Cooler operator vs fork truck operator

The differences between cooler operators and fork truck operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a cooler operator and a fork truck operator. Additionally, a cooler operator has an average salary of $41,007, which is higher than the $32,272 average annual salary of a fork truck operator.

The top three skills for a cooler operator include pallets, production floor and GMP. The most important skills for a fork truck operator are pallets, safety procedures, and load trucks.

Cooler operator vs fork truck operator overview

	Cooler Operator	Fork Truck Operator
Yearly salary	$41,007	$32,272
Hourly rate	$19.71	$15.52
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	42,303	117,624
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 59%	High School Diploma, 51%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	4	4

Cooler operator vs fork truck operator salary

Cooler operators and fork truck operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cooler Operator	Fork Truck Operator
Average salary	$41,007	$32,272
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $50,000	Between $26,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	-	Grand Forks, ND
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Seneca Foods
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between cooler operator and fork truck operator education

There are a few differences between a cooler operator and a fork truck operator in terms of educational background:

	Cooler Operator	Fork Truck Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 59%	High School Diploma, 51%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Cooler operator vs fork truck operator demographics

Here are the differences between cooler operators' and fork truck operators' demographics:

	Cooler Operator	Fork Truck Operator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 88.0% Female, 12.0%	Male, 87.1% Female, 12.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 15.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 2.3% White, 57.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.7% Asian, 1.9% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between cooler operator and fork truck operator duties and responsibilities

Cooler operator example responsibilities.

Use automate systems and RF units to pull, put away and load customer product, in addition to managing inventory
Maintain soap spraying on tape alignment for lubrication of tape to shingles.
Maintain tape measurement alignment, nail setting, line, headlape and priming for the production fiber glass shingles.
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.
Experience with hand scanners, electric sit down forklifts, electric power pallet jacks, and grinder.
Operate extractors and driers, or direct their operation.

Fork truck operator example responsibilities.

Create and cataloge files for GMP library.
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.

Cooler operator vs fork truck operator skills

Common cooler operator skills

Pallets, 60%
Production Floor, 26%
GMP, 14%

Common fork truck operator skills

Pallets, 19%
Safety Procedures, 10%
Load Trucks, 7%
Load Trailers, 6%
Pallet Jack, 6%
Assembly Line, 5%

Cooler Operator vs. similar jobs

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Transportation Industry
Cooler Operator
Cooler Operator vs Fork Truck Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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