Forklift access control in Canada, made in Canada and priced in Canadian dollars.
Start-Manager is based in Kitchener, Ontario. A unit wired in place of the key keeps a lift truck switched off until an operator enters a code or presents a card. The SM101 is $550.00CA$775.34 a truck, and the SM301, which adds the circle check, is $865.00CA$1,219.39. No monthly fee.
What Ontario asks for
O. Reg. 851, s. 51Ontario’s rules for lift trucks are in Regulation 851, Industrial Establishments, which treats a lift truck as a lifting device. Ontario’s guideline on powered lift trucks explains how the province reads them.
A competent operator
The truck operator has to be a competent person: someone with the knowledge, training and experience for the work. Ontario’s guideline says employers should keep a record of who is competent to operate lift trucks, and on which class of truck.
Each operator gets their own code or card, so only the people you have assessed can start the truck. The web portal holds each operator’s training expiry and emails two weeks before it runs out.
The circle check
Among the skills an operator should have, the guideline lists a pre-operational check: a visual inspection of the truck and its attachments, using a checklist provided by the employer, before the truck is used.
The SM301 asks the checklist on its own screen, and the truck will not start until it is answered. Each answer is kept in the web portal with the operator’s name.
The yearly examination
A lifting device is thoroughly examined by a competent person, before it is first used and at least once a year, to check it can handle its rated load, with a permanent record signed by that person. Ontario’s guideline applies this to lift trucks.
That examination is a job for a competent person, not a device. The SM301 keeps the daily checks between examinations, and has a built-in hour meter for trucks serviced by hours.
Read Regulation 851 and Ontario’s lift truck guideline : its pages on competency , maintenance and operator skills . In British Columbia, see WorkSafeBC, Part 16 . Summarized as they read on 16 October 2026; this is not legal advice.
Canadian prices on the page. Shipped from Canada.
Visitors in Canada see every price on this site in Canadian dollars, converted at the Bank of Canada’s daily rate. Orders are charged in US dollars, so the final figure is your bank’s conversion.
Canadian orders ship from Canada, so there is no customs at all: a Canadian order pays freight and GST/HST, and none of the brokerage or temporary tariff that US orders carry. Buy online, or on a purchase order through sales.
Shipping and returns- Prices on this site
- In Canadian dollars for visitors in Canada, at the Bank of Canada rate
- What you are charged
- US dollars; your bank or card converts
- Freight
- $45.00CA$63.44 a unit; accessories ride free with a unit
- Tax
- GST/HST at your province’s rate, worked out at checkout
- Customs, brokerage and tariff
- None: Canadian orders ship from Canada
- Shipping time
- Usually 2 to 3 days for 20 units or fewer
Two ways to fit a truck
Published pricesIf you only need to control who drives, the SM101 does that. If you also want the circle check done on the truck and a record of it, that is the SM301.
SM101
$550.00CA$775.34A keypad and card reader in place of the key. The truck starts for the codes and cards you add, and for nobody else.
A 4-digit code or a 125 kHz card or fob
250 codes and 100 cards on the unit
No screen, no Wi-Fi, no records
Codes added and removed at the truck
SM301
$865.00CA$1,219.39The same keypad and card reader, with a screen that asks the inspection questions before the truck will start.
Standard question sets for each type of truck, or your own
A lockout after a failed check, until a supervisor releases it
Every check in the web portal with the operator’s name
Training expiry in the portal, with an email two weeks before
Last operator search after an accident
Each unit is bought once, for each truck. To try the SM301 on one truck, the Introductory Offer is $915.00CA$1,289.88 with the mounting bracket, four key fobs and a year of unlimited report storage. See the Introductory Offer.
Pricing is in US dollars.Prices in Canadian dollars are estimates; orders are charged in US dollars. Does not include freight, taxes, duty or installation. Full price includes cost of hardware, licensing fees, full use of US based web portal (smPortal) & tools (smConsole, smHealth, etc.)
Questions from Canadian buyers
Does Ontario require a daily forklift inspection?
Regulation 851 requires a thorough examination by a competent person before a lift truck is first used and at least once a year, with a signed permanent record. Day to day, Ontario’s lift truck guideline lists a pre-operational circle check, using a checklist provided by the employer, among the skills an operator should have. The guideline does not replace the law and is not legal advice.
What about other provinces?
Rules differ by province. In British Columbia, WorkSafeBC’s regulation says that before mobile equipment is first operated on a shift, the operator must inspect it, and defects reported are kept on record for at least two years. Check the rules where your trucks work.
Do the standard questions suit a Canadian site?
Yes. The SM301’s standard question sets follow the daily examination in OSHA’s forklift guidelines, and Canadian standards, regulated by each province’s ministry of labour, recognize OSHA’s guidelines. The questions can also be changed in the web portal to match the checklist you use.
Are the prices in Canadian dollars?
Visitors in Canada see prices in Canadian dollars, converted from the US price at the Bank of Canada’s daily rate. Orders are charged in US dollars, so the final figure depends on your bank or card. The switch beside the price shows either currency.
What does a Canadian order add to the price?
Freight is $45.00CA$63.44 a unit, with accessories free when they ship with a unit. GST/HST is added at checkout at your province’s rate. Canadian orders ship from Canada, so there is no customs, brokerage or tariff; those are for US orders.
Are the units made in Canada?
Yes. Start-Manager is based in Kitchener, Ontario, and its units are made in Canada.
Is it available in French?
Yes. The unit on the truck shows its questions and messages in French now, and Spanish is coming soon.The web portal and this website are in English. Google's translation, in Chrome or Google Translate, can show them in French; that translation is Google's, not ours.
Can we buy on a purchase order, or through a dealer?
Yes to both. Businesses can buy on a purchase order or invoice, arranged with sales rather than on the website. Dealers buy through our sales team as well, so if you already work with a forklift dealer, ask them, or ask us.
Who installs it?
Start-Manager does not install units. A dealer technician or your own maintenance department does it, and we send installation documents after the order and give technical support for the installation.
Is there a monthly fee?
No. smPortal, smConsole and smHealth have no fees with the purchase of an SM301, and the SM101 needs nothing beyond the unit. SM301 report data is kept for 3 months; unlimited storage for the life of the unit is a one-time $125.00CA$176.21. The one thing with a monthly fee is smIntegration, the optional link to your own software, and sales quotes that.
Tell us about your fleet.
Call us 1-800-674-9320, ask for a quote, or see the system in an online demo.