Forklift vs fork truck operator

The differences between forklifts and fork 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 forklift and a fork truck operator. Additionally, a fork truck operator has an average salary of $32,272, which is higher than the $32,015 average annual salary of a forklift.

The top three skills for a forklift include pallets, sit-down forklift and basic math. The most important skills for a fork truck operator are pallets, safety procedures, and load trucks.

Forklift vs fork truck operator overview

	Forklift	Fork Truck Operator
Yearly salary	$32,015	$32,272
Hourly rate	$15.39	$15.52
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	113,257	117,624
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 58%	High School Diploma, 51%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	4	4

Forklift vs fork truck operator salary

Forklifts and fork truck operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Forklift	Fork Truck Operator
Average salary	$32,015	$32,272
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $39,000	Between $26,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	Grand Forks, ND	Grand Forks, ND
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Steel Dynamics	Seneca Foods
Best paying industry	Transportation	Finance

Differences between forklift and fork truck operator education

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

	Forklift	Fork Truck Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 58%	High School Diploma, 51%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Forklift vs fork truck operator demographics

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

	Forklift	Fork Truck Operator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 92.0% Female, 8.0%	Male, 87.1% Female, 12.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 16.4% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 2.5% White, 57.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.7% Asian, 1.9% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between forklift and fork truck operator duties and responsibilities

Forklift example responsibilities.

Provide a safe work environment following all company policy and OSHA safety procedures.
Clean and maintain the warehouse in compliance with OSHA safety has their period operate forklifts and other heavy machinery safely.
Prepare pallets by following procedures for stacking arrangement and properly tagging pallets.
Operate forklifts, lift beams, swivel-hooks and hoists.
Run and monitor extrusion processes of polymer products, using dip pan hoppers, x-hoppers and delivery processes.
Move inventory in support of logistics management.

Fork truck operator example 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.

Forklift vs fork truck operator skills

Common forklift skills

Pallets, 21%
Sit-Down Forklift, 10%
Basic Math, 7%
Shipping Receiving, 5%
RF Scanner, 4%
Warehouse Environment, 4%

Common fork truck operator skills

Pallets, 19%
Safety Procedures, 10%
Load Trucks, 7%
Load Trailers, 6%
Pallet Jack, 6%
Assembly Line, 5%

Forklift vs. similar jobs

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Transportation Industry
Forklift
Forklift vs Fork Truck Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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