How To Become A Materials Handling Equipment Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a materials handling equipment 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 materials handling equipment operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $16.61 an hour? That's $34,554 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 7% and produce 56,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreMaterials Handling Equipment OperatorUS Average

Salary

2.7

Avg. Salary $34,554

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.3

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.87%

Asian 2.71%

Black or African American 15.50%

Hispanic or Latino 17.11%

Unknown 4.51%

White 59.30%

Gender

female 10.31%

male 89.69%

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 materials handling equipment operator

Explore materials handling equipment operator education requirements

Most common materials handling equipment operator degrees

High School Diploma

49.4 %

Associate

22.1 %

Bachelor's

13.4 %

Start to develop specific materials handling equipment operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Pallets	15.80%
Pallet Jack	12.32%
Safety Regulations	8.90%
End Loaders	8.04%
Basic Math	6.61%

Complete relevant materials handling equipment operator training and internships

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

Research materials handling equipment operator duties and responsibilities

Operate stand-up forklift, reach truck and walkie.
Unload railcars using crane, forklift and overhead hoists.
Certify on walkie rider, stand-up forklift/ high reach forklift, and turret truck.
Perform daily pre and post maintenance inspection checks on designate material handling equipment (MHE).

Prepare your materials handling equipment operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your materials handling equipment 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 materials handling equipment 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 materials handling equipment operator resume templates

Build a professional materials handling equipment 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 materials handling equipment operator resume.