How To Become A Hi Lift Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a hi lift 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 hi lift operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $17.27 an hour? That's $35,931 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 7% and produce 56,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreHi Lift OperatorUS Average

Salary

2.8

Avg. Salary $35,931

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.3

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.75%

Asian 2.09%

Black or African American 14.09%

Hispanic or Latino 15.34%

Unknown 4.19%

White 63.54%

Gender

female 7.61%

male 92.39%

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 hi lift operator

Explore hi lift operator education requirements

Most common hi lift operator degrees

High School Diploma

58.5 %

Diploma

13.5 %

Bachelor's

12.9 %

Start to develop specific hi lift operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Pallets	28.56%
Operate Hi-Lo	13.12%
SIT	7.58%
Safety Regulations	6.85%
Select Cases	3.58%

Complete relevant hi lift operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New hi lift 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 hi lift operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real hi lift operator resumes.

Research hi lift operator duties and responsibilities

Operate hi-low to transport products from building to dock areas.
Load or unload materials onto or off pallets, skids, or lifting devices.
Drop reserved pallets into empty selection pallets.
Maintain accurate and timely documentation as is required by organization and OSHA.

Prepare your hi lift operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your hi lift 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 hi lift 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 hi lift operator resume templates

Build a professional hi lift 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 hi lift operator resume.