Forklift Classes 1–7: The Types of Forklifts Explained

'Forklift' is a catch-all term. OSHA and the Industrial Truck Association actually divide powered industrial trucks into seven classes, and knowing which class you operate matters — your certification should match the equipment you actually run.

Class I — Electric Motor Rider Trucks. Battery-powered sit-down and stand-up riders, common in warehouses and food storage where clean, quiet operation matters. Class II — Electric Motor Narrow Aisle Trucks. Reach trucks and order pickers built to work in tight aisles and reach high racking. Class III — Electric Motor Hand or Hand/Rider Trucks. This is where electric pallet jacks and walk-behind stackers live — the most common entry point for new operators.

Class IV — Internal Combustion Engine Trucks (Cushion Tires). Sit-down trucks on solid cushion tires for smooth indoor surfaces like loading docks. Class V — Internal Combustion Engine Trucks (Pneumatic Tires). The classic warehouse and yard forklift on air-filled tires, at home indoors or on rougher outdoor ground. Class VI — Electric and Internal Combustion Tractors. Tow tractors used to pull loads rather than lift them, common at airports and large plants. Class VII — Rough Terrain Forklifts. Big-tired machines for construction sites, lumber yards, and uneven outdoor ground.

Why the classes matter: OSHA requires that your training and hands-on evaluation cover the type of truck you'll operate and the conditions you'll operate it in. Someone certified only on an electric pallet jack hasn't been evaluated to run a rough-terrain forklift on a job site. When you change truck types, you need training and evaluation for the new equipment.

The practical question most operators have is simple: does one course cover what I drive? Our online forklift operator certification covers Classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 — including pallet jacks — which spans the vast majority of warehouse, retail, and construction roles. Aerial and scissor lifts are a different category entirely (MEWPs), which need their own certification.

If you're not sure which class your machine falls under, look at how it's powered (electric vs. internal combustion), where it runs (tight aisles, smooth docks, or rough ground), and whether it lifts or tows. That tells you the class — and tells you exactly what your certification needs to cover.