A speed zone is a defined area of a facility, such as a pedestrian crossing, dock or busy aisle, where forklifts must travel below a set speed, enforced by signs, training or automatic speed control.
OSHA 1910.178 requires drivers to observe authorized plant speed limits and to operate at a speed that lets the truck stop safely. Speed zones put that into practice by setting lower limits where people and trucks mix. Enforcement can be manual, with signs, floor markings and supervision, or automatic: a zone marker, location system or geofence tells the truck where it is, and on compatible forklifts the controller reduces top speed until the truck leaves the zone.
Automatic zones only work on trucks that accept a speed command through the CAN bus or a speed-control interface, so older or mixed fleets may need different solutions per truck. Zones that are too wide or too slow frustrate drivers and invite workarounds; zones that are too narrow miss the hazard. Set them from where people actually walk and where near misses cluster, and check after layout changes. The zone-based speed control post covers the technology and deployment steps.