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Almost every site around Solihull 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 Solihull on weekly PAYE pay.
Counterbalance FLT jobs around Solihull cover loading and unloading trailers, devanning containers, block stacking and moving stock around a yard. Sites near Solihull want a current accredited counterbalance certificate (RTITB, ITSSAR, AITT or NPORS), normally refreshed within the last three years. WSUK places counterbalance drivers around Solihull at £13.00—£15.00 an hour, 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.
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.
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 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 Solihull the shifts tend to involve more hand-balling alongside the driving. We will tell you the split before you accept.
Both exist near Solihull. 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 Solihull and reply within 2 working hours.