Pick up driver vs lift operator

The differences between pick up drivers and lift 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 lift operator. Additionally, a pick up driver has an average salary of $49,813, which is higher than the $32,309 average annual salary of a lift operator.

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

Pick up driver vs lift operator overview

	Pick Up Driver	Lift Operator
Yearly salary	$49,813	$32,309
Hourly rate	$23.95	$15.53
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	44,609	72,445
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 52%	High School Diploma, 53%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	4	4

Pick up driver vs lift operator salary

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

	Pick Up Driver	Lift Operator
Average salary	$49,813	$32,309
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $68,000	Between $26,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	Denver, CO	Fremont, CA
Highest paying state	North Dakota	Alaska
Best paying company	Wayfair	BD
Best paying industry	Transportation	Automotive

Differences between pick up driver and lift operator education

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

	Pick Up Driver	Lift Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 52%	High School Diploma, 53%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Pick up driver vs lift operator demographics

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

	Pick Up Driver	Lift Operator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 84.6% Female, 15.4%	Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9%
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, 15.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 2.6% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between pick up driver and lift 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.

Lift operator example responsibilities.

Use automate systems and RF units to pull, put away and load customer product, in addition to managing inventory
Use AS400 to take yarn out of inventory.
Load and unload ship cargo using wenches or other hoisting devices.
Check forklift for problems such as fluid levels, tires and forks.
Load and unload trucks with as sit down with slip sheet and double forks attachment practicing a safe environment.
Record inventory and reroute misplaced pallets at rack locations to the correct location

Pick up driver vs lift 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 lift operator skills

Pallets, 17%
Fork-Lift, 14%
Electric Pallet Jack, 10%
Safety Rules, 9%
Power Saws, 4%
Load Trucks, 4%

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Transportation Industry
Pick Up Driver
Pick Up Driver vs Lift Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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