Which Driving Licence Do You Need for a Telehandler?

These are two different things that are regularly confused.

For driving on public roads, you need a driving licence (Fuehrerausweis) under the Road Traffic Act (SVG) and the Road Traffic Licensing Ordinance (VZV). Which category depends on the design speed and the total weight of the machine.

For operating the machine on site, you do not need a driving licence but training under VUV Art. 8 and the SUVA requirements for telescopic forklifts, as well as written authorisation from the employer.

Anyone who mixes the two up will draw the wrong conclusions. This guide keeps them clearly apart.

Under road traffic law, telehandlers are classed as industrial motor vehicles (Arbeitsmotorwagen), i.e. self-propelled working machines. The required licence category depends on the design speed and the total weight:

Machine	Required category (road)
Industrial motor vehicle with a maximum speed of up to 45 km/h	F
Agricultural motor vehicle up to 30 km/h	G
Over 45 km/h, up to 3.5 t total weight	B
Over 45 km/h, over 3.5 t total weight (the norm for fast machines)	C1 or C

Category F is included in the Category B driving licence: anyone who holds a car licence may drive industrial motor vehicles up to 45 km/h.

On fenced-off company premises, no driving licence is required. There, only occupational safety law applies, with training, authorisation and minimum age.

High-speed machines with a maximum speed of 40 km/h are popular because they can drive themselves between sites. Under Swiss road traffic law, they remain Category F industrial motor vehicles, which is included in the Category B licence. The most common misjudgement therefore lies elsewhere: the bottleneck is not the licence but the vehicle. Registration, vehicle registration document, number plate and motor third-party liability insurance must all be in order, and as soon as a machine travels faster than 45 km/h, a total weight of over 3.5 tonnes requires Category C1 or C.

If you do not meet these requirements, have the machine delivered: Luibl brings every telehandler directly to the site on its own low-loader, so the question of a road driving licence does not arise at all.

Regardless of any driving licence, occupational safety law requires training for rough-terrain telescopic forklifts. The basis is VUV Art. 8 and the SUVA requirements, colloquially known as the "telehandler licence". It is divided into levels:

• Level 1: rigid telehandlers in their basic function (lifting, stacking, transporting)
• Level 2a: rotating telehandlers (Roto) and use with a winch or load hook as a crane substitute
• Level 2b: carrying persons in a work basket; here the SUVA and EKAS requirements for personnel carriers also apply

Training is provided exclusively by external, recognised training providers: education providers, inspection organisations and manufacturer-affiliated academies. Prerequisites are usually a minimum age of 18, physical and mental fitness, and subsequent written authorisation. All details on levels, duration and cost range: Telescopic forklift licence under VUV Art. 8.

The same legal situation applies to every rental machine as to your own machines: the operator needs training under VUV Art. 8 and authorisation from their employer.

At handover, Luibl additionally gives them machine-specific instruction on the actual model: controls, load chart, special features. This instruction supplements the training but does not replace it. Luibl does not offer training itself, but on request will name recognised training providers in your region. You can send the request via our Trainings page.

Whether a rigid telehandler with 4 to 19 metres of lift height or a Roto telehandler with 15 to 39 metres: Luibl Rental delivers across Europe on its own low-loaders.

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The driving licence is only half the answer: the vehicle itself must also comply with road traffic law.

Slow industrial motor vehicles up to 30 km/h benefit from simplifications, for example regarding inspection intervals. Even for them, however, driving on public roads is not permitted without a vehicle registration document, number plate and motor third-party liability insurance.

At higher speeds, the full requirements apply: type approval or individual approval, vehicle registration document, number plate, periodic motor vehicle inspection (MFK) and motor third-party liability insurance. This is exactly what affects the popular 40 km/h machines.

Attachments change the legal situation. A bucket or fork mounted at the front can change dimensions, axle loads and visibility to such an extent that driving on public roads under the SVG and VRV is only permitted with a cover, a protective device, or not at all. If in doubt, the attachment is transported separately.

If you want to save yourself this chain, have the machine delivered: transport by low-loader bypasses registration, number plates and licence category entirely.

For operating on site, three things must come together, and all three are the employer's responsibility:

1. Minimum age of 18. Young people may only operate telehandlers as part of their training and under supervision; the governing rule is the Youth Employment Protection Ordinance (ArGV 5).
2. Physical and mental fitness. Eyesight, reaction ability and state of health must suit the task; whether and which occupational health check is offered or required results from the hazard identification under EKAS Guideline 6508.
3. Written authorisation. It names the person, the type of machine and the area of use. Without it, operating is not permitted even with valid proof of training. This point is regularly checked first during inspections and after accidents.

On top of this comes instruction on the actual machine: every machine has its own operating logic, its own load charts and its own safety devices. For rental machines, Luibl provides this machine-specific instruction at handover.

"With Category B I can take any telehandler on the road." Almost right: Category F is included in B and covers industrial motor vehicles up to 45 km/h. Faster machines with a total weight of over 3.5 tonnes, however, require C1 or C.

"On the construction site the road is private, so nothing applies." Public traffic space is any area that is actually generally accessible, including the unfenced site access road. Only effective fencing-off turns it into non-public premises.

"Category G covers everything." Category G applies to agricultural motor vehicles up to 30 km/h. Commercial construction traffic is not covered, even if the same machine is driven.

"The forklift licence (Staplerausweis) is enough." It applies to industrial trucks under EKAS Guideline 6518. Telehandlers require their own training under VUV Art. 8.

Temporary agency workers. The training is provided by the staffing agency, while the authorisation and instruction on the actual machine are owed by the hiring company, i.e. the company where the work is carried out. This division is regularly overlooked and becomes apparent after a damage event at the latest.

Subcontractors on your own construction site. Anyone who rents a machine and hands it over to a subcontractor remains responsible for the selection: it must be checked and documented that the subcontractor's operators are trained and authorised. A verbal assurance is not sufficient.

Foreign driving licences. Foreign driving licences initially remain valid in Switzerland within their categories; after twelve months of residence, conversion is required. This does not apply so generally to training under VUV Art. 8: certificates from other countries must correspond in content to the SUVA requirements; if in doubt, the company requires requalification with a recognised provider in Switzerland.

Apprentices and interns. Under the age of 18, operating is only permitted as part of training, for training purposes and under the supervision of a competent person.

The same principle applies in all four cases: the machine may be rented, but the responsibility for the person at the controls never is.

Do you need a driving licence for a telehandler?

On company premises, no: there, training under VUV Art. 8 is what counts. On public roads, yes: Category F, G, B or C1/C depending on speed and weight.

Which licence category applies to 40 km/h telehandlers?

They are classed as industrial motor vehicles up to 45 km/h and therefore fall under Category F, which is included in the Category B licence. For agricultural use up to 30 km/h, Category G is sufficient.

What is the telescopic forklift licence under VUV Art. 8?

The occupational safety training for operating telehandlers, divided into Level 1 (rigid), 2a (rotating and crane operation) and 2b (carrying persons). It is provided by external, recognised training providers.

Can I drive a telehandler on the road with Category B?

Yes, as long as the machine, as an industrial motor vehicle, has a design speed of no more than 45 km/h: Category F is included in B. Faster machines with a total weight of over 3.5 t require C1 or C.

Is the rental company's instruction enough as a qualification?

No. The machine-specific instruction at handover supplements the training under VUV Art. 8 but does not replace it.