Machine or forklift operators specialise in warehouse transportation and drive industrial vehicles to load and unload warehouse materials. They are responsible for shipping and receiving warehouse items and transporting materials to different locations within the facility.
This requires optimizing loads to ensure operational efficiency, securing loads to machines before transportation, inspecting vehicles for damage, scheduling vehicles for maintenance and repair, and operating and managing technical equipment.
Machine or forklift operators are also often responsible for managing inventory with RF scanning equipment, picking and dropping orders for shipment, identifying workplace safety hazards, and adhering to safety standards and production schedules.
Since machine or forklift operators often move sensitive cargo, their jobs require attention to detail, precision, and steady hands. They also need strong time management skills and to be able to work well with others.
A high school diploma or GED is sufficient for this role, but job seekers may need a forklift operation certificate as well.
Machine or forklift operators typically earn $13.68 an hour, which translates to $28,460 a year. The career is expected to grow by 4% between 2018 and 2028, creating 32,600 new jobs during this timespan.
Machine Operator/Forklift Operator Overview
Machine Operator/Forklift Operator Careers
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a machine operator/forklift operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $13.61 an hour? That's $28,304 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 32,600 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Machine Operator/Forklift Operator Do
There are certain skills that many machine operator/forklift operators have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed alertness, communication skills and coordination.
When it comes to the most important skills required to be a machine operator/forklift operator, we found that a lot of resumes listed 14.3% of machine operator/forklift operators included safety standards, while 11.8% of resumes included forklifts, and 6.5% of resumes included straight truck. Hard skills like these are helpful to have when it comes to performing essential job responsibilities.
When it comes to searching for a job, many search for a key term or phrase. Instead, it might be more helpful to search by industry, as you might be missing jobs that you never thought about in industries that you didn't even think offered positions related to the machine operator/forklift operator job title. But what industry to start with? Most machine operator/forklift operators actually find jobs in the manufacturing and retail industries.
How To Become a Machine Operator/Forklift Operator
If you're interested in becoming a machine operator/forklift operator, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 5.1% of machine operator/forklift operators have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 0.5% of machine operator/forklift operators have master's degrees. Even though some machine operator/forklift operators have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a machine operator/forklift operator. When we researched the most common majors for a machine operator/forklift operator, we found that they most commonly earn high school diploma degrees or diploma degrees. Other degrees that we often see on machine operator/forklift operator resumes include associate degree degrees or bachelor's degree degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a machine operator/forklift operator. In fact, many machine operator/forklift operator jobs require experience in a role such as machine operator. Meanwhile, many machine operator/forklift operators also have previous career experience in roles such as forklift operator or cashier.
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Machine Operator/Forklift Operator Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a machine operator/forklift operator can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as forklift operator, progress to a title such as technician and then eventually end up with the title operations manager.
Machine Operator/Forklift Operator Jobs You Might Like
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Average Salary for a Machine Operator/Forklift Operator
Best Paying Cities For Machine Operator/Forklift Operators
Recently Added Salaries
Company  | Company | Start Date | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
Manpower Forklift/Machine OP RD 7Pm-7Am Spotswood NJ, 08884 | Manpower | 08/05/2021 | $36,39708/05/2021 |
Nesco Resource Machine Operator/Forklift Operator | Nesco Resource | 08/04/2021 | $31,30508/04/2021 |
Onesource Staffing Solutions Machine Operator/Forklift Driver | Onesource Staffing Solutions | 08/03/2021 | $37,56608/03/2021 |
The Resource Machine and Forklift Operators | The Resource | 08/02/2021 | $41,74008/02/2021 |
Aventure Staffing Forklift/Machine Operator | Aventure Staffing | 07/29/2021 | $33,39207/29/2021 |
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Machine Operator/Forklift Operator Resumes
Designing and figuring out what to include on your resume can be tough, not to mention time-consuming. That's why we put together a guide that is designed to help you craft the perfect resume for becoming a Machine Operator/Forklift Operator. If you're needing extra inspiration, take a look through our selection of templates that are specific to your job.
Learn How To Write a Machine Operator/Forklift Operator Resume
At Zippia, we went through countless Machine Operator/Forklift Operator resumes and compiled some information about how to optimize them. Here are some suggestions based on what we found, divided by the individual sections of the resume itself.
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Top Skills For a Machine Operator/Forklift Operator
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 14.3% of machine operator/forklift operators listed safety standards on their resume, but soft skills such as alertness and communication skills are important as well.
- Safety Standards, 14.3%
- Forklifts, 11.8%
- Straight Truck, 6.5%
- Assembly Line, 5.3%
- Machine Parts, 5.1%
- Other Skills, 57.0% See All Machine Operator/Forklift Operator Skills
Best States For a Machine Operator/Forklift Operator
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a machine operator/forklift operator. The best states for people in this position are Kansas, Alaska, Washington, and Wyoming. Machine operator/forklift operators make the most in Kansas with an average salary of $33,862. Whereas in Alaska and Washington, they would average $33,175 and $32,815, respectively. While machine operator/forklift operators would only make an average of $32,560 in Wyoming, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Kansas
$33,862
Avg. Salary
2. Alaska
$33,175
Avg. Salary
3. Iowa
$30,777
Avg. Salary
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