Forklift-picker vs fork truck operator

The differences between forklift-pickers 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-picker and a fork truck operator. Additionally, a forklift-picker has an average salary of $32,704, which is higher than the $32,272 average annual salary of a fork truck operator.

The top three skills for a forklift-picker include pallets, pallet jack and rf scanner. The most important skills for a fork truck operator are pallets, safety procedures, and load trucks.

Forklift-picker vs fork truck operator overview

	Forklift-Picker	Fork Truck Operator
Yearly salary	$32,704	$32,272
Hourly rate	$15.72	$15.52
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	44,786	117,624
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 65%	High School Diploma, 51%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	4	4

Forklift-picker vs fork truck operator salary

Forklift-pickers and fork truck operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Forklift-Picker	Fork Truck Operator
Average salary	$32,704	$32,272
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $40,000	Between $26,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	Sioux Falls, SD	Grand Forks, ND
Highest paying state	North Dakota	Alaska
Best paying company	Tyson Foods	Seneca Foods
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between forklift-picker and fork truck operator education

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

	Forklift-Picker	Fork Truck Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 65%	High School Diploma, 51%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Forklift-picker vs fork truck operator demographics

Here are the differences between forklift-pickers' and fork truck operators' demographics:

	Forklift-Picker	Fork Truck Operator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 89.6% Female, 10.4%	Male, 87.1% Female, 12.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 14.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 2.8% White, 56.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	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-picker and fork truck operator duties and responsibilities

Forklift-picker example responsibilities.

Operate forklift to organize and wrap complete pallets, also operate other machinery that handle completed pallets to load company trucks.
Maintain accurate and timely documentation as is required by organization and OSHA.
Shrink wrap pallet and then set pallet by the correct load door to be check for accuracy.
Certify cherry picker operator / pull orders and putaway

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-picker vs fork truck operator skills

Common forklift-picker skills

Pallets, 22%
Pallet Jack, 17%
RF Scanner, 10%
Load Trucks, 8%
Shipping Receiving, 7%
Reach Truck, 6%

Common fork truck operator skills

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

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Transportation Industry
Forklift-Picker
Forklift-Picker vs Fork Truck Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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