How To Become A Fork Truck Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a fork truck operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average fork truck operator salary is $32,272. The most common degree is a high school diploma degree with an business major. It usually takes 2-4 years of experience to become a fork truck operator. Fork truck operators with a Commercial Driver License (CDL) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 7% and produce 56,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreFork Truck OperatorUS Average

Salary

2.5

Avg. Salary $32,272

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.3

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.73%

Asian 1.94%

Black or African American 12.81%

Hispanic or Latino 13.72%

Unknown 4.11%

White 66.69%

Gender

female 12.93%

male 87.07%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

8.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.8

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a fork truck operator

Explore fork truck operator education requirements

Most common fork truck operator degrees

High School Diploma

51.5 %

Associate

17.9 %

Diploma

13.4 %

Start to develop specific fork truck operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Pallets	19.06%
Safety Procedures	10.22%
Load Trucks	7.38%
Load Trailers	6.23%
Pallet Jack	5.97%

Complete relevant fork truck operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New fork truck operators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a fork truck operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real fork truck operator resumes.

Research fork truck operator duties and responsibilities

Create and cataloge files for GMP library.
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.

Prepare your fork truck operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your fork truck operator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a fork truck operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable fork truck operator resume templates

Build a professional fork truck operator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your fork truck operator resume.