Utility vehicle access control: a code or a card to start, and no shared keys.
A Start-Manager unit wired in place of the key keeps an industrial utility vehicle switched off until an operator enters a code or presents a card. The SM101 is $550.00CA$778.47 a vehicle, and the SM301, which adds the daily check, is $865.00CA$1,224.32. No monthly fee.
What OSHA says about each
29 CFR 1910.178A utility vehicle and a vehicle built as a golf car can look alike, and many sites call both golf carts, but OSHA treats them differently. Whether the forklift rule applies depends on what the vehicle was designed to do, and OSHA has answered both questions in letters of interpretation.
Utility vehicles that carry material
OSHA answered that the forklift rule, 29 CFR 1910.178, applies to an electric vehicle designed to carry both people and equipment, such as welding equipment. The rule covers specialized industrial trucks built to carry, push or pull material.
Training and the daily examination apply to these vehicles. Give codes and cards only to trained operators, and the SM301 asks the utility vehicle questions before it starts.
Vehicles built as golf cars
OSHA answered that golf cars are, by design, recreational vehicles and exempt from 1910.178, even when they haul freight around a worksite. It is the design of the vehicle, not what a site calls it or how it is used, that decides.
Where no rule asks for a daily check, the vehicle can still start only for the people you choose, and the SM301 can still ask questions if you want them.
The daily examination
Every truck the rule covers 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 questions on its own screen, and the vehicle will not start until they are answered. Each answer is kept in the web portal with the operator’s name.
Read the rule itself at osha.gov, 29 CFR 1910.178 . The rule and both letters are summarized as they read on 16 October 2026. This is not legal advice, and rules outside the United States differ.
No key to lend. Twelve questions before it moves.
A key left in a vehicle starts it for anyone. With a Start-Manager unit in place of the key, each operator has their own code or card, and a code can be taken away without changing a lock.
The SM301 adds a screen that asks the inspection questions at the start of a shift, before the vehicle will start. If a question fails, the vehicle can stay locked until a supervisor releases it, or the failure can simply be recorded: you choose.
See the SM301- 01Fluid leaks: brake, hydraulic, engine and transmission
- 02Fluid levels
- 03Battery: water level, corrosion, sulfation, leaks
- 04Tires: chunking, cracks, flat spots, wear, debris
- 05Visible damage: frame, loading bed, side panels, lights, seats
- 06Safety devices: back-up alarm, strobes, warning lights, seat belt, grab bars, steps
- 07Cab, bed and passenger area: damage or excessive wear
- 08Name and capacity plate legible and correct
- 09Gauges, dashboard lights and hour meter working
- 10Brakes: main and parking
- 11Drive controls: forward and reverse, indicators, steering
- 12Safe to operate for your shift
Each one is answered pass or fail on the unit, in random order. The standard set is adequate for a utility vehicle; it is better still to adjust it to your own standards, in the web portal, for one vehicle or a group.
Two ways to fit a vehicle
Published pricesIf you only need to control who drives, the SM101 does that. If you also want the daily check done on the vehicle and a record of it, that is the SM301.
SM101
$550.00CA$778.47A keypad and card reader in place of the key. The vehicle 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 vehicle
SM301
$865.00CA$1,224.32The same keypad and card reader, with a screen that asks the inspection questions before the vehicle will start.
The 12 utility vehicle 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 vehicle. To try the SM301 on one vehicle, the Introductory Offer is $915.00CA$1,295.09 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
The voltage
Both units run on 12 to 48 volts DC. Most electric utility vehicles and carts run at 36 or 48 volts, which is inside that range. A 72-volt vehicle is outside it. Before you order, send the make, the model and the voltage, and we will confirm how the unit is fitted.
Where it goes
The unit mounts on the dashboard, near the key switch. Utility vehicles on an industrial site mostly work indoors. One that works outside needs the unit kept out of direct rain, snow and sun, which usually means an enclosed cab.
Wi-Fi, for the SM301
The SM301 uses your own 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi to reach the web portal. A vehicle that spends the day outdoors does not need to be connected: the unit keeps every check and sends them when it is back in range, such as where the vehicles are parked or charged. The SM101 needs no Wi-Fi.
What it is not
Both units decide who can start the vehicle, and the SM301 records the daily check. Neither tracks where the vehicle is, limits its speed or detects people nearby.
Questions about utility vehicles
Does OSHA’s forklift rule cover our golf carts?
It depends on what the vehicle was built as. Many sites call their industrial utility vehicles golf carts, and a utility vehicle designed to carry material is covered (see the next question). A vehicle designed as a golf car is not: in a 2011 letter OSHA said golf cars are, by design, recreational vehicles and exempt from 29 CFR 1910.178, even when used to haul freight at a worksite. OSHA added that where no standard applies, the general duty clause can, and that a manufacturer’s recommendations can be relevant to it.
Does it cover our utility vehicles?
It depends on how the vehicle is designed, not how you use it. In a 2023 letter OSHA said the rule applies to an electric vehicle designed to carry both people and equipment, because it is built to carry, push or pull material. If you are unsure about a particular vehicle, ask the maker or your safety advisor.
Will it work on our 72-volt vehicle?
No. Both units take 12 to 48 volts DC, so a 72-volt system is outside their range. A 36- or 48-volt vehicle is inside it. Send the make, the model and the voltage and we will confirm the fit.
Can the vehicle switch off when the driver walks away?
On the SM301, the SMTR100 Seat Timer ($155.00CA$219.39) shuts the unit off, and with it the vehicle, a set time after the operator leaves. It works from the vehicle’s seat switch on a sit-down vehicle, a deadman switch on a stand-up one, or the tiller arm on a walk-behind or ride-on electric pallet truck, where the vehicle has one. A utility vehicle with a seat switch can use it. It needs a 12-volt signal to the device and from that switch, so tell us about the vehicle first.
SM301 or SM101?
The SM101 controls who can start the vehicle, 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 vehicle. 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 vehicle after an accident.
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.
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$176.93. The one thing with a monthly fee is smIntegration, the optional link to your own software, and sales quotes that.
Tell us about your vehicles.
Call us 1-800-674-9320, send the make, model and voltage, or see the system in an online demo.