Electric fork operator vs material handler/forklift operator

The differences between electric fork operators and material handler/forklift operators 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 material handler/forklift operator. Additionally, a material handler/forklift operator has an average salary of $36,453, 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 material handler/forklift operator are pallets, safety procedures, and electric pallet jack.

Electric fork operator vs material handler/forklift operator overview

	Electric Fork Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Yearly salary	$32,251	$36,453
Hourly rate	$15.51	$17.53
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	41,349	168,379
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	High School Diploma, 59%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	4	4

Electric fork operator vs material handler/forklift operator salary

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

	Electric Fork Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Average salary	$32,251	$36,453
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $37,000	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 electric fork operator and material handler/forklift operator education

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

	Electric Fork Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	High School Diploma, 59%
Most common major	Supply Chain Management	Business
Most common college	-	-

Electric fork operator vs material handler/forklift operator demographics

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

	Electric Fork Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 100.0% Female, 0.0%	Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9%
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, 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	4%	4%

Differences between electric fork operator and material handler/forklift operator 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.

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.

Electric fork operator vs material handler/forklift operator skills

Common electric fork operator skills

Unload Materials, 100%

Common material handler/forklift operator skills

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

Electric Fork Operator vs. similar jobs

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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