How To Become A Forklift Truck Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a forklift truck operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a forklift truck operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $16.61 an hour? That's $34,558 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 7% and produce 56,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreForklift Truck OperatorUS Average

Salary

2.7

Avg. Salary $34,558

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.3

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.90%

Asian 2.88%

Black or African American 15.87%

Hispanic or Latino 17.59%

Unknown 4.41%

White 58.34%

Gender

female 7.14%

male 92.86%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

8.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.8

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a forklift truck operator

Explore forklift truck operator education requirements

Most common forklift truck operator degrees

High School Diploma

54.4 %

Diploma

17.5 %

Associate

15.3 %

Start to develop specific forklift truck operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Pallets	19.90%
Pallet Jack	8.14%
Safety Rules	7.37%
Clamp Truck	7.19%
Production Lines	6.03%

Complete relevant forklift truck operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New forklift truck operators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a forklift truck operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real forklift truck operator resumes.

Research forklift truck operator duties and responsibilities

Transfer goods to and from different departments, organize and arrange empty pallets, and maintain baler and central vacuuming system.
Maintain accurate and timely documentation as is required by organization and OSHA.
Load and unload items from machines and dollies.

Prepare your forklift truck operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your forklift truck operator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a forklift truck operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable forklift truck operator resume templates

Build a professional forklift truck operator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your forklift truck operator resume.