Forklift Test Questions 21–30 with Answers & Explanations

Quick answer: below are 10 questions (21-30) with answers and explanations, sourced from official public material or written to the official outline. The format matches the timed practice test exactly, so what you learn here transfers one-to-one.

Questions 21-30

Question 21: When traveling behind another forklift, what following distance does OSHA specify?

• A. A safe distance of approximately three truck lengths ✓
• B. At least 25 feet
• C. One truck length, plus one more for each corner
• D. No distance is specified — stay close to keep the convoy together

Answer: A — A safe distance of approximately three truck lengths. All traffic regulations apply, including authorized plant speed limits, and a safe distance of approximately three truck lengths must be maintained from the truck ahead while keeping the truck under control at all times. Official outline

Question 22: A coworker is standing in front of a workbench. What does the standard prohibit?

• A. Carrying loads anywhere near the bench
• B. Talking to coworkers while operating the truck
• C. Operating any forklift in that aisle
• D. Driving the forklift up to anyone standing in front of a bench or other fixed object ✓

Answer: D — Driving the forklift up to anyone standing in front of a bench or other fixed object. Trucks shall not be driven up to anyone standing in front of a bench or other fixed object. The rule exists because a person trapped between an approaching truck and a fixed object has no escape path — the operator must never put the truck in that position. Official outline

Question 23: Who may stand or pass under the elevated portion of a forklift?

• A. Anyone wearing a hard hat
• B. Maintenance personnel only
• C. The operator, to check the mast chains
• D. No one — whether the truck is loaded or empty ✓

Answer: D — No one — whether the truck is loaded or empty. No person shall be allowed to stand or pass under the elevated portion of any truck, whether loaded or empty. Elevated loads and carriages drop — PPE and job title make no difference to that hazard. Official outline

Question 24: Who may ride on a powered industrial truck?

• A. Anyone the operator allows, as long as they hold on
• B. New trainees observing the operator
• C. Unauthorized personnel may never ride; riding is allowed only where authorized, and a safe place to ride must be provided ✓
• D. Any employee, provided the truck travels slowly

Answer: C — Unauthorized personnel may never ride; riding is allowed only where authorized, and a safe place to ride must be provided. Unauthorized personnel shall not be permitted to ride on powered industrial trucks. Where riding is authorized — for example on a designed rider platform — a safe place to ride must be provided. Passenger forks and laps are never a safe place. Official outline

Question 25: The employer must prohibit placing arms or legs:

• A. On the overhead guard while parked
• B. Under the operator seat
• C. Between the uprights of the mast or outside the running lines of the truck ✓
• D. On the steering wheel during turns

Answer: C — Between the uprights of the mast or outside the running lines of the truck. Arms or legs must not be placed between the uprights of the mast or outside the running lines of the truck. The mast area crushes and shears — a hand between the uprights during a mast move is a life-changing injury. Official outline

Question 26: When is a powered industrial truck considered 'unattended' under the standard?

• A. Whenever the engine is switched off
• B. Only when left overnight or off shift
• C. When the key is removed from the ignition
• D. When the operator is 25 ft or more away from the vehicle that remains in view, or whenever the operator leaves the vehicle and it is not in view ✓

Answer: D — When the operator is 25 ft or more away from the vehicle that remains in view, or whenever the operator leaves the vehicle and it is not in view. The definition is distance-and-sight based: the truck is unattended when the operator is 25 feet or more away while it remains in view, or whenever the operator leaves the vehicle and it is not in view. The 25-ft rule triggers the full safe-parking procedure. Official outline

Question 27: Before leaving a forklift unattended, the operator must:

• A. Fully lower the load engaging means, neutralize the controls, shut off power, and set the brakes — blocking the wheels if parked on an incline ✓
• B. Leave the forks at waist height so the next operator can grab a pallet quickly
• C. Let the engine idle in neutral with the parking pawl engaged
• D. Turn the wheels toward the rack for stability

Answer: A — Fully lower the load engaging means, neutralize the controls, shut off power, and set the brakes — blocking the wheels if parked on an incline. The unattended procedure is: load engaging means fully lowered, controls neutralized, power shut off, brakes set — and wheels blocked if the truck is parked on an incline. A raised fork left under power is a stored-energy hazard for the next person on the scene. Official outline

Question 28: What is an overhead guard designed to protect against?

• A. Any falling load, including a full-capacity load
• B. The impact of small packages, boxes, and bagged material — not the impact of a falling capacity load ✓
• C. Weather and overhead dust only
• D. Nothing — it is optional trim on modern trucks

Answer: B — The impact of small packages, boxes, and bagged material — not the impact of a falling capacity load. The overhead guard protects against the impact of small packages, boxes, bagged material, and similar job-representative items — it is not designed to withstand the impact of a falling capacity load. The guard reduces risk; it does not license stacking above head height. Official outline

Question 29: Which railroad-track rule is correct?

• A. Cross tracks at 90 degrees for stability
• B. Parking 5 feet from the track center is acceptable between shifts
• C. Cross railroad tracks diagonally wherever possible, and never park closer than 8 feet from the center of the tracks ✓
• D. Tracks must be covered with steel plate before any crossing

Answer: C — Cross railroad tracks diagonally wherever possible, and never park closer than 8 feet from the center of the tracks. Railroad tracks shall be crossed diagonally wherever possible — straight crossings risk catching a narrow-tire forklift on the rail — and parking closer than 8 feet from the center of railroad tracks is prohibited. Official outline

Question 30: On a grade in excess of 10 percent, a loaded truck must be driven:

• A. With the load downgrade for better traction
• B. In reverse at all times, loaded or not
• C. Only after a supervisor blocks both ends of the ramp
• D. With the load upgrade ✓

Answer: D — With the load upgrade. On grades in excess of 10 percent, loaded trucks are driven with the load upgrade — drive forward going up, reverse coming down. Keeping the weight uphill keeps the combined center of gravity inside the stability triangle and the steer axle loaded. Official outline

Answer key at a glance

Answer from memory first, then check the key — the fastest way to find which explanations you actually need to read in full.

Study notes for this set

Every explanation above cites its source — verify anything that surprises you at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) material directly. Ready for more? Continue with questions 31-40; the full index lives in the Forklift Test question bank.