Materials handling equipment operator vs material lister

The differences between materials handling equipment operators and material listers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a materials handling equipment operator, becoming a material lister takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a material lister has an average salary of $74,552, 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 lister are asset management, imrl, and .

Materials handling equipment operator vs material lister overview

	Materials Handling Equipment Operator	Material Lister
Yearly salary	$34,554	$74,552
Hourly rate	$16.61	$35.84
Growth rate	7%	-6%
Number of jobs	72,569	18,845
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	43	47
Years of experience	4	6

Materials handling equipment operator vs material lister salary

Materials handling equipment operators and material listers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Materials Handling Equipment Operator	Material Lister
Average salary	$34,554	$74,552
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $43,000	Between $47,000 And $116,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between materials handling equipment operator and material lister education

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

	Materials Handling Equipment Operator	Material Lister
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Business	Precision Metal Working
Most common college	-	Northwestern University

Materials handling equipment operator vs material lister demographics

Here are the differences between materials handling equipment operators' and material listers' demographics:

	Materials Handling Equipment Operator	Material Lister
Average age	43	47
Gender ratio	Male, 89.7% Female, 10.3%	Male, 73.7% Female, 26.3%
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, 7.0% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 6.2% White, 73.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	4%	11%

Differences between materials handling equipment operator and material lister 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 lister example responsibilities.

Manage all raw materials and conduct inventory audits, maintain compliance guidelines, and supervise MRO purchasing to balance material shortage/surplus.
Acquire and dispose of IMRL assets.
Direct inbound or outbound logistics operations such as transportation, warehouse activities, safety performance, and logistics quality management.
Participate in field efforts and provide oversight of remediation subcontractors.

Materials handling equipment operator vs material lister 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 lister skills

Asset Management, 75%
Imrl, 25%

Materials Handling Equipment Operator vs. similar jobs

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Transportation Industry
Materials Handling Equipment Operator
Materials Handling Equipment Operator vs Material Lister

Updated January 8, 2025

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