Fork operator vs lift operator

The differences between fork operators and lift operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a fork operator and a lift operator. Additionally, a fork operator has an average salary of $34,938, which is higher than the $32,309 average annual salary of a lift operator.

The top three skills for a fork operator include load trucks, pallets and production lines. The most important skills for a lift operator are pallets, fork-lift, and electric pallet jack.

Fork operator vs lift operator overview

	Fork Operator	Lift Operator
Yearly salary	$34,938	$32,309
Hourly rate	$16.80	$15.53
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	54,785	72,445
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 52%	High School Diploma, 53%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	4	4

Fork operator vs lift operator salary

Fork operators and lift operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Fork Operator	Lift Operator
Average salary	$34,938	$32,309
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $41,000	Between $26,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	-	Fremont, CA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	BD
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between fork operator and lift operator education

There are a few differences between a fork operator and a lift operator in terms of educational background:

	Fork Operator	Lift Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 52%	High School Diploma, 53%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Fork operator vs lift operator demographics

Here are the differences between fork operators' and lift operators' demographics:

	Fork Operator	Lift Operator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 92.2% Female, 7.8%	Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 16.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 3.0% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 15.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 2.6% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between fork operator and lift operator duties and responsibilities

Fork operator example responsibilities.

Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.

Lift operator example responsibilities.

Use automate systems and RF units to pull, put away and load customer product, in addition to managing inventory
Use AS400 to take yarn out of inventory.
Load and unload ship cargo using wenches or other hoisting devices.
Check forklift for problems such as fluid levels, tires and forks.
Load and unload trucks with as sit down with slip sheet and double forks attachment practicing a safe environment.
Record inventory and reroute misplaced pallets at rack locations to the correct location

Fork operator vs lift operator skills

Common fork operator skills

Load Trucks, 26%
Pallets, 22%
Production Lines, 15%
RF, 8%
Safety Rules, 8%
Materials Handling, 4%

Common lift operator skills

Pallets, 17%
Fork-Lift, 14%
Electric Pallet Jack, 10%
Safety Rules, 9%
Power Saws, 4%
Load Trucks, 4%