Materials handling equipment operator vs material handler/forklift operator

The differences between materials handling equipment operators and material handler/forklift operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a materials handling equipment operator and a material handler/forklift operator. Additionally, a material handler/forklift operator has an average salary of $36,453, which is higher than the $34,554 average annual salary of a materials handling equipment operator.

The top three skills for a materials handling equipment operator include pallets, pallet jack and safety regulations. The most important skills for a material handler/forklift operator are pallets, safety procedures, and electric pallet jack.

Materials handling equipment operator vs material handler/forklift operator overview

	Materials Handling Equipment Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Yearly salary	$34,554	$36,453
Hourly rate	$16.61	$17.53
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	72,569	168,379
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 49%	High School Diploma, 59%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	4	4

Materials handling equipment operator vs material handler/forklift operator salary

Materials handling equipment operators and material handler/forklift operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Materials Handling Equipment Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Average salary	$34,554	$36,453
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $43,000	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 materials handling equipment operator and material handler/forklift operator education

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

	Materials Handling Equipment Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 49%	High School Diploma, 59%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Materials handling equipment operator vs material handler/forklift operator demographics

Here are the differences between materials handling equipment operators' and material handler/forklift operators' demographics:

	Materials Handling Equipment Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 89.7% Female, 10.3%	Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 15.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 59.3% 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	4%	4%

Differences between materials handling equipment operator and material handler/forklift operator duties and responsibilities

Materials handling equipment operator example 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).
Load and secure items onto pallets and ensure that the materials are in the proper place and prepare them for shipment.
Maintain accurate and timely documentation as is required by organization and OSHA.

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.

Materials handling equipment operator vs material handler/forklift operator skills

Common materials handling equipment operator skills

Pallets, 16%
Pallet Jack, 12%
Safety Regulations, 9%
End Loaders, 8%
Basic Math, 7%
Safety Procedures, 6%

Common material handler/forklift operator skills

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

Materials Handling Equipment Operator vs. similar jobs

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Transportation Industry
Materials Handling Equipment Operator
Materials Handling Equipment Operator vs Material Handler/Forklift Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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