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Almost every site around Leicester that takes a delivery needs a counterbalance driver, which is what makes it the most useful ticket to hold locally. WSUK places counterbalance drivers into loading, container and yard work near Leicester on weekly PAYE pay.
Counterbalance FLT jobs around Leicester cover loading and unloading trailers, devanning containers, block stacking and moving stock around a yard. Sites near Leicester want a current accredited counterbalance certificate (RTITB, ITSSAR, AITT or NPORS), normally refreshed within the last three years. WSUK places counterbalance drivers around Leicester at £13.00—£15.00 an hour, paid weekly through PAYE, with no fee to you.
Leicester sits at the very centre of the UK logistics Golden Triangle, served by the M1 at J21 and J21A where the M69 joins, giving overnight reach to most of the population. Its warehouse ecosystem is huge and varied, spanning Meridian Business Park and Grove Park to the south, Optimus Point at Glenfield, Braunstone and the older Frog Island and Abbey Lane industrial areas. Major retail and e-commerce names run regional distribution and returns here, supported by a deep bench of 3PL contract operators. With Hinckley, Lutterworth's Magna Park, Market Harborough and Loughborough all close, plus the SEGRO East Midlands Gateway to the north, Leicester's labour market underpins one of Britain's densest concentrations of distribution and fulfilment capacity.
The sheer scale and seasonality of Leicester distribution means employers constantly need to fill temporary warehouse and forklift roles. WSUK supplies pickers, packers, goods-in and goods-out operatives, loaders, warehouse labourers and counterbalance, reach and PPT FLT drivers for peak trading, promotional surges, sickness and holiday cover and short-notice shifts. We manage vetting, right-to-work verification, PAYE payroll and working-time compliance, and we scale teams up sharply for peak then back down afterwards, so managers on Meridian, Grove Park and Optimus Point hit despatch targets without carrying permanent headcount they only need a few months a year.
Counterbalance work is the movement of goods in and out of the building rather than up into the racking. It is more varied than reach work and more of it is outdoors.
Driving into trailers and curtainsiders to load and unload, building and breaking down pallets on the bay, and working to a vehicle departure time.
Unloading shipping containers, often hand-balled onto pallets at the door and then moved by truck. Physical, and busiest at import-heavy sites and the ports.
Moving stock around a yard, block stacking where there is no racking, and feeding production or waste lines. Outdoor work in all weather, so sites provide the kit.
WSUK covers all of Leicester and its ring of estates, from Meridian Business Park and Grove Park to Optimus Point, Braunstone and Frog Island. We reach Hinckley, Lutterworth and Market Harborough the same day, supplying temporary warehouse operatives and FLT drivers to distribution, e-commerce and 3PL sites across the Golden Triangle whenever volumes climb.
A current accredited counterbalance certificate, refreshed within the last three years for most sites, plus a familiarisation on their own trucks and traffic routes. Beyond that, counterbalance roles are the easiest forklift work to get into with modest hours behind you, which makes it the sensible first ticket if you are moving up from operative work. A lot of counterbalance shifts also include some manual handling, and we will tell you when that is the case.
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 |
|---|---|
| Counterbalance FLT Driver (days) | £13.00–£14.50 / hr |
| Counterbalance FLT Driver (nights) | £13.75–£15.00 / hr |
| Container Devanning & FLT | £13.00–£14.75 / hr |
| Counterbalance & Reach (dual) | £14.00–£16.00 / hr |
| Warehouse Team Leader | £14.50–£18.00 / hr |
Counterbalance suits operatives taking their first step up, and experienced drivers who would rather be on the loading bay and in the yard than in a narrow aisle all shift.
Counterbalance is the ticket most often used as a lever to pay someone the operative rate for forklift work. We book and pay it properly.
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 depends how close you are to a port or an import-heavy distribution site. Devanning work concentrates around the container terminals and the big import sheds, and where there is a lot of it near Leicester the shifts tend to involve more hand-balling alongside the driving. We will tell you the split before you accept.
Both exist near Leicester. Loading bay work is mostly under cover, while yard moves, block stacking and external loading are outdoors in all weather. Sites issue the appropriate kit, and we will tell you which kind of shift a role actually is.
A forklift that carries the load on forks out front, balanced by a counterweight at the rear, with no outrigger legs. That design is what lets it drive directly into trailers and containers, which is why it is the truck used for loading, unloading and yard work.
For most people, yes. It is the most widely asked-for ticket because nearly every site loads or unloads vehicles, and it is the easiest forklift work to get into without a long history of hours. Reach and VNA pay more but sites are stricter about demonstrable experience.
Usually £13.00—£14.50 an hour on days and £13.75—£15.00 on nights. Drivers who also hold reach and can be used on both typically sit at £14.00—£16.00.
WSUK serves employers across the Golden Triangle. Explore our other locations.
Tell us your ticket and last refresher date. We will match you to counterbalance work around Leicester and reply within 2 working hours.