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Freight loader vs material handler

The differences between freight loaders and material handlers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a material handler has an average salary of $33,215, which is higher than the $32,777 average annual salary of a freight loader.

The top three skills for a freight loader include pallets, pallet jack and load freight. The most important skills for a material handler are pallets, basic math, and forklifts.

Freight loader vs material handler overview

Freight LoaderMaterial Handler
Yearly salary$32,777$33,215
Hourly rate$15.76$15.97
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs9,112174,068
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 54%High School Diploma, 51%
Average age4040
Years of experience--

Freight loader vs material handler salary

Freight loaders and material handlers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Freight LoaderMaterial Handler
Average salary$32,777$33,215
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $40,000Between $26,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City-Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state-Minnesota
Best paying company-Battelle
Best paying industry-Automotive

Differences between freight loader and material handler education

There are a few differences between a freight loader and a material handler in terms of educational background:

Freight LoaderMaterial Handler
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 54%High School Diploma, 51%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Freight loader vs material handler demographics

Here are the differences between freight loaders' and material handlers' demographics:

Freight LoaderMaterial Handler
Average age4040
Gender ratioMale, 91.2% Female, 8.8%Male, 77.6% Female, 22.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 14.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 22.3% Asian, 5.8% White, 51.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%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 Percentage5%5%

Differences between freight loader and material handler duties and responsibilities

Freight loader example responsibilities.

  • Provide regular assistance to supervisors to assist in store profitability and cleanliness.
  • Unload, process, and properly secure any merchandise needing EAS tags from all incoming freight.

Material handler example responsibilities.

  • Utilize a manufacturing cloud ERP system to accomplish tasks.
  • Operate forklift according to OSHA safety regulations.
  • Pull parts from stockroom using detail BOM's.
  • Perform daily transactions of materials and inventory movements in ERP system.
  • Help train in coming personnel on FedEx and LTL carriers shipping systems.
  • Move parts from CNC operators to stock area or to assemblers directly.
  • Show more

Freight loader vs material handler skills

Common freight loader skills
  • Pallets, 28%
  • Pallet Jack, 23%
  • Load Freight, 15%
  • Delivery Vehicle, 8%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • Load Trucks, 4%
Common material handler skills
  • Pallets, 12%
  • Basic Math, 6%
  • Forklifts, 6%
  • Math, 5%
  • Customer Service, 4%
  • Hand Tools, 4%

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