Provisional membership

The purpose of Provisional Membership is to assist companies that are not eligible for full membership to achieve that goal. Potential Provisional Members are assessed and given guidance on the action required to achieve full membership
Fill out our online application form for provisional membership

Benefits of Provisional Membership

The benefits of membership are detailed below. The benefits of full membership are listed, but those benefits shown in red are not available to Provisional Members. More importantly Provisional Members will not be entitled to call themselves Members of the Fork Lift Truck Association and will not be entitled to use the Fork Lift Truck Association Logo. However, Provisional Members will be able to enjoy a 10% reduction on all adult engineer courses organised by the Association.

Restrictions
Provisional Membership will be restricted to a maximum period of 1 year, unless exceptional circumstances are agreed by the Board, It is expected that the criteria required for full membership will be met within this period.

Fees (2008)
The fees for Provisional Membership are:

Website
This website is a key benefit for all members. The listings under the Find a member or service section provide the following.

• Links to help potential customers find you.
  Potential customers can search to find FLTA members within set distances from a given postcode. The potential customer can search for:
  Any member within the set area.
  Members by manufacturer, within the set area, or all dealerships nationwide.
  Members accredited to CFTS for Thorough Examination.
  Members accredited to CFTS by manufacturer.
  Member service providers and suppliers are listed, and searchable, according to the service they provide, by potential customers which include other members.
• Directory
  Separate sections make it possible to look up key details for all different types of member. This includes a hyperlink to the members’ own website and a detailed listing of the depots managed by that member. There is a section for Provisional Members.
• Members’ Area
  The Members’ Area, accessible only to Full Members of the Association, is the fastest growing part of the website and the way forward for delivering a wide range of existing and new member benefits. Operating within this exclusive area gives members access to:
  Free downloadable Risk Assessment software and other items.
  Special editing tools to keep their company data fully up to date.
  Catalogue purchases and course bookings at member prices.
  The Members’ Forum.
  A wealth of archive material.
  
  Provisional Members have access to member prices and some other benefits through the Safe User Group Members’ Area.

Publications
The following manuals and software are issued free to members. Additional copies are available at discounted prices.  

• Health & Safety Manual
  A definitive guide to Health & Safety issues covering all aspects of workplace safety.
• Legislation & Regulations Manual
  A binder that contains all the current legislation and regulations on fork lift truck operations.  
• Personnel Polices & Procedures Manual
  A comprehensive and practical guide to personnel management issues.
• Communications Manual
  A binder for the safe keeping of other publications and general communications, such as the minutes of meetings, which are distributed to all members.  
• Technical Bulletins Manual
  A binder designed to hold the increasing range of Technical Bulletins and Fact Sheets issued to members. 
• CD – Risk Assessment
  A practical guide to risk assessment with more than 50 generic assessments covering fork truck operations, workshop activities and related areas of risk.  
  
  Other regular publications include the following.
• Uplift
  A glossy quarterly newsletter with Association news and items of general interest. 
• Health & Safety Updates
  A monthly update on a range of Health and Safety issues featuring fork truck incidents where appropriate. 
• Technical Bulletins
  Further guidance aimed at expanding knowledge of regulations and legislation. Issued on an as required basis. 

In addition a range of booklets and stickers are available for purchase at member prices. These are detailed in a special catalogue and in this website. 

Helplines
The following helplines are available to Full Members during normal working hours: 

• Association Helpline
  Tel: 01256 381441 Fax: 01256 381735. 
  Available to provide guidance on legislation and answer any general questions of a professional nature. The office will endeavour to assist Provisional Members with issues normally covered by the other helplines.
• Health & Safety Advice Line
  Operated on behalf of the Association by a Health & Safety consultancy which offers general advice on any issue concerning Health & Safety in the workplace.
• Commercial Legal Advice Service
  24-hour helpline. Operated through the Association's insurers. Legal advice will be provided by telephone on any commercial legal problem, subject to the laws of the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.
• Employment Law Helpline
  Operated on behalf of the Association by an external consultant. General advice can be provided on all aspects of employment law. 

Alerts
Security alerts are communicated to all members to notify them about stolen trucks. The main inputs to this service come from the members themselves. The system can also be used to notify issues concerning safety or other commercial matters.

Training
A programme of courses is provided through North Warwickshire and Hinckley College at the college Bermuda Park facility in Bedworth near Nuneaton. These courses are administered directly by the Association. A course pamphlet is published to provide brief details of the courses and course dates. The details are also on this website. Subjects currently covered are:

 
Thorough Examination
Thorough Examination Revalidation
Electrical Connection, Isolation & Charger Fault Finding
Auto-Electrical
Basic Electronics
Intermediate Electronics
Advanced Electronics
LPG Systems
Safety for Service Engineers – This course is also recommended for
managers and employees who work in
and around a fork truck environment.

Provisional Members are entitled to a 10% discount on all courses.

Apprenticeships The City of Bristol College runs FLTA sponsored apprentice courses for fork truck engineers at facilities in Bristol, Bedworth and Carlisle. Members are encouraged to support these programmes and hence rejuvenate and improve the standard of their own workforce.

Surveys
The annual survey is collated and audited by external auditors to ensure anonymity and accuracy. The quarterly surveys are produced by the Chief Executive. 

• Annual Engineers’ Pay & Benefits survey.
• Quarterly Market Trends survey.

The detailed results of surveys are only made available to participating members.

Publicity
At a more general level the Association employs a public relations and marketing company. They are tasked with keeping the Association in the public eye – or more accurately the materials handling press. By constantly reinforcing the Fork Lift Truck Association brand they provide members with a marketing edge. They also manage the annual awards, and the Association website and provide guidance for exhibitions etc. They provide members with Association logo material. 

Framed certificates are provided so that members can publicly display their membership of the Association.

• Membership Certificate. This certificate is renewed annually and ensures that only current members display their membership.
• Code of Practice. Normally displayed alongside the membership certificate the formal Code of Practice details the high standards expected of member companies.

Events
There are a number of regular events that members are encouraged to attend.  

• Awards. This is the materials handling industry event of the year.
The awards are made in a number of important categories and presented at a gala dinner dance and awards ceremony attended by about 500 people.
• AGM & Open Meetings. An opportunity to be brought up-to-date with, and impact on, Association affairs. These meetings normally include guest speakers on topical subjects and provide an opportunity to network with friends and colleagues. (Provisional Members have no voting rights.)
• Factory Visits. An opportunity to visit a factory or organisation active in the materials handling industry.
• Golf Day. A purely social event for players of all standards.

Other events are organised on an occasional ad hoc basis and have included overseas visits and clay pigeon shooting.