A telehandler with fork arms can look like a large rough-terrain forklift. That doesn’t mean the same licence covers both machines.
In Victoria, a forklift licence covers forklift trucks that meet the legal definition of a forklift. A telehandler licence covers certain non-slewing telehandlers over 3 tonnes. Other telehandlers may need a mobile crane licence or an elevating work platform licence instead.
Do you need both? You do if your job involves operating both a forklift and a telehandler and you don’t already hold another licence that covers the telehandler.
The machine in front of you decides the answer.
What is the difference between a forklift and a telehandler?
Both machines can pick up pallets and move materials. That’s where much of the confusion starts.
A forklift has a vertical mast and an elevating carriage. Fork arms or another approved attachment connect to that carriage. It is commonly used on firm, fairly level surfaces in warehouses, yards, factories and construction storage areas.
A telehandler has a telescopic boom that extends forward and upward. It can lift materials higher, reach across obstacles and work on rougher ground, depending on the model and site conditions. Attachments may include:
- Fork arms
- Buckets
- Jibs or hooks
- Work platforms
- Grabs and hay spikes
WorkSafe Victoria treats a telehandler as its own type of powered mobile plant. Fitting fork arms does not turn it into a forklift under the licence rules.
And that difference affects the training you need.
View CTI’s Non-Slewing Telehandler course for current training details and course dates.
Can you drive a telehandler with a forklift licence?
The answer is generally no in Victoria.
An LF forklift licence covers a forklift truck. It is not one of the licence classes WorkSafe lists for operating a non-slewing telehandler with a rated capacity over 3 tonnes.
For a non-slewing telehandler over 3 tonnes, you need at least one of these High Risk Work licence classes:
- Non-slewing telehandler operation (TV)
- Non-slewing mobile crane operation (CN)
- Slewing mobile crane classes C2, C6, C1 or C0
As you can see, a forklift licence is not on that list.
This still applies when the telehandler has forks fitted. The attachment may make the machine look and work a little like a forklift, but the telescopic boom changes how the load moves and how the machine behaves.
A telehandler forklift can become less stable as the boom extends, the load moves forward or the machine works on uneven ground. Operators need to read the telehandler’s load chart and understand how boom angle, reach, attachment weight and ground conditions affect capacity.
Those skills are not fully covered in standard forklift training.
When do you need a telehandler licence?
Victoria introduced the TV licence class in July 2024. It gives workers a training path made specifically for non-slewing telehandlers over 3 tonnes.
You need the TV licence when:
- The telehandler does not slew
- Its rated capacity is more than 3 tonnes
- You do not already hold a current mobile crane High Risk Work licence
The rated capacity is the maximum load the machine can lift with fork arms fitted and the boom fully retracted. You can check it on the telehandler’s information plate or in the manufacturer’s manual.
CTI delivers 11249NAT Licence to Operate a Non-Slewing Telehandler, which includes unit NAT11249001.
The current telehandler course runs for 3 days. There are no prerequisite units, but you must be at least 18 and complete a language, literacy and numeracy check before enrolment. CTI also requires pre-course learning, with around 12 hours set aside for the learner guide and workbook.
What about a telehandler rated at 3 tonnes or less?
You do not need a specific High Risk Work licence to operate a non-slewing telehandler with a rated capacity of 3 tonnes or less.
You still need proper training.
Your employer must make sure you have the information, instruction, training and supervision needed to use the machine safely. You should know how to inspect it, read its load chart, fit the attachment and work within its limits.
A licence exemption is not permission to work it out as you go.
Do mobile crane licences cover telehandlers?
Some do.
If you already hold a current CN, C2, C6, C1 or C0 mobile crane licence, WorkSafe says you do not need to add the TV class to operate a non-slewing telehandler over 3 tonnes.
Even then, your employer must make sure you know how to operate the telehandler model and its attachments safely. Crane experience doesn’t automatically make every telehandler familiar.
You may still need model-specific telehandler training covering:
- The controls and safety systems
- Load charts and rated capacity
- Boom movement and machine stability
- Attachment fitting and use
- Pre-start checks
- The conditions at your worksite
The TV licence only covers non-slewing telehandlers. It does not let you operate a non-slewing mobile crane or a slewing telehandler.
What licence do you need for a slewing telehandler?
A slewing telehandler can rotate its upper structure. That puts it under the slewing mobile crane licence classes.
The licence you need depends on the machine’s rated capacity:
- C2: Up to 20 tonnes
- C6: Up to 60 tonnes
- C1: Up to 100 tonnes
- C0: Open class, over 100 tonnes
A TV licence or forklift licence will not cover a slewing telehandler.
Check the machine plate and manual before assuming which class applies. Telehandlers come in many sizes and layouts, and similar-looking models may have different capacities.
Can the attachment change the licence you need?
Yes. A telehandler can do very different work depending on what is fitted to the boom.
Work platform attachments
A boom-type work platform with a boom length of 11 metres or more requires a WP elevating work platform licence.
That WP licence is needed on top of the licence required for the telehandler itself. WorkSafe looks at the full boom length, not how far you happen to extend it during the job.
For example, someone using a non-slewing telehandler over 3 tonnes with a 12-metre boom and a work platform may need both:
- TV or another accepted mobile crane licence
- WP licence
Fork, bucket and jib attachments
Forks, buckets and jibs bring their own risks. You must be trained to fit and use the attachment, and the attachment must be approved for that machine.
Changing the attachment can change the machine’s capacity and handling. The load chart or information plate should show the correct limits for the set-up you are using.
Never assume the capacity printed on the attachment is the amount the telehandler can safely lift at full reach.
What does forklift training cover?
CTI’s forklift courses include TLILIC0003 Licence to Operate a Forklift Truck and TLILIC0004 Licence to operate an Order Picking Forklift Truck (LO) licence class.
Forklift training covers work such as:
- Planning forklift operations
- Doing pre-start checks
- Reading the information plate
- Picking up, moving and placing loads
- Working around pedestrians and other plant
- Parking and shutting down safely
The current CTI forklift course runs for 2 days, including the High Risk Work licence assessment. Learners must be at least 18 and pass the required language, literacy and numeracy check.
After getting the licence, you may still need familiarisation training when you move to a different forklift model or start using a new attachment. Designs, controls and load limits can vary.
View CTI’s Forklift course for current course information.
Is it worth getting both licences?
Getting both can make sense when your work includes warehouses, construction sites, yards, farms or material-handling jobs where both machines are used.
A forklift licence may suit indoor and yard work involving palletised goods. A telehandler licence can cover non-slewing machines over 3 tonnes that lift and place materials at greater height or reach.
Holding both may help when:
- Your employer uses forklifts and telehandlers
- You move between warehouse and site work
- Job ads in your area ask for both tickets
- You want a wider range of plant-operation work
- Your current role is starting to include telehandler duties
But don’t book two courses simply to collect cards.
Check the equipment used on the jobs you want. Some workers only need LF. Others need TV but rarely touch a forklift. A person with the right mobile crane licence may not need TV at all.
Choose the ticket that matches the machine.
Check the machine before you check your wallet
A telehandler and forklift can perform some of the same jobs, but they are built differently and covered by different licence rules.
Your forklift licence does not automatically cover a telehandler. For a non-slewing telehandler over 3 tonnes, you will usually need a TV or accepted mobile crane licence. Slewing models need the right slewing mobile crane class, while some work platform attachments bring a WP licence into the picture.
CTI offers nationally recognised forklift and non-slewing telehandler training at its Riddells Creek facility. CTI is a Registered Training Organisation, RTO No 7107.
View the Non-Slewing Telehandler course or enquire with CTI and tell the team which machine you need to operate.
