Fork operator vs reach truck operator

The differences between fork operators and reach truck 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 reach truck operator. Additionally, a fork operator has an average salary of $34,938, which is higher than the $34,625 average annual salary of a reach truck operator.

The top three skills for a fork operator include load trucks, pallets and production lines. The most important skills for a reach truck operator are pallets, rf scanner, and basic math.

Fork operator vs reach truck operator overview

	Fork Operator	Reach Truck Operator
Yearly salary	$34,938	$34,625
Hourly rate	$16.80	$16.65
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	54,785	137,300
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 52%	High School Diploma, 57%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	4	4

Fork operator vs reach truck operator salary

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

	Fork Operator	Reach Truck Operator
Average salary	$34,938	$34,625
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $41,000	Between $28,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	-	Philadelphia, PA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	United Natural Foods
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between fork operator and reach truck operator education

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

	Fork Operator	Reach Truck Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 52%	High School Diploma, 57%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Fork operator vs reach truck operator demographics

Here are the differences between fork operators' and reach truck operators' demographics:

	Fork Operator	Reach Truck Operator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 92.2% Female, 7.8%	Male, 90.9% Female, 9.1%
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, 16.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 2.8% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between fork operator and reach truck 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.

Reach truck operator example responsibilities.

Receive product in using WMS (warehouse management system )
Put away and picking of parts using RF scanner.
Train other employees to operate CNC beam line python.
Reach truck operator/picking order from WMS system and put away.
License to use a man-up, forklift, and scissor lift.
Clean and maintain the warehouse in compliance with OSHA safety standards ..

Fork operator vs reach truck operator skills

Common fork operator skills

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

Common reach truck operator skills

Pallets, 19%
RF Scanner, 7%
Basic Math, 7%
SIT, 5%
Electric Pallet Jack, 5%
Warehouse Environment, 4%

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Transportation Industry
Fork Operator
Fork Operator vs Reach Truck Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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