Hydro operator vs material handler/forklift operator

The differences between hydro operators and material handler/forklift operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a hydro operator, becoming a material handler/forklift operator takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a hydro operator has an average salary of $40,931, which is higher than the $36,453 average annual salary of a material handler/forklift operator.

The top three skills for a hydro operator include CDL, safety procedures and industrial cleaning. The most important skills for a material handler/forklift operator are pallets, safety procedures, and electric pallet jack.

Hydro operator vs material handler/forklift operator overview

	Hydro Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Yearly salary	$40,931	$36,453
Hourly rate	$19.68	$17.53
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	39,419	168,379
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 59%
Average age	47	43
Years of experience	2	4

Hydro operator vs material handler/forklift operator salary

Hydro operators and material handler/forklift operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Hydro Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Average salary	$40,931	$36,453
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $59,000	Between $29,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	-	Lakeville, MN
Highest paying state	-	North Dakota
Best paying company	-	Nestlé
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between hydro operator and material handler/forklift operator education

There are a few differences between a hydro operator and a material handler/forklift operator in terms of educational background:

	Hydro Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	High School Diploma, 59%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Hydro operator vs material handler/forklift operator demographics

Here are the differences between hydro operators' and material handler/forklift operators' demographics:

	Hydro Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Average age	47	43
Gender ratio	Male, 96.6% Female, 3.4%	Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 4.7% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 16.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 2.4% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	11%	4%

Differences between hydro operator and material handler/forklift operator duties and responsibilities

Hydro operator example responsibilities.

Used high-pressure water and vacuum system to excavate debris from oil drilling rig tanks and other various containers.
Operate heavy machinery such as bobcat equipment and also operate and pave asphalt perform demolition work.
Instruct several in-house classes to include H2S awareness and hazard awareness.

Material handler/forklift operator example responsibilities.

Use automate systems and RF units to pull, put away and load customer product, in addition to managing inventory
Train in all aspects of warehousing, shipping, receiving using WMS.
Receive parts from the manufacturers and scan parts into the inventory using warehouse management system (WMS).
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.
Determine require pallet count to meet the statistical receiving requirements.
Operate tools (hand truck, fork lift, dollies, hand jack), distribute materials to their designate departments.

Hydro operator vs material handler/forklift operator skills

Common hydro operator skills

CDL, 46%
Safety Procedures, 13%
Industrial Cleaning, 9%
DOT, 7%
Hydro Blasting, 4%
Frac, 4%

Common material handler/forklift operator skills

Pallets, 19%
Safety Procedures, 10%
Electric Pallet Jack, 10%
Forklift Operation, 7%
RF Scanner, 6%
Assembly Line, 4%

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Hydro Operator vs Material Handler/Forklift Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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