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Reach drivers are harder to find than counterbalance drivers around Solihull, and the rate reflects it. WSUK places reach drivers at sites near Solihull and tells you the aisle width and racking height before you accept, not after.
Reach truck jobs around Solihull involve putting pallets away into high racking and letting them down to replenish the pick face, working aisles too narrow for a counterbalance. Sites near Solihull want a current accredited reach certificate and normally real hours at height. WSUK places reach drivers around Solihull at £13.50—£15.50 an hour, more on nights, paid weekly through PAYE, with no fee to you.
Solihull blends corporate parkland with heavyweight logistics and manufacturing. Birmingham Business Park and Blythe Valley Park draw distribution, tech and supply-chain operations, while Jaguar Land Rover's Lode Lane plant anchors a deep automotive network that pulls in just-in-time warehousing and component distribution. The M42 at Junctions 4 to 6 links to the M40, M6 and Birmingham Airport, and nearby Hams Hall Distribution Park at Coleshill adds rail-served, large-format fulfilment within easy reach. Cranmore and Midpoint estates round out a mix of 3PL, e-commerce and production. With BHX cargo, automotive supply chains and regional distribution all overlapping, Solihull generates broad and often specialised demand for forklift drivers and warehouse operatives across B90, B91, B92 and B93.
Automotive supply chains and airport-linked logistics run to tight schedules, so gaps in the warehouse cannot wait. Solihull employers turn to WSUK for temporary pickers, packers, loaders, goods-in and goods-out operatives and counterbalance, reach and PPT forklift drivers who slot straight into demanding operations. We vet and right-to-work check every worker, handle PAYE payroll and manage working-time compliance, so line-side feeds and fulfilment stay on time. Whether you need cover for absence, a launch, a model changeover or a seasonal surge, we supply the right people quickly and scale the crew up or down as production and order volumes shift.
Reach is a precision job more than a heavy one. Most of the difficulty is height, aisle discipline and working cleanly around pickers on foot.
Taking pallets from the goods-in marshalling area up into the racking, and bringing them back down to replenish the pick face. The bulk of most reach shifts.
Working at height in racking that commonly runs 8—12m and beyond. Placing a pallet cleanly on a top beam is the skill sites are actually paying for.
Narrow aisles mean working close to people on foot. Sites run strict segregation rules and will induct you on theirs before you drive.
From Birmingham Business Park to the JLR supply chain, Solihull employers rely on WSUK for temporary warehouse and forklift cover that keeps schedules intact. We know the M42 Junctions 4 to 6 corridor, the automotive and airport logistics that shape local demand and the B90 to B93 estates, so we place vetted operatives and FLT drivers fast, from one reach driver to a full shift.
A current accredited reach certificate is the baseline. Beyond that, most sites want evidence that you have real hours on a reach rather than a ticket taken years ago and never used, because placing a pallet on a top beam is a skill that fades. Expect a short practical assessment on your first shift and a familiarisation on the site layout, aisle widths and racking heights. If your ticket has lapsed we can usually sort a refresher.
Indicative PAYE rates as a guide — actual pay varies by shift, experience and site, with premiums for nights, weekends and bank holidays. Every rate we advertise is at or above the National Living Wage.
| Role | Indicative pay |
|---|---|
| Reach Truck Driver (days) | £13.50–£15.00 / hr |
| Reach Truck Driver (nights) | £14.00–£15.50 / hr |
| Reach & Counterbalance (dual) | £14.00–£16.00 / hr |
| VNA / High-Level Driver | £14.00–£16.50 / hr |
| Warehouse Team Leader | £14.50–£18.00 / hr |
Reach work suits experienced forklift drivers who are comfortable at height and want the better end of warehouse rates without moving into transport.
Reach drivers get asked to cover counterbalance work at the counterbalance rate all the time. We book you as a reach driver and pay you as one.
From application to your first shift, with the checks and the payroll handled for you.
Tell us your licence, tickets and which shifts you can actually work.
A named consultant calls within 2 working hours to talk through what fits.
Right-to-work, references and the site induction handled before you start.
Start on shift, then paid weekly through PAYE with holiday accrued.
It varies a lot. Modern distribution sheds near Solihull commonly run somewhere around 8—12m, while older units are lower. Because beam height changes the job considerably, we give you the actual figure for a specific site before you accept the shift.
Some. Chilled and frozen sites around Solihull run reach trucks the same way ambient sites do, but the conditions and the PPE are different and the rate usually reflects it. We always flag whether a role is ambient, chilled or frozen before you accept.
Putting pallets away into high racking and bringing them down again, in aisles too narrow for a counterbalance. The mast reaches forward over the stabilising legs, which is what lets the truck work aisles of roughly 2.7—3.2m and lift well above the height a counterbalance manages.
Typically £13.50—£15.00 an hour on days and £14.00—£15.50 on nights. Drivers who hold reach and counterbalance and can be used on both usually sit at £14.00—£16.00, and VNA work pays more again.
Yes. Forklift training is truck-specific, so a counterbalance certificate does not cover you for reach. You need an accredited reach certificate from a body such as RTITB, ITSSAR, AITT or NPORS, plus a familiarisation on the site's own trucks.
WSUK serves employers across the Golden Triangle. Explore our other locations.
Tell us your ticket and the heights you have worked around Solihull. We will reply within 2 working hours.