A steering drive for an industrial truck, comprising a steered wheel which is rotatably supported about a horizontal axis in a bearing component wherein the bearing component is pivotally supported about a vertical axis and has a ring gear, and a steering motor which drives a pinion meshing with the ring gear, wherein the ring gear or pinion has a circumferential groove in which a ring-shaped absorbing member of a resilient material is received so that the teeth of the pinion or ring gear get into engagement with the absorbing member.