Glossary
Forklift Operator Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential forklift operator terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key forklift operator vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in forklift operator training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- Center of gravity
- The point where a load’s weight is balanced.
- Counterbalance
- A forklift design with weight at the rear to offset the load.
- Data plate (capacity plate)
- The label showing the forklift’s rated capacity and load center.
- Dock plate (dock board)
- A plate bridging the gap between a dock and a trailer.
- Load center
- The distance from the fork face to the load’s center of gravity, often 24 inches.
- LP
- Liquefied petroleum (propane) fuel used by some forklifts.
- Mast
- The vertical assembly that raises and lowers the forks.
- Order picker
- A truck that lifts the operator to pick items from shelves.
- Pedestrian right-of-way
- The rule that operators yield to people on foot.
- Powered industrial truck
- OSHA’s term for forklifts and similar equipment.
- Putaway
- Moving received goods into storage locations.
- Reach truck
- A narrow-aisle truck whose forks extend to reach into racking.
- Stability triangle
- The three-point support area that determines whether a forklift stays upright.
- Tilt
- Angling the mast forward or back.
- Wheel chocks
- Blocks that keep trailers from rolling during loading.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Forklift Operator practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Forklift Operator training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.