Electric fork operator vs driver/material handler

The differences between electric fork operators and driver/material handlers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an electric fork operator and a driver/material handler. Additionally, a driver/material handler has an average salary of $36,219, which is higher than the $32,251 average annual salary of an electric fork operator.

The top three skills for an electric fork operator include unload materials, and . The most important skills for a driver/material handler are CDL, customer orders, and inventory control.

Electric fork operator vs driver/material handler overview

	Electric Fork Operator	Driver/Material Handler
Yearly salary	$32,251	$36,219
Hourly rate	$15.51	$17.41
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	41,349	198,718
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	High School Diploma, 53%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	4	4

Electric fork operator vs driver/material handler salary

Electric fork operators and driver/material handlers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Electric Fork Operator	Driver/Material Handler
Average salary	$32,251	$36,219
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $37,000	Between $28,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	-	Santa Clara, CA
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Merck
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between electric fork operator and driver/material handler education

There are a few differences between an electric fork operator and a driver/material handler in terms of educational background:

	Electric Fork Operator	Driver/Material Handler
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	High School Diploma, 53%
Most common major	Supply Chain Management	Business
Most common college	-	-

Electric fork operator vs driver/material handler demographics

Here are the differences between electric fork operators' and driver/material handlers' demographics:

	Electric Fork Operator	Driver/Material Handler
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 100.0% Female, 0.0%	Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 20.3% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 23.2% Asian, 1.8% White, 49.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 15.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 2.6% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between electric fork operator and driver/material handler duties and responsibilities

Electric fork operator example responsibilities.

Operate heavy machinery such as bobcat equipment and also operate and pave asphalt perform demolition work.
Move inventory in support of logistics management.

Driver/material handler example responsibilities.

Manage temporary staff doing warehouse work and train and test them in order to receive forklift certification per OSHA.
Load and unload LTL freight from inbound and outbound trailers.
Operate forklifts in transferring loading and unloading materials in LTL.
Pick and audit hazmat and international orders.
Handle emergency hazmat situations requiring quick decision making skills.
Stack and move pallets from different lines with different products documenting quantity and quality while participating in a team environment.

Electric fork operator vs driver/material handler skills

Common electric fork operator skills

Unload Materials, 100%

Common driver/material handler skills

CDL, 21%
Customer Orders, 11%
Inventory Control, 9%
Customer Service, 9%
Safety Rules, 7%
Pallets, 6%

Electric Fork Operator vs. similar jobs

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Transportation Industry
Electric Fork Operator
Electric Fork Operator vs Driver/Material Handler

Updated January 8, 2025

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