Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between forklift drivers and material handlers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a forklift driver has an average salary of $33,476, which is higher than the $33,215 average annual salary of a material handler.
The top three skills for a forklift driver include pallets, electric pallet jack and safety procedures. The most important skills for a material handler are pallets, basic math, and forklifts.
| Forklift Driver | Material Handler | |
| Yearly salary | $33,476 | $33,215 |
| Hourly rate | $16.09 | $15.97 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 116,516 | 174,068 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 61% | High School Diploma, 51% |
| Average age | 43 | 40 |
| 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.
Material handlers are responsible for moving products, storing items, and managing supplies to proper shelf categories. A material handler also documents deliveries and ensures that all items for shipment are correct and free of any damage. Material handlers must also be a fast-learner to operate various warehouse equipment that would make the task more efficient and less time-consuming. A material handler must also check all the incoming deliveries to validate all purchases made. Material handlers must be able to analyze sheet orders and prepare the correct merchandise the client needs.
Forklift drivers and material handlers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Forklift Driver | Material Handler | |
| Average salary | $33,476 | $33,215 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $41,000 | Between $26,000 And $41,000 |
| Highest paying City | Shakopee, MN | Minneapolis, MN |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Minnesota |
| Best paying company | BD | Battelle |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a forklift driver and a material handler in terms of educational background:
| Forklift Driver | Material Handler | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 61% | High School Diploma, 51% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between forklift drivers' and material handlers' demographics:
| Forklift Driver | Material Handler | |
| Average age | 43 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0% | Male, 77.6% Female, 22.4% |
| 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, 13.9% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 5.6% White, 55.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |