Dock loader vs forklift operator

The differences between dock loaders and forklift operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a forklift operator has an average salary of $34,213, which is higher than the $33,639 average annual salary of a dock loader.

The top three skills for a dock loader include pallet jack, pallets and basic math. The most important skills for a forklift operator are pallets, basic math, and electric pallet jack.

Dock loader vs forklift operator overview

	Dock Loader	Forklift Operator
Yearly salary	$33,639	$34,213
Hourly rate	$16.17	$16.45
Growth rate	6%	7%
Number of jobs	38,856	213,020
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 56%	High School Diploma, 59%
Average age	41	43
Years of experience	-	4

Dock loader vs forklift operator salary

Dock loaders and forklift operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Dock Loader	Forklift Operator
Average salary	$33,639	$34,213
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $38,000	Between $27,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	-	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	-	North Dakota
Best paying company	-	DeWitt LLP Law Firm
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between dock loader and forklift operator education

There are a few differences between a dock loader and a forklift operator in terms of educational background:

	Dock Loader	Forklift Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 56%	High School Diploma, 59%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Dock loader vs forklift operator demographics

Here are the differences between dock loaders' and forklift operators' demographics:

	Dock Loader	Forklift Operator
Average age	41	43
Gender ratio	Male, 93.8% Female, 6.2%	Male, 92.0% Female, 8.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 4.1% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%	Black or African American, 16.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 2.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	3%	4%

Differences between dock loader and forklift operator duties and responsibilities

Dock loader example responsibilities.

Receive and organize shipments and place pallets in designate warehouse areas.
Load orders into trailers for shipment; coordinate cross-dock operations and load consolidations.
Mow lawn, run errands, advise customers, and assist in loading and unloading the boats.

Forklift operator example responsibilities.

Use automate systems and RF units to pull, put away and load customer product, in addition to managing inventory
Position forks under, over, or around load pallets, boxes, products, and transports load to designate area.
Transport raw materials to storage or point of production base on FIFO.
Remove press parts from line and place into WIP locations by FIFO.
Perform safety checks on machines; and troubleshoot problems during machine operation.
Start working as an order selector picking orders and wrapping for shipment.

Dock loader vs forklift operator skills

Common dock loader skills

Pallet Jack, 29%
Pallets, 24%
Basic Math, 10%
Cycle Counts, 7%
Safety Standards, 6%
Delivery Truck, 3%

Common forklift operator skills

Pallets, 18%
Basic Math, 6%
Electric Pallet Jack, 5%
OSHA, 5%
Safety Procedures, 5%
Load Trucks, 4%

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Transportation Industry
Dock Loader
Dock Loader vs Forklift Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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