How to use a pallet truck
Updated: 22 October 2026
How to use a pallet truck, for the machines in our [pallet truck comparison](/hub/lifting-equipment/pallet-truck), is a short sequence: read the lever words the listing actually prints, get the forks fully in, travel only just clear of the floor, and stop when the route or the truck is no longer the one you checked. This page does not rank the five listings. Peter F. used those listings and Health and Safety Executive notes. It is not a test of your aisle.
How to use a pallet truck, for the machines in our pallet truck comparison, is a short sequence: read the lever words the listing actually prints, get the forks fully in, travel
How to use a pallet truck, for the machines in our pallet truck comparison, is a short sequence: read the lever words the listing actually prints, get the forks fully in, travel only just clear of the floor, and stop when the route or the truck is no longer the one you checked. This page does not rank the five listings. Peter F. used those listings and Health and Safety Executive notes. It is not a test of your aisle.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Control lever | Lift range | Handle assembly | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  COZYBRITE COZYBRITE manual pallet truck | Three-position: raise, neutral, and lower | 8 cm to 19 cm | Handle requires customer assembly before use | 7.5 | about £269.99 | View offer |
 JYBNBBE JYBNBBE pallet truck with scale | Ergonomic control lever. Positions not stated. | not stated | not stated | 1.7 | about £613.89 | View offer | |
 Generic Generic 15 t title | Steering arm, in the title only | not stated | not stated | 0.0 | about £287.99 | View offer |
On this page
Raise, neutral, and lower
Raise is the position in which pumping the tiller lifts the forks. Neutral lets the handle move without pumping the load higher. Lower releases the pressure so the pallet comes down. Pump only in raise, travel in neutral, and hold lower only until the deck is on the floor. If you walk in raise, each bump can keep lifting. If you travel in lower, the pallet settles while you move.
Only COZYBRITE names those three positions. The scale title mentions an ergonomic control lever and does not name them. Read the lever on the truck in front of you. Do not invent a sequence and then load a pallet to find out.
One American operator sheet says pull. The Lifting Gear and Safety UK leaflet says push. This page will not pick a winner. Stand where you can see the route, and keep your feet out of the fork path. Choosing the truck is the pallet truck buying guide.
Get the forks in, and only just clear of the floor
Lower the forks fully, line them up, and push them in until the load sits over the forks rather than on the tips. A pallet that is only half on will tip when it leaves the floor. If the forks stop on the bottom board, the lowered height is wrong for that pallet. Do not force a wide fork into an opening it will not enter.
Raise only enough to clear the floor. That is the UK leaflet's travel height. This page does not import an American one inch. Set neutral once the pallet is clear, then lower it fully before you pull the forks out.
On the truck that names the three positions, the handle requires customer assembly before use. The listing does not name the tools. Fit it, and check that the lever reaches all three positions, before the first pallet.
When the route rules the truck out
HSE construction case COH06 describes uneven floors that made a standard pump truck hard to push. The fix was pneumatic tyres, not a longer tiller. The same note says an internal step rules the truck out. You do not hop the forks up a step with a pallet on them.
The HSE pushing-and-pulling tool can underestimate risk when the wheels are small and the floor has debris or a slight gradient. None of these listings states a gradient. If people already struggle to start the truck, stop. Nylon and polyurethane are both small hard wheels. Wheel material is nylon or polyurethane pallet truck wheels.
None of the five listings states a brake. Neutral is not a parking brake on a slope toward a dock edge.
When to stop and call someone
Stop if the forks sink while you are standing there. A creeping pallet is a seal or a valve, not another twenty pumps. This page does not give a bleed count, an oil grade, or a seal-kit procedure. That belongs with the truck's instructions or a workshop.
Stop if a fork is bent, a weld is cracked, a wheel is seized, or the tiller is loose. At work, stop if you cannot tell whether the forks can rise above 300 mm. A simple truck that only clears the floor is HSE's example of equipment outside LOLER. A high-lift truck above 300 mm is the case in L113. Two listings print no lift height.
PUWER still applies when the truck is work equipment. Show people the lever, the entry, and the reasons to stop.
Common questions
What do raise, neutral, and lower do?
Raise pumps the forks up. Neutral is for travel without lifting further. Lower sets the pallet down. Only COZYBRITE prints those three words. Read the lever on the truck you have.
How far should the pallet come off the floor?
Only enough to clear the floor, which is the UK leaflet's wording. This page does not turn that into a fixed inch. Park the pallet fully down before you leave it.
Do I fit the handle first?
On the truck that names the three positions, yes. The listing says the handle requires customer assembly and does not name the tools. If a handle is loose in the box, assemble it before you load a pallet.
Can I use it over a step or a rough yard?
No for an internal step. HSE says a standard pump truck will not cope with one. On uneven ground the recorded fix was pneumatic tyres. If staff already struggle to start the load, stop.
What if the forks sink while I am standing there?
Stop and take the truck out of use. More pumping does not finish a leak or a valve fault. Do not follow a bleed recipe from a general article. A workshop should take it from there.
Does every truck in this set have the same lever?
No. One listing names raise, neutral, and lower. The others do not print the positions. One title mentions a steering arm and does not describe a pump sequence.
Is there a brake, and who needs to be shown how?
None of these five listings states a brake. Neutral is not a parking brake. If the truck is work equipment, PUWER still expects instructed users, even when a simple pallet truck sits outside LOLER.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts on these five listings were read on 20 October 2026. Page updated October 2026.
- HSE: LOLER overview (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- HSE: L113 Safe use of lifting equipment (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- HSE: lifting equipment exceptions (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- HSE: PUWER overview (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- HSE: RAPP tool for pushing and pulling (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- HSE: COH06 pallet trucks on construction sites (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- AJ Products UK: how to choose a pallet truck (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Toyota Material Handling UK: hand pallet truck size (retrieved 21 October 2026)