Pallet jack access control: walkies start only for trained operators.
A Start-Manager unit wired in place of the key keeps a powered pallet jack switched off until an operator enters a code or presents a card. The SM101 is $550.00CA$784.47 a truck, and the SM301, which adds the daily check, is $865.00CA$1,233.75. No monthly fee.
What the rule asks for
29 CFR 1910.178A walkie is small, slow and easy to use, so it is easy to treat it as something anyone can drive. OSHA’s forklift rule does not. It covers trucks controlled by a walking operator as well as ridden ones. And OSHA’s woodworking eTool lists what goes wrong with hand and electric jacks: backing into walls, running over feet, and running into other workers at freezer doors.
Walkies are covered
The rule covers motorized hand trucks powered by an electric motor or an engine. That takes in powered pallet jacks, walkies and walkie/riders. A manual pallet jack has no motor and is outside it.
The SM301 and the SM101 go on powered trucks. Each is wired in place of the key, so the truck has no other way to start.
Who may drive one
Nobody operates a truck, except while being trained, until they are trained and evaluated on the types of truck they will drive. An operator assigned to a different type of truck gets refresher training.
Each operator gets their own code or card. A forklift driver who has not been trained on walkies can be kept off them.
The daily examination
Every truck is examined before it is placed in service, at least daily, and after each shift where trucks run around the clock. A truck with a condition that affects its safety does not go into service.
The SM301 asks the walkie questions on its own screen, and the truck will not start until they are answered.
Read the rule itself at osha.gov, 29 CFR 1910.178 , and OSHA’s classes of trucks , where walkie pallet trucks are Class III. The paragraphs above are summarized from the rule as it read on 14 October 2026. Rules outside the United States differ.
A code or a card to start it. Twelve questions before it moves.
The SM301 is a keypad and card reader with its own screen. The walkie stays off until an operator it knows signs in, and at the start of a shift it asks the inspection questions before the truck will start. Each answer is kept in the web portal with the operator’s name.
If a question fails, the truck can stay locked until a supervisor releases it, or the failure can simply be recorded: you choose.
See the SM301- 01Load wheels and tires: chunking, cracks, flat spots, wear, debris
- 02Forks and attachments: bends or cracks
- 03Visible damage, broken lights, strobes or back-up alarm
- 04Fluid leaks and levels
- 05Horn working
- 06Brakes working
- 07Battery: water level, corrosion, sulfation, leaks
- 08Load backrest: bends, cracks, broken welds, missing bolts
- 09Hand guard: bends or cracks
- 10Capacity plate legible and correct
- 11Drive controls working
- 12Safe to operate for your shift
Each one is answered pass or fail on the unit, in random order. Change them in the web portal, for one truck or for a group.
Two ways to fit a walkie
Published pricesIf you only need to control who drives, the SM101 does that. If you also want the daily check done on the truck and a record of it, that is the SM301.
SM101
$550.00CA$784.47A 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$1,233.75The same keypad and card reader, with a screen that asks the walkie questions before the truck will start.
The 12 walkie questions, 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 walkie, the Introductory Offer is $915.00CA$1,305.06 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.)
What to know before you buy
Tell us about the truck
Before you order, send the make, the model and the battery voltage, and we will confirm how the unit is fitted. Both units run on 12 to 48 volts DC and are usually wired into the key switch harness, replacing the key.
Room to mount it
Walkies have less room than a forklift. The SM301 is 4 by 4.25 by 1 inch, and the SM101 is 4 by 4 by 3/4 inch. Tell us where on the truck you want it and we will say whether the mounting bracket fits.
Wi-Fi, for the SM301
The SM301 uses your own 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi to reach the web portal. It does not have to be connected all the time: it keeps every check until it is back in range. The SM101 needs no Wi-Fi.
What it is not
Both units decide who can start the truck, and the SM301 records the daily check. Neither limits speed or detects people in the aisle.
Questions about pallet jacks
Do walkie operators need forklift training?
They need training and an evaluation on the trucks they drive. OSHA’s rule, 29 CFR 1910.178, covers motorized hand trucks, and its training paragraph, (l), applies to every truck it covers. OSHA lists walkie pallet trucks among the trucks in its Class III. Training on a sit-down forklift does not automatically cover a walkie: the training has to cover the types of truck the operator will be authorized to drive.
What about manual pallet jacks?
The forklift rule covers trucks powered by an electric motor or an engine, so a manual pallet jack is outside it. There is also nothing on one to lock: access control is for powered trucks.
SM301 or SM101?
The SM101 controls who can start the truck, by code or card, and nothing more. It has no screen and no Wi-Fi, keeps no records, and its codes are added by hand at each truck. The SM301 adds the daily check on its own screen, the web portal, every operator’s training expiry, and a last operator search for finding who was on the truck after an accident.
What happens when a question fails?
On the SM301 you choose. The truck can stay locked until a supervisor releases it, or the failure can simply be recorded. Either way it appears in the web portal with the operator’s name on it.
Can the same system go on our forklifts?
Yes. Both units work on forklifts, powered pallet trucks, scissor lifts, utility vehicles, stationary machinery and overhead cranes. On the SM301 each type has its own question set, and they all report to the same web portal.
How many operators can one truck have?
The SM301 holds up to 1,000 codes and cards combined, and the web portal has no limit on operators. The SM101 holds 250 codes and 100 cards.
Who installs it?
Start-Manager does not install units. Your own maintenance department or a contractor 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$178.29. The one thing with a monthly fee is smIntegration, the optional link to your own software, and sales quotes that.
Tell us about your walkies.
Call us 1-800-674-9320, send the make, model and battery voltage, or see the system in an online demo.