Who We Are — A Forklift Recruitment Agency Built for Logistics
Recruiting Today is a specialist recruitment agency dedicated to sourcing, vetting, and placing forklift drivers and warehouse operators across the United Kingdom. Whether you need a single counterbalance driver for a two-day shift in Leicester or a full team of reach truck operators for a permanent distribution centre in Nottingham, our consultants deliver fast, compliant, and cost-effective staffing solutions.
The UK logistics and warehousing sector employs over 1.6 million people, and demand for certified forklift operators continues to outstrip supply — particularly in high-throughput periods such as peak season, contract ramp-ups, and rapid expansion phases. Our mission is to bridge that gap at pace, without compromising on safety or compliance. Every forklift operator we place holds a valid, accredited licence — RTITB, ITSSAR, or AITT — and has been personally checked against our 14-point vetting protocol before being put forward for any role.
We work with distribution centres, third-party logistics providers, manufacturing facilities, cold stores, retail warehouses, and construction logistics operations of all sizes. From temp jobs in Aberdeen and admin support in Southampton to scaffolding jobs and skilled site labour in London — Recruiting Today is the multi-sector recruitment partner that keeps operations moving.
Quick Answer — What is a Forklift Recruitment Agency?
Forklift Recruitment Agency: Definition
A forklift recruitment agency is a specialist staffing company that sources, tests, and places certified forklift operators — including counterbalance, reach truck, pallet truck, and telescopic handler drivers — in temporary, contract, or permanent warehouse and logistics roles. The agency manages licence verification, right-to-work checks, and health & safety compliance on behalf of the hiring business, enabling rapid deployment of qualified operators with minimal administrative burden.
Our Forklift Driver Recruitment Services
We provide a complete spectrum of forklift staffing solutions, structured to match the operational rhythms of modern warehouse and logistics businesses.
1. Temporary Forklift Operator Supply
Peak seasons, contract surges, and unexpected absence create immediate pressure on warehouse throughput. Our temporary forklift supply service delivers fully licensed, safety-inducted operators within 24–48 hours — sometimes same day for clients within established areas such as jobs in Leicester and temp jobs in Aberdeen.
Truck types covered: Counterbalance (up to 10T), Reach Truck, Stand-on Reach, Powered Pallet Truck (PPT), Electric Order Picker, Telescopic Forklift, VNA (Very Narrow Aisle), Bendi/Flexi.
Ideal for: Seasonal demand peaks, urgent operational cover, project-based warehouse moves, and short-term capacity gaps across jobs in Nottingham, Southampton, Glasgow, and all major UK logistics corridors.
2. Permanent Forklift Driver Recruitment
Building a stable, long-term warehouse workforce demands a different approach. Our permanent recruitment service pairs your facility with experienced forklift operators who have the right attitude, licence category, and shift flexibility to become a dependable part of your team. We handle the entire hire pipeline — job advertising, CV screening, licence verification, interviews, and offer management.
Average time-to-hire: 7–14 working days. Rebate period: 12 weeks as standard.
3. Contract & On-Site Managed Workforce
For operations requiring continuous forklift coverage — large distribution centres, fulfilment hubs, manufacturing logistics — our managed workforce model embeds a dedicated Recruiting Today coordinator on site to handle day-to-day scheduling, compliance, absence management, and performance oversight.
This service is available across the UK including London, the Midlands, the North East, Scotland, and Wales.
4. Multi-Skilled Warehouse Staffing
Many warehouse operations need more than forklift drivers alone. We supply the full range of warehouse and logistics workers: warehouse operatives, pick and pack staff, goods-in/goods-out clerks, stock controllers, warehouse supervisors, and logistics coordinators. Whether you are searching for warehouse operative jobs in Cardiff or temporary warehouse staff for a busy season in the North West, Recruiting Today has the workforce ready.
We also handle adjacent roles including scaffolding jobs, skilled site labourers, bricklayer jobs in the North East, and admin jobs in Southampton — making us a true one-stop recruitment partner for complex operational needs.
Compliance Checklist
Forklift Operator Certifications We Verify
- ✓ RTITB Accredited Licence (all categories)
- ✓ ITSSAR Certificate of Training
- ✓ AITT Accreditation
- ✓ Right-to-Work Documentation
- ✓ DBS / Criminal Record Check
- ✓ Licence Expiry & Category Verification
- ✓ Health & Safety Induction Record
- ✓ Employment Reference Verification
How to Hire a Forklift Driver Through Recruiting Today
Submit Your Vacancy
Contact our 24/7 helpline or submit the online enquiry form with details of your required forklift type, shift pattern, location, and start date. The more context you provide, the faster we can match.
Rapid Candidate Matching
Our consultants search our pre-registered pool of certified forklift operators — updated daily with new candidates from temporary jobs in Aberdeen, jobs in Leicester, jobs in Nottingham, and across every UK region — and shortlist matched profiles within hours.
Licence & Compliance Verification
Every candidate undergoes our 14-point compliance check: RTITB/ITSSAR licence, right-to-work, DBS, employment references, and a site-specific safety assessment. You never take on unverified operators.
Placement & Site Induction
Your selected operator arrives site-ready with all documentation in order. For temporary workers, we manage all payroll processing, employer liability insurance, and AWR compliance — reducing your HR burden to zero.
Ongoing Account Management
Your dedicated Recruiting Today account manager monitors worker performance, manages extensions or replacements at short notice, and reviews upcoming seasonal staffing needs — keeping you ahead of demand at every peak.
Case Study 01 — East Midlands Distribution
How a Nottingham 3PL Cut Labour Costs by £87,000 in One Quarter
Challenge: A mid-sized third-party logistics provider operating a 280,000 sq ft distribution centre on the outskirts of Nottingham was facing a chronic shortfall of certified reach truck and counterbalance operators. The facility ran 24/7 across three shifts, and their previous agency was consistently failing to fill weekend and night shifts — costing the client an estimated £112,000 per quarter in agency premiums, overtime, and unfulfilled delivery SLAs.
Solution: Recruiting Today deployed a dedicated account team within 72 hours. We pre-screened and inducted 34 counterbalance and reach truck operators with valid RTITB licences against the client's site-specific safety requirements. A WhatsApp-based shift confirmation system was implemented to ensure zero-notice availability for all 21 shift slots per week, directly addressing the gap that had been costing the client in jobs in Nottingham demand surges.
Result: Within 13 weeks, the client achieved a 98.4% shift fill rate — up from 71% — and reduced their total temporary labour spend by £87,000 through competitive consolidated billing and the elimination of last-minute premium callouts. The client subsequently signed a 12-month managed workforce contract.
Reference Guide
Types of Forklift Trucks: Which Licence Do You Need?
| Truck Type | Typical Use | Licence Required | Avg. Rate (Temp) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Counterbalance (Electric/Gas) | Loading bays, yard movements | RTITB / ITSSAR Cat B | £13.50–£16.00/hr |
| Reach Truck | High-racking, narrow aisles | RTITB / ITSSAR Cat C | £14.50–£17.50/hr |
| Powered Pallet Truck (PPT) | Floor-level pallet movement | RTITB / ITSSAR Cat F | £12.50–£14.00/hr |
| Telescopic Handler | Construction logistics, outdoor | RTITB / ITSSAR Cat T | £17.00–£21.00/hr |
| VNA Truck | Very narrow aisle racking | RTITB / ITSSAR Cat D | £16.00–£19.50/hr |
Current Job Vacancies — Apply Now
Live positions across the Recruiting Today network. All rates are above the UK National Living Wage.
| Job Title | Location | Type | Rate (£/hr) | Apply |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contact Centre Advisor | Leicester | Temp | £12.50 | View Job |
| Warehouse Operative | Cardiff | Temp | £13.00 | View Job |
| Bricklayer | Sunderland | Contract | £22.00 | View Job |
| Skilled Site Labourer | Feltham | Temp | £14.50 | View Job |
| Customer Service Representative | Nottingham | Perm | £12.50 | View Job |
| Scaffolder | Westminster, London | Contract | £24.00 | View Job |
| Administrative Support Officer | Southampton | Temp | £13.50 | View Job |
| Skilled Site Labourer | London | Temp | £15.00 | View Job |
| Painter & Decorator | Doncaster | Perm | £18.50 | View Job |
| Temp Data Entry Clerk | Aberdeen | Temp | £12.50 | View Job |
| Hotel Receptionist | Glasgow | Perm | £12.50 | View Job |
| Painter & Decorator | Newquay | Contract | £18.00 | View Job |
🔗 More opportunities: September 2025 Hiring Boom — Peak Season Opportunities
Case Study 02 — Scottish Cold Chain
Aberdeen Cold Storage Facility Scales Headcount 60% in Six Weeks
Challenge: A specialist cold chain operator near Aberdeen had secured a major new contract with a national food retailer, requiring an additional 22 certified counterbalance and reach truck operators to be operational within six weeks. Their in-house HR team had no capacity to recruit at this volume, and previous temp jobs in Aberdeen and temporary jobs in Aberdeen campaigns through traditional job boards had yielded poor-quality applicants without valid cold-environment forklift certifications.
Solution: Recruiting Today launched a targeted forklift operator sourcing campaign across Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness, and Perth — drawing on our Scottish candidate database and a bespoke social media activation targeting cold-store certified operators within commuting distance. Each candidate was assessed specifically for cold-environment experience (sub-zero working, PPE compliance, handling frozen palletised goods) before being presented to the client.
Result: All 22 positions were filled within 41 days. The client's new retail contract launched on schedule, generating £143,000 in new annualised revenue in its first year. Recruiting Today subsequently became their preferred supplier across four Scottish sites.
What Our Clients Say
"Recruiting Today delivered three certified counterbalance operators within 20 hours of my call on a Friday afternoon. Every one of them arrived with their licence documentation, knew the safety procedures, and hit the ground running. Genuinely the fastest and most reliable forklift agency we have ever used."
"We needed specialist reach truck drivers for our high-bay racking system in Aberdeen — not a straightforward brief. Recruiting Today sourced six qualified operators in under two weeks, all with relevant cold-store experience. The account management has been first class throughout the contract."
"I was sceptical that any agency could fill five VNA forklift positions in Leicester within a week. Recruiting Today not only filled them — they gave us three additional candidates as backup. Their compliance documentation was impeccable and saved our H&S team a significant amount of work."
"After years of struggling with inconsistent agencies, Recruiting Today completely transformed our temporary staffing. Their managed on-site model means we have a dedicated coordinator who understands our operation. Our shift fill rate went from 74% to 96% within two months. Exceptional service."
Industries We Serve with Forklift & Warehouse Staffing
Forklift operators and warehouse workers are in demand across a wide range of sectors. Recruiting Today has established networks and sector-specific expertise in each of the following industries:
Distribution & 3PL
Multi-client distribution centres requiring flexible counterbalance and reach truck operators across rotating shift patterns.
Retail & E-Commerce
Peak season warehouse surges, Black Friday and Christmas demand spikes requiring rapid temporary deployment.
Cold Chain & Food Logistics
Certified cold-store forklift operators for temperature-controlled environments including fresh, chilled, and frozen goods.
Manufacturing & Engineering
Production line forklift support, raw material handling, and finished goods movement for manufacturing facilities.
Construction Logistics
Telescopic handler and telehandler operators for construction sites — alongside skilled site labourers in London and scaffolding jobs.
Ports & Transport Hubs
Heavy-lift counterbalance and container handling specialists for port logistics, freight terminals, and intermodal hubs.
Frequently Asked Questions — Forklift Recruitment
Forklift Recruitment by Region — UK Coverage
From scaffolding jobs in Westminster to bricklayer jobs in the North East and temporary jobs in Aberdeen, Recruiting Today's network reaches every corner of the UK. Our forklift driver database is particularly strong in the following logistics corridors:
Glossary