Pick up driver vs lead forklift operator

The differences between pick up drivers and lead 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 lead forklift operator. Additionally, a pick up driver has an average salary of $49,813, which is higher than the $42,633 average annual salary of a lead forklift operator.

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

Pick up driver vs lead forklift operator overview

	Pick Up Driver	Lead Forklift Operator
Yearly salary	$49,813	$42,633
Hourly rate	$23.95	$20.50
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	44,609	51,186
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 52%	High School Diploma, 57%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	4	4

Pick up driver vs lead forklift operator salary

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

	Pick Up Driver	Lead Forklift Operator
Average salary	$49,813	$42,633
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $68,000	Between $35,000 And $50,000
Highest paying City	Denver, CO	-
Highest paying state	North Dakota	-
Best paying company	Wayfair	-
Best paying industry	Transportation	-

Differences between pick up driver and lead forklift operator education

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

	Pick Up Driver	Lead Forklift Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 52%	High School Diploma, 57%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Pick up driver vs lead forklift operator demographics

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

	Pick Up Driver	Lead Forklift Operator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 84.6% Female, 15.4%	Male, 90.9% Female, 9.1%
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, 20.0% Asian, 2.7% White, 55.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between pick up driver and lead 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.

Lead forklift operator example responsibilities.

Use automate systems and RF units to pull, put away and load customer product, in addition to managing inventory
Used WMS and bar code scanning systems to insure order and inventory accuracy for shipping, receiving and warehousing.
Locate and relocate and pallets throughout warehouse facility.
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.
Schedule LTL'S for pick ups of loads for shipping.
Load and unload LTL and TLD trailers in the most optimal way without damaging the freight.

Pick up driver vs lead 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 lead forklift operator skills

Pallets, 16%
Safety Committee, 9%
Electric Pallet Jack, 6%
Forklift Operators, 5%
Inventory Control, 5%
RF Scanner, 4%

Pick Up Driver vs. similar jobs

Pick Up Driver related careers

Pick Up Driver related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Transportation Industry
Pick Up Driver
Pick Up Driver vs Lead Forklift Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse transportation jobs