Forklift service work order template
Forklift service work order template: planned service by hour-meter interval, leak checks, mast chain and function tests booked by the hour, per truck.
Templates by industry
- Planned service, 500-hour interval, truck FL-07
- Hydraulic hose leak investigation
- Mast chain lubrication and wear check
- Brake, steering and horn function test
Preparation guide
Example workflow
Plan the job
Example: start with "Planned service, 500-hour interval, truck FL-07", set the scheduled date, assign the technician and note how to access the site.
Do the work
Record the time and materials actually used, including "Brake, steering and horn function test", and anything found that needs a separate quote.
Sign off and bill
Have the technician and the customer sign the completion lines, then make the invoice from the work order so the lines carry over.
Forklifts are serviced by the hours on their meter, not by the calendar, and a warehouse wants each truck back in use as quickly as possible. This work order books the technician’s time by the hour against each task, for one truck identified by its fleet number. Parts are listed in the notes with their numbers rather than as priced lines, so the time stays readable. If the truck is found unsafe, the order records that it was tagged out of use and who was told.
Fields to prepare
- Deliverables and line items
- Planned service, 500-hour interval, truck FL-07, Hydraulic hose leak investigation, Mast chain lubrication and wear check, Brake, steering and horn function test: describe the work and materials planned for each line, with the time or quantity expected.
- Planned service, 500-hour interval, truck FL-07
- Write the hour meter reading at the start and the interval this service matches, so the next one can be scheduled.
- Hydraulic hose leak investigation
- Say where the leak was found and whether the hose was replaced now or needs a part ordered.
- Mast chain lubrication and wear check
- Record chain stretch or wear against the maker’s limit, which decides when the chain must be replaced.
- Brake, steering and horn function test
- Note each function tested and the result; a failed brake test means the truck stays tagged out.
- Job site and schedule
- Give the job site address, the scheduled date and the person assigned, with any access or safety instructions.
- Time and materials
- Record the hours worked and the materials used on each line, as done rather than as planned.
- Scope to agree
- Identify the truck by fleet number and serial, record the hour meter, book time against each task, and take the truck out of use with a tag if it is unsafe.
Before sending
- Is it clear who does “Planned service, 500-hour interval, truck FL-07”, where and when?
- Are the materials for “Hydraulic hose leak investigation” listed and on site before the job starts?
- Is there a sign-off for “Mast chain lubrication and wear check” so the time can be invoiced afterwards?
Show 4 more
- Is it clear who does “Brake, steering and horn function test”, where and when?
- Check the job site address, the scheduled date, who is assigned, and any access or safety instructions.
- Agree with the customer which tasks are included, and note anything found on site that needs a separate quote.
- Have the customer check and sign off the work before you make the invoice.
Worked example: a 500-hour service that finds a leaking hose
The figures are an example, in dollars. A technician carries out the 500-hour service on one truck, traces a hydraulic leak to a chafed hose, lubricates and checks the mast chain and tests brakes and steering.
- Planned time: four tasks booked by the hour, all at one rate.
- Found: the hose must be replaced, and the customer’s maintenance manager approves the extra time before work goes on.
| Item | Quantity × unit price | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Planned service, 500-hour interval, truck FL-07 | 2.5 × $72.00 | $180.00 |
| Hydraulic hose leak investigation | 1 × $72.00 | $72.00 |
| Mast chain lubrication and wear check | 0.5 × $72.00 | $36.00 |
| Brake, steering and horn function test | 0.5 × $72.00 | $36.00 |
| Total | $324.00 | |
The planned hours come to $324.00. Replacing the hose takes 1.5 more hours at $72.00, an approved extra of $108.00, so the revised total is $432.00. The hose itself is listed in the notes with its part number.
Mistakes on forklift work orders
- Leaving out the hour meter reading.
- Booking a whole visit as one block of hours with no tasks named.
- Letting a truck with a failed test go back into use without a note.
- Putting two trucks on one work order, so their histories blur.
What the document must show
These details make a work order easier to approve and to file.
- Work order number and date
- The customer's name and job site address
- Scheduled date and the person assigned
- Each task and the materials needed
- Time or quantity per line, and prices if shown
- Sign-off lines for the worker and the customer
The sales tax depends on where the work is supplied, so set the rate that applies to your customer before sending.
Official rate reference: US government: state and local taxes
Frequently asked questions
Why record the hour meter on every work order?
Service intervals are counted in hours, so the reading tells the customer when the next service is due and shows how hard the truck is being worked.
What if the truck is unsafe to use?
Tag it out of use, tell the person in charge of the site and write both on the work order with the time. Restart it only after the repair and a new test.
Where do parts go on an hours-based work order?
List them in the notes with part numbers and quantities, and bill them on the invoice that follows; the lines of the work order record the time against each task.
Does this work order replace a statutory examination?
No. Where a periodic examination is required, it has its own report; keep this work order for maintenance and repairs and refer to that report if there is one.
How is tax calculated on this template?
The sales tax depends on where the work is supplied, so set the rate that applies to your customer before sending. The editor keeps the net amount, the tax and the total apart, and recalculates all three when you change a quantity, a unit price or the country setting.
How does a work order become an invoice?
When the job is done, open the work order and make an invoice from it. The lines, customer and prices carry over, and the work order stays as the record of what was agreed and done.
Read next
Reading for the Forklift service work order template: How to write a statement of work (SOW), with an example and Quote, proforma, invoice, receipt, credit note: which to use. When the job is signed off, record it on the Acceptance certificate template.