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Forklift hire in South Africa: IC, electric or lithium-ion, and what the truck and operator must have

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In short

For forklift hire in South Africa, match the power to the site: diesel or LPG for yards and fast refuelling; lead-acid electric for indoor work where exhaust and noise matter; lithium-ion for multi-shift work charged in breaks. The truck needs an LME examination and test within the last 12 months, and the operator a licence for its F-code.

Which forklift should I hire: diesel, LPG, electric or lithium-ion?

Hire diesel or LPG for outdoor work and electric for indoor work, and choose lithium-ion over lead-acid where the truck runs several shifts and can be charged in breaks.[6][7][8][9][10]

Which forklift should I hire: diesel, LPG, electric or lithium-ion?
PowerWhere it suitsRefuelling or chargingWatch for
DieselOutdoor yards and sustained outdoor workQuick refuelling from a tankExhaust and noise; exposure limits apply indoors
LPGOutdoor work, and indoor work only where ventilation and other controls keep exhaust exposure within the limitsCylinder swapped by trained staffCarbon monoxide can build up in poorly ventilated areas; protected, upright cylinder storage may be required
Electric, lead-acidIndoors, where emissions and noise are a concern; weather-rated models also work outdoorsAbout eight hours on charge per battery, plus about four hours to cool; a second battery for double shiftsDaily topping up with de-ionised water; a battery bay, extraction and a gantry for battery swaps
Electric, lithium-ionMulti-shift work where the truck can be plugged in during breaksFull charge in 60 to 120 minutes on an ultra-fast charger, depending on its capacity; short charges in tea and lunch breaksBattery price around 1.5 to 2 times lead-acid, quoted by one distributor in 2020

Sources:[6][10][7][8][9][4]

Can you use a diesel or LPG forklift indoors?

Yes, if the employer keeps employees' exposure to the exhaust under control. In South Africa, the exhaust of a diesel or LPG forklift working indoors falls under the Regulations for Hazardous Chemical Agents, 2021, which apply to any workplace that may expose a person to a hazardous chemical agent (regulation 2(1)(a)), and regulation 10(1) requires an employer to ensure that an employee's exposure "is either prevented or, where this is not reasonably practicable, adequately controlled".[4][10]

Carbon monoxide has a restricted occupational exposure limit of 50 ppm as an eight-hour time-weighted average (Annexure 2, Table 3), and regulation 10(1)(a) treats control as adequate when exposure is below that limit.[4]

Regulation 10(2) lists the controls to use where reasonably practicable, among them limiting how many employees are exposed and for how long, local extraction ventilation, and written procedures for using and maintaining ventilation.[4]

Lead-acid or lithium-ion: which battery suits multi-shift work?

In practice, lithium-ion suits multi-shift work where the truck can be charged in breaks; one lead-acid battery covers about one shift. Cape Business News reported in May 2025 that a double-shift operation needs two lead-acid batteries, "one in the machine while in operation and one on charge, with each battery taking eight hours to charge and a further four hours to cool down".[7]

In the same article, a forklift distributor's sales executive put lithium-ion at "50 minutes of charging per day" and advised opportunity charging: shorter charges at tea time, lunch breaks and shift change.[7]

Capital Equipment News reported in 2020 that, on an ultra-fast charger, a lithium iron phosphate battery reaches full charge "in 60 to 120 minutes, dependent on the charger capacity", with no topping up and no cooling periods.[9]

KZN Industrial Business News reported in June 2020 that lead-acid batteries "need to be maintained daily by topping up each cell with de-ionised water", and quoted a forklift distributor's sales manager who put lithium-ion batteries at "around 1.5 to two times the prices of lead-acid", with a life of "six to eight years or 12,000 to 20,000 hours".[8]

What does an LPG forklift need on site?

In practice, plan for a cylinder store and trained people to change cylinders: a forklift maker's 2026 buyer's guide says LPG "may require protected cylinder storage, separation from ignition sources and openings, secure upright storage, and trained cylinder exchange", and advises confirming the requirements with a competent local assessor, the fire authority and the fuel supplier.[10]

The same guide warns that "LPG combustion can produce carbon monoxide, which is colorless and odorless and can accumulate in poorly ventilated areas", and that LPG "should not be described as a clean indoor substitute" for electric trucks.[10]

In South Africa, SANS 10087-7:2014 (Edition 4) is the standard for storage and filling premises for refillable LPG containers of up to 19 kg and for storing individual containers of up to 48 kg.[5]

Can I drive a forklift without a licence in South Africa?

No: in South Africa, regulation 18(11) of the Driven Machinery Regulations, 2015 requires every lifting machine to be "operated by an operator specifically trained for that particular type of lifting machine", and, for a machine listed in the National Code of Practice, a certificate of training from an accredited training provider.[1]

The regulations define a lift truck as "a mobile lifting machine", and the 2024 National Code of Practice for the Training Providers of Lifting Machine Operators, incorporated into the regulations on 6 December 2024, lists forklifts under codes F1 to F16: F1 for counterbalanced trucks up to 3,000 kg, F5 for reach trucks, and F13 and F14 for very narrow aisle trucks.[1][2]

Clause 14.5 of the Code reads: "No person shall operate any equipment covered by this National Code of Practice without a valid certificate of competence and a carry card required by the Driven Machinery Regulations."[2]

A licence or carry card is valid for up to 24 months and shows the machine code, attachments, capacity and any restrictions (clause 14.2); a temporary licence lasts up to 6 months, and its holder must work "under direct and constant supervision" of a licensed operator (clause 10).[2]

A learner must be at least 18 and must give the training provider an employer declaration or medical certificate of fitness and an eye test result before training or re-licensing (clauses 12.1 and 12.2).[2]

What should a hired forklift come with?

A hired forklift should come with its service records and a current LME examination and performance test record, because most duties in regulation 18 fall on the user, and the Occupational Health and Safety Act defines the user of machinery as the person "who uses plant or machinery for his own benefit or who has the right of control over the use of plant or machinery, but does not include a lessor" (section 1).[3][1]

Regulation 18(5)(a) of the Driven Machinery Regulations requires a thorough examination and performance test by a lifting machinery inspector of a lifting machinery entity (LME) before first use and "thereafter at intervals not exceeding 12 months".[1]

Regulation 18(6) adds an examination of the chains, hooks, brakes and safety devices by a competent person "at intervals not exceeding six months".[1]

For a leased machine, regulation 18(7)(b) requires the user to keep on its premises a register with "the latest applicable performance test and service records not older than 12 months", and regulation 18(7)(c) makes the owner and the lessor keep the full service history for at least 10 years.[1]

Regulation 18(1) requires the safe working load to be clearly marked, with a table of safe working loads posted where the load varies with the conditions of use, and a manufacturer's plate showing the maker, the design standard, the serial number and the country of origin.[1]

How is forklift hire priced?

Each hire company prices forklift hire in South Africa in its own quote; a 2022 hiring guide advises buyers to know "what the cost is for each day and whether there are any additional charges such as fuel", and whether delivery costs extra.[12]

Name the capacity and type you need: one hire company's fleet was described in 2023 as running "from 1 to 45 tons, including electric, diesel, gas, reach trucks, and reach stackers", with attachments available to rent with the trucks.[13]

The same article noted that "maintenance and repairs are often included in the rental agreement"; the quote should say which repairs are yours.[13]

For customers considering a move from a diesel to an electric fleet, one forklift distributor compares total running cost, which it described in May 2025 as "the rental portion, maintenance portion and the fuel consumption component". It put diesel for one machine in medium use at "roughly R6,500 worth of diesel per month", and Cape Business News put the running cost of electric units at "about a tenth" of diesel.[7]

What to put in your request

  1. Heaviest load in kg, its size in mm and where its centre of gravity sits, for a truck rated at that load centre (a 1,200 mm cube of even weight has a 600 mm load centre).[11]
  2. Where the truck will work: indoors, outdoors or both; the floor or yard surface; any ramps; and whether it will run in the rain.[6][7]
  3. Power (diesel, LPG, lead-acid electric or lithium-ion) and shift pattern, with any spare battery, charger or LPG cylinders priced in the quote; for LPG, where full and empty cylinders will be stored.[7][9][10]
  4. Hire period and start date, and the rate per day, per week or per month.[12]
  5. Attachments, such as a side-shift or a clamp, and the safe working load table for the truck as it will be used.[1][13][2]
  6. With or without an operator; if with, a copy of the operator's licence or carry card showing the F-code for this truck and its expiry date.[2][1]
  7. A copy of the latest LME examination and performance test, not older than 12 months, and the service records, for the on-site register required by regulation 18(7)(b).[1]
  8. Who pays for delivery and collection, fuel or charging, repairs and breakdown call-outs, and whether a standby truck is included.[12][13]

Questions buyers ask

How long is a forklift licence valid in South Africa?

Up to 24 months, under clause 14.2 of the 2024 National Code of Practice. Renewing an expired licence takes at least 4 hours of theory and 1 hour of practical training (clause 11).[2]

Does a licence for a counterbalanced forklift cover a reach truck?

Not on its own. The 2024 Code lists counterbalanced trucks (F1 to F4) and reach trucks (F5) under separate codes, and regulation 18(11) requires training "for that particular type of lifting machine". Moving up within one type, such as F1 to F3, counts as re-licensing under clause 11 of the Code.[2][1]

Do I need a load chart if the forklift has an attachment?

Yes, if the attachment changes the safe working load. Regulation 18(1)(b) requires the safe working load to be clearly marked and, where it varies with the conditions of use, a table of safe working loads for every condition posted where the operator can see it. A load centred further from the mast lowers what the truck may lift, so ask for the table that matches the attachment and the load.[1][11]

Describe the job.

Post a request and the suppliers who do this work can respond.

Post a request

Sources

  1. Department of Labour (Government Gazette 38905), Driven Machinery Regulations, 2015 (GN R. 540), 24 June 2015.
  2. Department of Employment and Labour (Government Gazette 51711), Incorporation of the National Code of Practice for the Training Providers of Lifting Machine Operators, 2024, into the Driven Machinery Regulations 2015 (Notice 5526), 6 December 2024.
  3. Government Gazette 14918, Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993, 2 July 1993.
  4. Department of Employment and Labour (Government Gazette 44348), Regulations for Hazardous Chemical Agents, 2021 (GN R. 280), 29 March 2021.
  5. SABS, SANS 10087-7:2014 (Ed. 4.00), Part 7: Storage and filling premises for refillable liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) containers of gas capacity not exceeding 19 kg and the storage of individual gas containers not exceeding 48 kg, 22 January 2014.
  6. PressPortal (Top Click Media), Choosing the Right Forklift - A Comparison of IC, Electric, and Lithium-Ion Options, 4 August 2023.
  7. Cape Business News, Electric forklifts lead the charge in material handling, 20 May 2025.
  8. KZN Industrial Business News, Safer, cleaner, more efficient: why demand for lithium-ion driven forklifts is surging, 26 June 2020.
  9. Crown Publications (Capital Equipment News), Li-ion battery technology is a game changer in the forklift industry, 9 November 2020.
  10. Bobcat Company Europe, Diesel vs. LPG Forklifts: Power, Emissions, Cost and Maintenance, 29 July 2026.
  11. Bobcat Company Europe, Weighing Up Your Options: Understanding Load Centers, 6 August 2026.
  12. PressPortal (Top Click Media), Forklift Hire In South Africa, 31 October 2022.
  13. PressPortal (Top Click Media), Efficient and Affordable Forklift Hire in South Africa with Delta Forklift Rentals, 6 March 2023.