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The differences between forklift drivers and driver/material handlers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a forklift driver and a driver/material handler. Additionally, a driver/material handler has an average salary of $36,219, 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/material handler are CDL, customer orders, and inventory control.
| Forklift Driver | Driver/Material Handler | |
| Yearly salary | $33,476 | $36,219 |
| Hourly rate | $16.09 | $17.41 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 116,516 | 198,718 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 61% | High School Diploma, 53% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 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.
Primarily, driver/material handlers help maintain the production and distribution of products through inventory pullout, production materials, and supplies delivery, and finished product staging. Material handlers manage the transport of equipment or ammunition and conduct the planning and execution functions for effective grind force training. They pick and audit hazmat materials and deliver them to their customers. Also, they develop and expedite clear and effective communication with their customers.
Forklift drivers and driver/material handlers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Forklift Driver | Driver/Material Handler | |
| Average salary | $33,476 | $36,219 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $41,000 | Between $28,000 And $45,000 |
| Highest paying City | Shakopee, MN | Santa Clara, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | BD | Merck |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a forklift driver and a driver/material handler in terms of educational background:
| Forklift Driver | Driver/Material Handler | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 61% | High School Diploma, 53% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between forklift drivers' and driver/material handlers' demographics:
| Forklift Driver | Driver/Material Handler | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0% | Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6% |
| 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, 15.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 2.6% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |