The Fork Lift Truck Association (FLTA) has launched a new scheme to tackle fraudulent selling, poor standards and rogue trading in the materials handling marketplace.

Named Fork Truck Watchdog, the new scheme is the industry’s first ever national initiative designed to protect customers and minimise the risk of accidents in the workplace.

The initiative works by gathering evidence and taking fast and decisive action against those guilty of infiltrating the market with faulty or poor quality goods.

The FLTA encourages anyone who has purchased a fork truck that is not exactly as described to report its trader. The association hopes this will allow them to identify and eliminate sellers that fail to abide by safety standards.

Unethical traders have long been difficult to pinpoint and catch as they tend to operate in various areas across the UK. The new initiative should make it easier for victims to report faulty or unsatisfactory goods while also enabling authorities to connect different cases and identify the companies and individuals responsible.

Peter Harvey, CEO of FLTA says: “Now there is someone forklift buyers can turn to if they come across a truck being sold in an unsafe condition, unfit for purpose or dishonestly described. What’s more, they can do so with confidence that the information they give will help to eradicate bad practice nationwide.”

The scheme has been achieved in partnership with West Berkshire District Council and Trading Standards.

Harvey adds: “If you’ve bought a truck and believe it to be in unsafe condition or missold, you can report it by filling in the Fork Truck Watchdog form online at www.fork-truck.org.uk and submitting it online or by post,” explains Harvey. “And if you are unsure about your complaint, or need guidance, you can ask an FLTA member for help in evaluating the nature and scale of the problem.

“Should the trader’s activity constitute a criminal offence; for example, a truck being sold in a dangerous condition or if misdescribed, then the complaint will be passed directly to Trading Standards.