Drum operator vs material handler/forklift operator

The differences between drum operators and material handler/forklift operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a drum operator has an average salary of $37,684, which is higher than the $36,453 average annual salary of a material handler/forklift operator.

The top three skills for a drum operator include quality products, quality checks and computer system. The most important skills for a material handler/forklift operator are pallets, safety procedures, and electric pallet jack.

Drum operator vs material handler/forklift operator overview

	Drum Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Yearly salary	$37,684	$36,453
Hourly rate	$18.12	$17.53
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	29,763	168,379
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 59%
Average age	46	43
Years of experience	-	4

Drum operator vs material handler/forklift operator salary

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

	Drum Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Average salary	$37,684	$36,453
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $47,000	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 drum operator and material handler/forklift operator education

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

	Drum Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 59%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Drum operator vs material handler/forklift operator demographics

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

	Drum Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Average age	46	43
Gender ratio	Male, 95.1% Female, 4.9%	Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 3.2% Hispanic or Latino, 24.1% Asian, 6.7% White, 54.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	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	10%	4%

Differences between drum operator and material handler/forklift operator duties and responsibilities

Drum operator example responsibilities.

Use automate systems and RF units to pull, put away and load customer product, in addition to managing inventory
Maintain a clean and safe work environment by way of proper PPE's and prompt clean up of any chemical spills.
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.
Operate rotory feed dryer to convert wetcake and corn syrup to animal feed.
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.

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.

Drum operator vs material handler/forklift operator skills

Common drum operator skills

Quality Products, 90%
Quality Checks, 6%
Computer System, 4%

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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Drum Operator
Drum Operator vs Material Handler/Forklift Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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