Forklift Operator Hire Melbourne | Bluestone Labour Group

Bluestone supplies licensed forklift operators, not forklifts. If you need a machine, that comes from an equipment hire company; we supply the people who drive it. Warehouse demand does not sit still. A distribution centre that needs four forklift operators in February needs eleven in November, and hiring permanently for the peak leaves you carrying people through the trough. Bluestone supplies licensed forklift operators to warehouses, distribution centres, manufacturing plants and transport yards across Melbourne's west, north and south east.

Forklift operation is High Risk Work in Victoria. An operator needs a current High Risk Work Licence, class LF for a forklift truck or class LO for an order picking forklift. We verify the licence and the class against the actual machine before the operator is booked, because the two are not interchangeable. Our guide to forklift licence classes explains the difference.

What we supply

Roles we fill

Most warehouse requests are not for a forklift operator alone. We supply the surrounding roles too.

Counterbalance operators

LF licence holders for general pallet movement, truck loading and unloading, and yard work.

Reach truck operators

Operators experienced in narrow aisle and high racking environments, where the skill gap is widest.

Order pickers

LO licence holders for high level order picking, plus experienced pickers working at ground level.

Pick and pack staff

Warehouse staff for picking, packing, scanning and dispatch, often booked alongside operators.

Production and assembly

Line workers for manufacturing, packaging and assembly operations.

Peak season crews

Volume placements for pre Christmas, stocktake and seasonal peaks, ramped up and wound down to your forecast.

Forklift operator moving pallets in a Melbourne warehouse

Compliance

Licence and checks before placement

A forklift licence is a legal requirement, not a preference. We verify it every time.

High Risk Work Licence

Class LF or LO, current and verified

Machine Experience

Counterbalance, reach or order picker, matched to yours

Right to Work

Visa status and work entitlement confirmed

Police Check

Standard for most warehouse and distribution clients

Site Induction Readiness

Steel caps, hi vis and PPE confirmed

WorkCover and Super

Casual employees covered from their first shift

Why Bluestone

Why warehouses use us

Licence class checked against the machine, so an LF holder is not sent to an order picker.
Volume that scales for peak and winds back without a redundancy conversation.
Casual employees on our payroll, so wages, super and WorkCover are our obligation and not yours.
Same day cover for absences, which in a warehouse is usually the whole problem.

Bluestone Labour Group holds Victorian Labour Hire Licence VICLHL11535. In Victoria it is a legal requirement for a host employer to use a licensed labour hire provider, and the obligation sits with you as well as with us.

Coverage

Where we place forklift operators

Melbourne's warehousing and distribution footprint sits in three clear pockets, and that is where our forklift and warehouse placements go.

The west carries the largest concentration, through Truganina, Laverton North, Derrimut, Altona North and Sunshine West, where most of the national distribution centres sit. The north covers Campbellfield, Somerton, Epping and Craigieburn, with strong food, manufacturing and transport demand. The south east runs through Dandenong South, Braeside, Keysborough and Hallam, where manufacturing and light industrial work dominates.

Shift patterns matter as much as location. Afternoon and night shift roles are harder to fill than day shift everywhere, so give us the shift pattern with the request rather than after we have shortlisted.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Yes, without exception. Forklift operation is High Risk Work in Victoria and requires a current licence, class LF for a forklift truck or class LO for an order picking forklift. We verify the licence and its class before the operator is booked.

Yes, and we treat it as a separate skill. A counterbalance operator is not automatically a reach truck operator. Tell us the machine and the racking height and we will place someone who has actually worked in that environment.

Yes. Seasonal ramp up is one of the most common reasons warehouses use labour hire. Give us your forecast and we will build the numbers ahead of the peak rather than scrambling in the week it starts.

Yes. Casual employees are engaged on the Bluestone payroll under the relevant Modern Award and receive superannuation and WorkCover cover from their first shift. That obligation sits with us, not with your business.

No. We supply licensed operators only. The host supplies the forklift, keeps it maintained and sets the pre start check. Tell us the machine type and capacity when you book, for example a counterbalance, reach truck or order picker, so we can match the licence class and the operator’s experience to it.

Other roles

We also supply

See all labour hire services

Guide: forklift licence classes explained, LF, LO and what your site needs.

Guide: planning warehouse labour for the peak season.

Forklift Operator Hire in Melbourne