Types of forklifts you'll be trained to use

A counterbalance forklift is what you might picture in your mind when you think of a forklift truck. It has the forks at the front, the small cab, and little else because no protruding legs are needed for balance. The counterbalance forklift does the fundamental warehouse work of lifting moving and placing large and heavy items, usually driving between HGVs and storage space.

A reach truck, unlike a counterbalance truck, can ‘reach’ points beyond that of a counterbalance truck, which means they can ‘reach’ out into racking to load items that are out of the immediate reach of a counterbalance forklift. Using stabilising legs rather than a counterbalance weight, the reach truck can handle loads without the need of a counterbalance weight, which is what gives them their essential flexibility of movement.