Telehandler Training: What Zoom Boom Certification Really Requires in 2026

In 2026, telehandler training requires more than a short classroom session or a certificate issued without a hands-on test. Employers must ensure operators receive instruction, practical training, and testing before they operate a zoom boom at the workplace. The process should also show that each operator can safely use the equipment, understand load charts, select approved attachments, and work within site procedures.

For Manitoba employers, this is an important part of meeting workplace safety duties. A strong zoom boom training program helps prevent tip-overs, dropped loads, equipment damage, and costly interruptions. It also gives safety officers and supervisors clear records that show how competency was confirmed.

Last updated on October 1, 2026

What's new in this update

• Added the current CSA baseline, CSA B335:25, including its May 2025 release and key training changes.
• Added the Manitoba regulatory timeline for M.R. 26/2026, which comes into force on April 1, 2027.
• Added two 2026 Manitoba enforcement examples to show the cost of missing instruction, safe work procedures, and documentation.
• Confirmed that practical, hands-on evaluation on the employer’s own equipment is still required.

This guide focuses on certification requirements and the steps needed to qualify an operator. It is not a comparison between a zoom boom and another type of lift truck.

Telehandler training in 2026: the three required parts

A complete telehandler training program should include three connected parts:

1. Theory instruction
2. Practical training
3. Evaluation of competency

Completing only one or two parts does not give an employer a complete picture of an operator’s ability. An operator may understand the rules in a classroom but still need coaching when working on uneven ground, handling a suspended load, or using a different attachment.

1. Theory instruction

The theory portion gives operators the knowledge needed to make safe decisions. It should address the equipment, the work environment, and the responsibilities of both the operator and employer.

Topics should include:

• Equipment controls and operating limits
• Pre-use inspections
• Stability and centre of gravity
• Safe travel with and without a load
• Visibility and pedestrian awareness
• Slopes, uneven ground, and ground conditions
• Overhead hazards and powerline risks
• Safe parking and shutdown
• Manitoba workplace safety responsibilities
• Manufacturer instructions and warning labels
• Load charts and rated capacity
• Attachment selection and attachment-related hazards

The course should be specific to a Class 7 telehandler, commonly called a zoom boom or rt forklift. General forklift instruction alone may not cover the risks created by a telescopic boom, changing reach, or multiple attachments.

2. Practical training

Operators must have the opportunity to work directly with the equipment they will use. Practical training is most useful when it takes place at the employer’s workplace, using the machine, attachments, ground conditions, and operating areas found on the job.

During practical training, the operator should demonstrate the ability to:

• Complete a pre-use inspection
• Identify defects and report them
• Start, move, position, and stop the machine safely
• Maintain a safe speed and travel position
• Keep the load within the machine’s rated capacity
• Use the correct attachment
• Place the machine safely before lifting
• Operate on uneven terrain and slopes
• Maintain clear communication with workers nearby
• Park, lower the boom, and shut down correctly

This workplace approach also allows the trainer to address the company’s traffic routes, exclusion zones, ground conditions, and site-specific procedures.

Zoom boom training: load charts and attachments

Load charts are one of the most important parts of zoom boom training. A telehandler’s capacity changes as the boom raises, extends, or moves forward. The same machine may have different capacities depending on the attachment, load position, stabilizer use, and ground conditions.

Operators must learn how to read the manufacturer’s load chart before lifting. They should be able to identify:

• The weight of the planned load
• The boom angle and extension
• The required lift height and reach
• The machine position
• The attachment being used
• Whether outriggers or stabilizers are required
• The rated capacity for that exact configuration

Attachments can also change the way a machine handles a load. Forks, buckets, jibs, work platforms, and other approved tools may have separate capacity information and operating limits.

A competent operator should never assume that the capacity shown for forks applies to every attachment. The operator must use the correct chart and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Any attachment that is not approved for the machine can create serious stability and lifting risks.

The Zoom Boom and telehandler course includes theory instruction, practical training, load chart reading, and an operator evaluation designed around workplace use.

What rt forklift certification must cover

A telehandler is commonly treated as a Class 7 rough terrain lift truck. This means rt forklift certification must address more than basic driving skills.

The operator must understand how rough terrain affects stability. Uneven or soft ground can change the machine’s position and reduce safe capacity. Slopes, holes, trenches, edges, and changing surfaces all require careful planning.

A proper evaluation should confirm that the operator can:

• Assess the ground before entering an area
• Keep the machine level where required
• Position the machine safely before lifting
• Follow site rules for slopes and edges
• Keep people outside the danger zone
• Avoid sudden steering, braking, or boom movements
• Carry loads in the correct travel position
• Use spotters or signals when visibility is limited
• Stop work when conditions are unsafe

This is also where rough terrain forklift experience must be tested on the actual equipment. A worker who has used another type of lift truck may still need training on telehandler stability, reach, attachments, and load charts.

Evaluation and documentation of competency

Training is not complete until the operator has been evaluated. The evaluation should be practical, structured, and based on the tasks the operator will perform.

Even where online learning or simulation is used, it does not replace the practical, hands-on evaluation on the employer’s own equipment. The operator still needs to demonstrate competency on the telehandler, attachments, and work conditions that apply at that site.

A trainer or qualified evaluator should observe the operator completing key tasks and record the results. The assessment should cover both safe actions and unsafe habits that require correction.

Important evaluation items include:

• Inspection skills
• Control use
• Travel and steering
• Load handling
• Load chart application
• Attachment selection
• Boom movement
• Set-up and positioning
• Communication with nearby workers
• Parking and shutdown
• Response to site hazards

The employer should retain records showing:

• Operator name
• Training date
• Equipment type and model
• Attachments used during training
• Theory test result
• Practical evaluation result
• Evaluator name and signature
• Corrective coaching provided
• Certificate issue date and review date

In Manitoba, the employer is responsible for issuing the operator certificate after ensuring the worker has received instruction, training, and testing in accordance with the applicable requirements. A certificate should be supported by complete records, not treated as a replacement for training.

How CSA B335 alignment supports compliance

The current recognized baseline for lift truck operator training is CSA B335:25, released in May 2025. It replaced CSA B335-15 and provides the current framework employers should use when reviewing telehandler training expectations.

For telehandler operations, an aligned program should connect classroom knowledge with hands-on operation and a documented competency assessment.

CSA B335:25 is also important because it recognizes online learning and virtual reality simulation for instruction and evaluation in Clause 6.1.2. That can support theory delivery and skills development, especially where employers need flexible scheduling. However, simulation does not replace practical testing in the workplace. Operators still need a hands-on evaluation on the employer’s own machine, with the actual attachments, hazards, and work conditions they will face.

The updated standard also strengthens risk assessment expectations. That matters for telehandler work because capacity, ground conditions, travel routes, attachments, blind spots, and nearby workers can all change the level of risk from one site to the next.

Clause 7.2 also expects trainers to retrain at three-year intervals. Employers should make sure the person delivering or overseeing the training stays current with the standard, equipment changes, and evaluation methods.

Alignment should be visible in the course content. It should not be used as a label without showing what the operator learned and how performance was tested.

Employers should confirm that their operator training program addresses:

• The specific type of equipment
• Manufacturer operating instructions
• Stability and capacity
• Load charts
• Attachments
• Workplace hazards
• Practical operation
• Competency testing
• Training records
• Site-specific risk assessment

Employers should also review their procedures when there is an incident, near miss, unsafe operating behaviour, major equipment change, new attachment, or significant change in the work environment. A refresher or new evaluation may be needed before the operator returns to the task.

Why onsite training reduces downtime and equipment damage

Sending employees away for training can create scheduling problems. It may require travel, shift changes, replacement workers, and time away from the equipment.

For Manitoba employers planning telehandler work on larger commercial, industrial, or institutional projects, the regulatory timeline also matters now. M.R. 26/2026 was registered on March 20, 2026 and comes into force on April 1, 2027. It removes the construction site safety exemption for commercial, industrial, or institutional construction and renovation sites with more than 25 workers on site at any one time or buildings over 600 m2 or more than three storeys. It also adds prime contractor duties under section 4.7. For telehandler work on larger sites, employers and project leaders should plan for this now instead of waiting for 2027.

Onsite training reduces these challenges by bringing the trainer to the workplace. Operators can train on the equipment they actually use, while the trainer can work around production schedules and site demands.

Benefits include:

• Less travel and lost work time
• Training on the employer’s actual equipment
• Practical evaluation in real site conditions
• Faster identification of unsafe habits
• Better understanding of company procedures
• Fewer equipment transfers and scheduling delays
• Clear records for audits and internal reviews

Onsite delivery also helps protect revenue. A focused heavy equipment operator training session can improve safe work habits while reducing the risk of dropped loads, contact damage, tire damage, and avoidable repairs.

Where a company also needs training for other powered equipment, its forklift training program can be scheduled as part of a broader workplace training plan. Each equipment type still requires appropriate instruction and evaluation.

A practical certification checklist for employers

Before allowing an employee to operate a telehandler, confirm that:

• The operator completed telehandler-specific theory training.
• The operator received hands-on instruction.
• The equipment and attachments were identified.
• Load chart use was reviewed and tested.
• Site hazards and safe work procedures were discussed.
• A practical evaluation was completed.
• Results were documented and signed.
• The employer issued the certificate after competency was confirmed.
• Records are available for review.
• A refresher or re-evaluation date is tracked.

Recent Manitoba enforcement examples show why this matters. On March 27, 2026, Manitoba Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures was convicted after a 2022 fatal ATV rollover, with three Workplace Safety and Health Regulation contraventions and a $100,000 fine. Earlier, on January 27, 2026, Wintec Building Services Inc. was convicted and fined $50,000, plus $20,000 to the safety education fund. These cases were not telehandler incidents, but they still show the same pattern: when operator instruction, safe work procedures, and documentation are weak or missing, the cost can be much higher than the price of proper training.

Many employers use a three-year review cycle for operator certification. That approach also fits the current expectation in CSA B335:25 for trainer retraining intervals. Earlier retraining may be appropriate after an incident, unsafe operation, equipment change, or extended period away from the machine.

Final takeaway

In 2026, zoom boom certification should be treated as a complete process: instruction, practical training, evaluation, and documentation. Operators need to understand the machine’s stability, load charts, attachments, rough terrain hazards, and workplace procedures.

A certificate is most useful when it proves that the operator was trained and tested on the equipment they are expected to use. Onsite delivery makes that process easier to schedule, more relevant to the workplace, and less disruptive to operations.

Contact Onsite Equipment Training to book your certification program.