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The differences between forklift drivers and drivers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a driver has an average salary of $34,771, which is higher than the $33,476 average annual salary of a forklift driver.
The top three skills for a forklift driver include pallets, electric pallet jack and safety procedures. The most important skills for a driver are math, basic math, and CDL.
| Forklift Driver | Driver | |
| Yearly salary | $33,476 | $34,771 |
| Hourly rate | $16.09 | $16.72 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 116,516 | 1,017,998 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.33 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 61% | High School Diploma, 43% |
| Average age | 43 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
A forklift operator is responsible for managing and operating industrial trucks and machines to ensure its performance safety and stability. Forklift operators' duties include safely handling of deliveries, securely moving items to storage areas, monitoring inventories and supplies, running diagnostic tests, reporting inspected malfunctions and deficiencies, performing basic troubleshooting, and adhering to safety procedures. It is a requirement that a forklift operator must have excellent time-management skills, as well as the ability to multi-task for daily operations.
Drivers are responsible for safely transporting people, packages, or goods from one destination to another. They should be familiar with the different routes that may be taken to reach the desired goal. They should be expert navigators and may use navigation apps to help them along the way. They should also be familiar with the basic mechanics of the vehicle they are using and the proper maintenance and cleaning needed to ensure that the car is running well. Drivers are expected to have excellent customer relation skills, a strong sense of direction, and superb organizations.
Forklift drivers and drivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Forklift Driver | Driver | |
| Average salary | $33,476 | $34,771 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $41,000 | Between $22,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Shakopee, MN | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Vermont |
| Best paying company | BD | Air Liquide |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a forklift driver and a driver in terms of educational background:
| Forklift Driver | Driver | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 61% | High School Diploma, 43% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between forklift drivers' and drivers' demographics:
| Forklift Driver | Driver | |
| Average age | 43 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0% | Male, 83.0% Female, 17.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 15.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 2.5% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 12.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 3.5% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |