Lumber handler vs freight handler

The differences between lumber handlers and freight handlers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a freight handler has an average salary of $35,944, which is higher than the $28,973 average annual salary of a lumber handler.

The top three skills for a lumber handler include hand tools, pile and . The most important skills for a freight handler are basic math, pallets, and math.

Lumber handler vs freight handler overview

	Lumber Handler	Freight Handler
Yearly salary	$28,973	$35,944
Hourly rate	$13.93	$17.28
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	26,579	67,422
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 67%	High School Diploma, 54%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

Lumber handler vs freight handler salary

Lumber handlers and freight handlers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Lumber Handler	Freight Handler
Average salary	$28,973	$35,944
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $35,000	Between $28,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	Missoula, MT	Billerica, MA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	TPI	R+L Carriers
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Transportation

Differences between lumber handler and freight handler education

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

	Lumber Handler	Freight Handler
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 67%	High School Diploma, 54%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Lumber handler vs freight handler demographics

Here are the differences between lumber handlers' and freight handlers' demographics:

	Lumber Handler	Freight Handler
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 95.9% Female, 4.1%	Male, 88.2% Female, 11.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 4.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 13.6% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 5.2% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between lumber handler and freight handler duties and responsibilities

Lumber handler example responsibilities.

Distribute production materials to designate locations on assembly lines observing the first-in-first-out (FIFO) inventory control practice.
Thrive in this fast-pace environment requiring memorization, accuracy, and stamina.

Freight handler example responsibilities.

Manage temporary staff doing warehouse work and train and test them in order to receive forklift certification per OSHA.
Dock work then get CDL and then go to the road
Work on the dock loading and unloading truck and backup CDL driver.
Ship order via FedEx on a daily basis and perform an inventory and cycle count when need.
Distribute break loads, freight and merchandise on inbound and outbound side of the LTL freight terminal.
Job include handling all types of LTL freight with a forklift while unloading and loading trailers for delivery.

Lumber handler vs freight handler skills

Common lumber handler skills

Hand Tools, 85%
Pile, 15%

Common freight handler skills

Basic Math, 28%
Pallets, 21%
Math, 12%
Hazardous Materials, 10%
Manual Equipment, 7%
Hand Trucks, 3%

Lumber Handler vs. similar jobs

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Transportation Industry
Lumber Handler
Lumber Handler vs Freight Handler

Updated January 8, 2025

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