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The differences between forklift technicians and maintenance technicians 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 technician and a maintenance technician. Additionally, a forklift technician has an average salary of $43,589, which is higher than the $43,293 average annual salary of a maintenance technician.
The top three skills for a forklift technician include troubleshoot, preventative maintenance and safety procedures. The most important skills for a maintenance technician are plumbing, HVAC, and hand tools.
| Forklift Technician | Maintenance Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $43,589 | $43,293 |
| Hourly rate | $20.96 | $20.81 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 179,388 | 178,450 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.25 |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 36% | High School Diploma, 34% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Primarily, a forklift technician services and monitors forklifts and any other heavy industrial vehicles. Forklift technicians maintain tools, communicate with the salespeople, handle inventory, and utilize computer-based diagnostics on any equipment. Typically, they work in repair shops doing repair and troubleshooting tasks. They repair, rewire, and troubleshoot the electrical, electronic, and mechanical problems of vehicles. Among their other duties and responsibilities are shop analysis, equipment modification, diagnostics, electronic system troubleshooting.
Maintenance technicians are technicians who specialize in the preservation of office facilities. They have in-depth knowledge of how various office equipment or fixtures work so that they can immediately identify how to repair them in case of breakdowns. Maintenance technicians perform diagnostics and routine maintenance activities to ensure that everything in the office is running well. They immediately repair problems in fixtures or equipment to avoid any further damages or safety concerns. They should be familiar with occupational safety and health standards to ensure that the office is a safe place to work.
Forklift technicians and maintenance technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Forklift Technician | Maintenance Technician | |
| Average salary | $43,589 | $43,293 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $60,000 | Between $31,000 And $59,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | - | Anheuser-Busch |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a forklift technician and a maintenance technician in terms of educational background:
| Forklift Technician | Maintenance Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 36% | High School Diploma, 34% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Electrical Engineering Technology |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between forklift technicians' and maintenance technicians' demographics:
| Forklift Technician | Maintenance Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.6% Female, 4.4% | Male, 95.7% Female, 4.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 1.7% White, 72.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 4.6% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 1% | 2% |