Merchandise handler vs driver/material handler

The differences between merchandise handlers and driver/material handlers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a driver/material handler has an average salary of $36,219, which is higher than the $31,855 average annual salary of a merchandise handler.

The top three skills for a merchandise handler include basic math, math and pallets. The most important skills for a driver/material handler are CDL, customer orders, and inventory control.

Merchandise handler vs driver/material handler overview

	Merchandise Handler	Driver/Material Handler
Yearly salary	$31,855	$36,219
Hourly rate	$15.31	$17.41
Growth rate	6%	7%
Number of jobs	47,657	198,718
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 43%	High School Diploma, 53%
Average age	40	43
Years of experience	-	4

What does a merchandise handler do?

A merchandise handler deals with inventory and merchandise for shipment to ecommerce customers. This position requires familiarity with all computer technology used in processing the merchandise. The duties of this position are accurately recording the movement of merchandise, operating merchandise handling equipment, confirming the quantity of inventory, and handling the merchandise with care to avoid damage. They also need to ensure the customer has quality experience with every order.

What does a driver/material handler do?

Primarily, driver/material handlers help maintain the production and distribution of products through inventory pullout, production materials, and supplies delivery, and finished product staging. Material handlers manage the transport of equipment or ammunition and conduct the planning and execution functions for effective grind force training. They pick and audit hazmat materials and deliver them to their customers. Also, they develop and expedite clear and effective communication with their customers.

Merchandise handler vs driver/material handler salary

Merchandise handlers and driver/material handlers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Merchandise Handler	Driver/Material Handler
Average salary	$31,855	$36,219
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $37,000	Between $28,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	Taunton, MA	Santa Clara, CA
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Hawaii
Best paying company	The RealReal	Merck
Best paying industry	Retail	Automotive

Differences between merchandise handler and driver/material handler education

There are a few differences between a merchandise handler and a driver/material handler in terms of educational background:

	Merchandise Handler	Driver/Material Handler
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 43%	High School Diploma, 53%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Merchandise handler vs driver/material handler demographics

Here are the differences between merchandise handlers' and driver/material handlers' demographics:

	Merchandise Handler	Driver/Material Handler
Average age	40	43
Gender ratio	Male, 60.3% Female, 39.7%	Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.8% Asian, 5.9% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 15.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 2.6% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	5%	4%

Differences between merchandise handler and driver/material handler duties and responsibilities

Merchandise handler example responsibilities.

Clean and maintain the warehouse in compliance with OSHA standards.
Make visual evaluations and floor moves while maintaining OSHA guidelines.
Process incoming merchandise shipments by unpacking products, moving items in WMS, steaming clothing, and stocking shelves.
Transport pallets to where they need to go in the store to insure products are stocked up properly for customer needs.
Distribute production materials to designate locations on assembly lines observing the first-in-first-out (FIFO) inventory control practice.
Greet customers while bagging their groceries, collect carts in parking lot, put away return items, general sanitation.

Driver/material handler example responsibilities.

Manage temporary staff doing warehouse work and train and test them in order to receive forklift certification per OSHA.
Load and unload LTL freight from inbound and outbound trailers.
Operate forklifts in transferring loading and unloading materials in LTL.
Pick and audit hazmat and international orders.
Handle emergency hazmat situations requiring quick decision making skills.
Stack and move pallets from different lines with different products documenting quantity and quality while participating in a team environment.

Merchandise handler vs driver/material handler skills

Common merchandise handler skills

Basic Math, 21%
Math, 17%
Pallets, 11%
Hand Tools, 10%
Purchase Orders, 6%
Hand Trucks, 6%

Common driver/material handler skills

CDL, 21%
Customer Orders, 11%
Inventory Control, 9%
Customer Service, 9%
Safety Rules, 7%
Pallets, 6%

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Merchandise Handler
Merchandise Handler vs Driver/Material Handler

Updated January 8, 2025

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