Dock loader vs material handler/forklift operator

The differences between dock loaders and material handler/forklift operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a material handler/forklift operator has an average salary of $36,453, 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 material handler/forklift operator are pallets, safety procedures, and electric pallet jack.

Dock loader vs material handler/forklift operator overview

	Dock Loader	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Yearly salary	$33,639	$36,453
Hourly rate	$16.17	$17.53
Growth rate	6%	7%
Number of jobs	38,856	168,379
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 56%	High School Diploma, 59%
Average age	41	43
Years of experience	-	4

Dock loader vs material handler/forklift operator salary

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

	Dock Loader	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Average salary	$33,639	$36,453
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $38,000	Between $29,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	-	Lakeville, MN
Highest paying state	-	North Dakota
Best paying company	-	Nestlé
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between dock loader and material handler/forklift operator education

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

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

Dock loader vs material handler/forklift operator demographics

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

	Dock Loader	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Average age	41	43
Gender ratio	Male, 93.8% Female, 6.2%	Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9%
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, 16.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 2.4% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	3%	4%

Differences between dock loader and material handler/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.

Material handler/forklift operator example responsibilities.

Use automate systems and RF units to pull, put away and load customer product, in addition to managing inventory
Train in all aspects of warehousing, shipping, receiving using WMS.
Receive parts from the manufacturers and scan parts into the inventory using warehouse management system (WMS).
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.
Determine require pallet count to meet the statistical receiving requirements.
Operate tools (hand truck, fork lift, dollies, hand jack), distribute materials to their designate departments.

Dock loader vs material handler/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 material handler/forklift operator skills

Pallets, 19%
Safety Procedures, 10%
Electric Pallet Jack, 10%
Forklift Operation, 7%
RF Scanner, 6%
Assembly Line, 4%

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Dock Loader vs Material Handler/Forklift Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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