Earning Our Telehandler Certification Using Genie Lift Pro Training

Raising the Standards

A larger effort is needed to create a skilled workforce with employment potential in the construction industry. That’s our job here at Compact Equipment — to educate the construction workforce — so when the aerial lift experts at Genie asked us to get certified to operate telehandlers in hopes that our readership might do the same, we jumped at the chance to become operational experts ourselves.

Genie is doing its best to make certification increasingly convenient for us gear heads. Genie Lift Pro Training is an awesomely accessible online training course that only takes about four hours to complete online and then is matched with a hands-on training course at a dealer. Learn your load charts, equipment terminology, maintenance routines, machine features, operational best practices and way more. I write about telehandlers all the time, but after taking this course, I realized how much I didn’t know about these all-terrain, high-reach machines.

“When you walk out of here today you’ll have your own telehandler operator card which is valid for three years, and you should be pretty proud of that,” explained Scott Owyen, training manager with Genie, speaking at a press event outside of Seattle. “After online training, there are two things that need to take place to ensure you become a qualified operator — you need to receive the hands-on training, which is what we’re going to do today, and then familiarization on the machine [brand and model] that you’ll be operating. Your card is good for three years, and in North America telehandler operators need to be revaluated every three years. You don’t have to go through training again. You just have to have someone re-evaluate your performance on a machine.”

Genie invited Compact Equipment to get certified using its all-new 6,000-lb capacity GTH-636 telehandler (launched at the event). This machine is right-sized and powerful, delivering all of the performance of a full-sized machine in a compact package. Rather than detuning its 8,000-lb telehandler, Genie optimized the structure in the boom and the chassis, dropping the weight of the machine to under 20,000 lbs.

“The common practice in the industry is when you want to launch a 6K telehandler, you peel off the 8K decal and you put a 6K decal on, and then use a different lift cylinder,” said Chad Hislop, director of product management at Terex Aerial Work Platforms. “This is how we designed our 642 and 636 in the past. Those were great performing machines, but the problem is they came with all the complexity of the larger engine and all the cost of the larger machine. So a rental company can only get 6K rental rates, while they’re paying for an 8K machine. We didn’t want to downsize — to put smaller tires on the machine and take down performance — but we also didn’t want to sell a 6K unit at a price that made it impossible for our customers to make money. We wanted to change that rental equation with the 636.”

By staying under 20,000 lbs, the new GTH-636 telehandler delivers full-sized performance, full-sized tires and full-sized capacity while delivering the right-sized price. With a maximum lifting height of 36 ft and a forward reach of 21 ft, 11 in., the telehandler offers a maximum lifting capacity of 6,000 lbs. Operating the  nimble GTH-636, this editor got hands-on certification for telehandlers.

But not only does Genie Lift Pro Training’s two-part program deliver a standardized telehandler training package, but it also offers training for aerial work platforms like scissor and boom lifts, meeting applicable ANSI, OSHA and CSA requirements. It’s a great program that’s easy to use, and we thank Genie for giving us an opportunity to get certified. And if you’re looking for a tough, tall lifting telehandler to operate on a regular basis, we definitely recommend the GTH-636.

Keith Gribbins is associate publisher of Compact Equipment, based in Brecksville, Ohio.