Forklift
driving,
explained.
A complete Danish reference work on forklift trucks and the truck certificate — from certificate A/B and the load chart to stability, inspections and working environment. Read the articles. Use the calculators. Ask the assistant.
13
Calculators
32
Articles
∞
Questions
Side profile of a counterbalance forklift. The load at the front and the counterweight at the rear balance about the tipping point (front axle): Q · D ≤ Q_nom · D_nom.
§ 01 — What you can do here
Read, calculate, drive — or ask.
Seven tools from post to load diagram — for students, truck drivers and warehouse staff.
Tools in the trade
§ 02 — About the trade
Forklift trucks and the forklift certificate
Forklift work is the transport and stacking of goods with a forklift truck in warehouses, terminals and industry. The trade is as much about assessing a lift as about driving: in Denmark certificate A or B is a legal requirement for most self-propelled forklift trucks, and the truck's load chart decides what it may actually lift.
Questions about the trade
What does a forklift operator do?
A forklift operator moves, stacks and picks goods with a forklift truck in warehouses, terminals and production. The work is both driving and judgement: before every lift the operator must know the load's weight and centre of gravity, read the truck's load chart and judge whether the lift stays within capacity. A shift normally starts with the daily inspection — forks, mast, chains, tyres, brakes, steering, hydraulics, lights and warning equipment — and a truck with a fault must be taken out of service and reported. Traffic on the warehouse floor is part of it: separating pedestrians from trucks, one-way routes and a speed of no more than 10 km/h indoors.
Which forklift certificate does which machine require?
Certifikat A gælder selvkørende gaffelstablere, der har støtteben under byrden — også når føreren står på en ståplade — mens certifikat B gælder gaffeltrucks uden støtteben under byrden: kontravægtstruck, rækketruck og smalgangstruck. Certifikat B gælder også som A, så en fører med B må betjene begge grupper. Der stilles ikke krav om uddannelse, hvis løftehøjden er begrænset til maksimalt 1 meter ved nøglekontakt eller lignende — det såkaldte 1-meter-stop — og lavtløftende palleløftere falder typisk uden for certifikatkravet. Kravene fremgår af BEK nr 1978 af 27/10/2021, § 7 og bilag 2. Teleskoplæssere har deres eget certifikat efter § 8.
How do you read a load chart?
The load chart is the truck's capacity plate and the only binding answer to how much that particular truck may lift. The nominal capacity — for example 1,600 kg — applies only at a given standard load centre and a limited lifting height. Load centre is the horizontal distance from the vertical fork face to the load's centre of gravity; for trucks in the 1,001-5,000 kg range, 500 mm is the typical reference point. The chart is read on two inputs at once, load centre and lifting height, because both pull the permitted load down. If forks, attachments or the battery are changed, the chart is read again from scratch — the figures apply to that one truck only.
Why does a forklift tip over?
A forklift tips over when the combined centre of gravity of truck and load leaves the stability triangle. The truck is a lever: the counterweight behind the front axle balances the load in front, and the front axle is the pivot point. The moment balance is written Q · D ≤ Q_nom · D_nom — move the load's centre of gravity further forward and the moment in front grows while the rear end lightens. Lifting height counts too, because a raised centre of gravity makes the triangle more sensitive to turns, slopes and braking. On electric counterbalance forklifts the battery forms part of the counterweight, so a replacement battery that is too light lowers stability with nothing visibly changing on the truck.
How do you get a forklift certificate?
The Danish certificate B is taken on an AMU course — »Gaffeltruck certifikatkursus B«, course number 47592 — which runs for 7 days of theory and practice and ends with a certificate test. As a main rule you must have turned 18 and be medically fit; young people from the age of 15 may obtain the certificate where it is necessary to complete a formal vocational programme. The course covers exactly what the trade rests on: load chart and load centre, assessing the load's weight and centre of gravity, stability, the truck's construction and safety equipment, and the daily inspection. Where road traffic law applies, a tractor driving licence is also required as a minimum.
Based on: BEK nr 1978 af 27/10/2021, §§ 7-8 og bilag 2 · BFA Industri »Trucks« (okt. 2023) · DS/EN ISO 3691-1 · AMU 47592
§ 03 — Read now
Featured articles
Featured articles
All articles →§ 04 — Tools
Work it out.
Enter the nominal capacity, the nominal load centre and the load's actual centre of gravity — and the residual capacity is shown using the lever rule: Q_rest = Q_nom · (D_nom / D_actual). An estimate that illustrates the principle behind the load chart.
Open calculators→Example · Residual capacity
The lever rule
Estimate based on the lever rule — always read the actual value off the truck's own load chart.
§ 05 — Trade in Action
How it looks craftsmanship.
Three everyday situations in the warehouse — drawn as blueprint: pallet lift, stability triangle and mast tilt.
Work processes
Forklift lifts pallet from floor
The operator pushes the forks under the pallet's load channels, lifts slightly to secure the load, and raises to transport height. The copper arrow shows the load center — the distance from the fork front to the pallet's center of gravity — and the vertical line through the front wheel marks the tipping point (front axle).
Stability triangle seen from above
The two front wheels and the rear axle's center point form the stability triangle. As long as the truck's total center of gravity (center of mass) lies within the triangle the truck stands stably — in a turn dynamic forces can push the center of gravity sideways toward the edge and overturn the truck.
Mast-tilt effect on load centre
When the mast is tilted forward, the load moves forward and the effective load centre grows geometrically: D_eff = D_phys + h · tan(θ). The grey mast is the vertical reference, the copper-coloured one is tilted forward, and the Δ arrow shows the offset. The tilt angle is illustrative.
Your trade in numbers
The buildings you work on.
The warehouse buildings by size and age, and the soil that is driven away.
4,846,196
All buildings in BBR's building index, including sheds, garages and carports
Across Denmark, counted in BBR.
Source: BBR + DAR (Datafordeler) — bygningsindeks; grundareal fra Matriklen, jordforurening fra Danmarks Miljøportal (DKJord), fredning/SAVE fra Slots- og Kulturstyrelsen (FBB), energimærker fra Grundfasts energimærke-korpus via Grundfast · fetched
See the numbers for your municipalityWarehouse, forklift and transport across the country
§ 06 — Next step
One question
in Danish.
The AI assistant can explain certification rules, help you read a load chart, calculate residual capacity and go through the daily inspection. Write to it as you would to a colleague in the warehouse.
Safety
Come home in the same state
En truck kan løfte en hel palle op over hovedhøjde og køre af sted med den. Trucken er langt tungere end det, den løfter, og den styrer bagi — derfor opfører den sig ikke som en bil. Går det galt, går det galt på under et sekund: trucken vælter i svinget, eller en kollega bliver klemt mellem gaflerne og en reol. Sikkerhed på truck handler lige så meget om, hvor de andre står, som om hvordan du kører.
Safety course
35 modules · 316 min · 5 hazards that can kill
§ — Where can you read about Forklift certificate?
Find a school near you.
Truckfører (gaffeltruck-certifikat) is offered at 21 places in the country. The list is informational — always check the latest and complete offering on the Education Guide's vocational education map.
Schools offering the programme
Hovedstaden
04- NEXT Uddannelse København — København
- TEC – Technical Education Copenhagen — Frederiksberg
- U/NORD — Hillerød
- TEC — HvidovreAMU
Sjælland
04- EUC Sjælland — Køge
- Roskilde Tekniske Skole — RoskildeAMU
- ZBC (Zealand Business College) — Næstved
- EUC Sjælland — NæstvedAMU
Midtjylland
05- AARHUS TECH — AarhusAMU
- College360 — Silkeborg
- Tradium — RandersAMU
- Uddannelsescenter Holstebro (UCH) — Holstebro
- Learnmark Horsens — HorsensAMU
Nordjylland
04- AMU Nordjylland — AalborgAMU
- EUC Nord — Hjørring
- EUC Nordvest — Thisted
- TECHCOLLEGE — Aalborg
Truckcertifikat udbydes på ~80 godkendte AMU-steder — her er de store, landsdækkende centre. Se alle på ug.dk.