Pick up driver vs forklift operator

The differences between pick up drivers and 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 pick up driver and a forklift operator. Additionally, a pick up driver has an average salary of $49,813, which is higher than the $34,213 average annual salary of a forklift operator.

The top three skills for a pick up driver include pallet jack, DOT and rf scanner. The most important skills for a forklift operator are pallets, basic math, and electric pallet jack.

Pick up driver vs forklift operator overview

	Pick Up Driver	Forklift Operator
Yearly salary	$49,813	$34,213
Hourly rate	$23.95	$16.45
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	44,609	213,020
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 52%	High School Diploma, 59%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	4	4

Pick up driver vs forklift operator salary

Pick up drivers and forklift operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Pick Up Driver	Forklift Operator
Average salary	$49,813	$34,213
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $68,000	Between $27,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	Denver, CO	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	North Dakota	North Dakota
Best paying company	Wayfair	DeWitt LLP Law Firm
Best paying industry	Transportation	Automotive

Differences between pick up driver and forklift operator education

There are a few differences between a pick up driver and a forklift operator in terms of educational background:

	Pick Up Driver	Forklift Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 52%	High School Diploma, 59%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Pick up driver vs forklift operator demographics

Here are the differences between pick up drivers' and forklift operators' demographics:

	Pick Up Driver	Forklift Operator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 84.6% Female, 15.4%	Male, 92.0% Female, 8.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 14.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 2.6% White, 58.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 16.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 2.5% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between pick up driver and forklift operator duties and responsibilities

Pick up driver example responsibilities.

Conduct deliveries of medical equipment throughout Florida, collect payments, and ensure proper cleanliness of medical equipment
Employ wide variety of hand and power tools including hoists, drills, precision measuring instruments and electronic testing devices.

Forklift operator example responsibilities.

Use automate systems and RF units to pull, put away and load customer product, in addition to managing inventory
Position forks under, over, or around load pallets, boxes, products, and transports load to designate area.
Transport raw materials to storage or point of production base on FIFO.
Remove press parts from line and place into WIP locations by FIFO.
Perform safety checks on machines; and troubleshoot problems during machine operation.
Start working as an order selector picking orders and wrapping for shipment.

Pick up driver vs forklift operator skills

Common pick up driver skills

Pallet Jack, 27%
DOT, 19%
RF Scanner, 12%
Hand Trucks, 9%
Customer Orders, 8%
Computer System, 6%

Common forklift operator skills

Pallets, 18%
Basic Math, 6%
Electric Pallet Jack, 5%
OSHA, 5%
Safety Procedures, 5%
Load Trucks, 4%

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Transportation Industry
Pick Up Driver
Pick Up Driver vs Forklift Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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