RTITB-style theory, practical and assessment — accepted by Irish employers, insurers and enforcement bodies.
On your own equipment
Trained on the trucks operators actually use — realistic, safer and immediately productive after certification.
Certificate on the day
Successful candidates leave with paperwork in hand — no waiting on posted certificates.
Records managed for you
We hold digital records and send automated 30-day reminders before expiry — no more spreadsheet chases.
Proof
Why companies train their operators with AWE
- 40+ years in Irish materials handlingFamily-run from Dublin, supplying and supporting Irish operators since 1985.
- Dublin workshop and engineersOwn premises in Rathcoole with directly employed, factory-trained engineers — no call centres.
- All makes servicedWe service and supply parts for Xilin, MasterMover and the major forklift brands in Irish fleets.
- Everything quoted in writingNo published rate cards. You get a written quote against your actual requirement, normally within one working day.
3-yr
Cert validity
8+
Truck classes
IE
Nationwide delivery
FAQ
Forklift licence Ireland — common questions
Forklift operator certificates in Ireland are typically valid for 3 years, after which refresher training and re-assessment is required to remain compliant with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act. Some employers set stricter internal intervals — annual for high-risk or multi-shift sites.
What it costs
What forklift operator training costs
Training is priced by course type and group size, not a flat per-person rate — so the only meaningful number is the one quoted against your actual candidates and dates.
Course type
Novice courses run several days and cost the most per head. Experienced-operator conversions are shorter, and refreshers are a single day.
Group size
The instructor's day rate is shared across the group, so training three candidates together costs far less per head than sending one person on an open course.
Truck category
Counterbalance, reach, order picker and pedestrian stacker are separate categories. Adding a category to the same course is cheaper than running it separately later.
On-site or at a centre
On-site training removes travel and downtime for your team but adds a mobilisation charge. Which one wins depends on how many candidates you have.
Candidate experience
Existing certified operators need less instruction time than complete novices, and we assess that before quoting rather than after.
Certification and records
Certificates, registers and the paperwork your insurer and the HSA will want to see are included in every course we run.
Tell us how many people need training, on which trucks, and whether they have operated before — you'll get a per-group and per-head price side by side, in writing, within one working day.
Keep exploring
Related services
Suggested equipment
Trucks we train operators on
Training is category-specific. These are the Xilin models most often used for counterbalance, stacker and order-picker courses on customer sites.
Knowledge Hub
Read before you decide
Forklift Licence Ireland: What the Law Actually Requires
There is no government-issued forklift licence in Ireland. What the law requires is documented training, an employer authorisation and a safe system of work — here is exactly how that works.
8 min readForklift Operator Training Cost in Ireland — What You'll Pay and Why
Novice, experienced-operator and refresher courses are priced very differently, and group size changes the per-head cost more than anything else. Here is how Irish forklift training pricing really works.
7 min readForklift Daily Safety Checklist for Irish Sites
The pre-use check takes five minutes and is the single cheapest way to prevent both incidents and breakdowns. Here is the full walk-around, in the order that works.
6 min readNeed operators trained this month?
On-site courses available nationwide. Call (01) 401 9919 to book a date.