Pick up driver vs material handler/forklift operator

The differences between pick up drivers and material handler/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 material handler/forklift operator. Additionally, a pick up driver has an average salary of $49,813, which is higher than the $36,453 average annual salary of a material handler/forklift operator.

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

Pick up driver vs material handler/forklift operator overview

	Pick Up Driver	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Yearly salary	$49,813	$36,453
Hourly rate	$23.95	$17.53
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	44,609	168,379
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 52%	High School Diploma, 59%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	4	4

Pick up driver vs material handler/forklift operator salary

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

	Pick Up Driver	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Average salary	$49,813	$36,453
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $68,000	Between $29,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	Denver, CO	Lakeville, MN
Highest paying state	North Dakota	North Dakota
Best paying company	Wayfair	Nestlé
Best paying industry	Transportation	Automotive

Differences between pick up driver and material handler/forklift operator education

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

	Pick Up Driver	Material Handler/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 material handler/forklift operator demographics

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

	Pick Up Driver	Material Handler/Forklift 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, 16.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 2.4% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between pick up driver and material handler/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.

Material handler/forklift operator example responsibilities.

Use automate systems and RF units to pull, put away and load customer product, in addition to managing inventory
Train in all aspects of warehousing, shipping, receiving using WMS.
Receive parts from the manufacturers and scan parts into the inventory using warehouse management system (WMS).
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.
Determine require pallet count to meet the statistical receiving requirements.
Operate tools (hand truck, fork lift, dollies, hand jack), distribute materials to their designate departments.

Pick up driver vs material handler/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 material handler/forklift operator skills

Pallets, 19%
Safety Procedures, 10%
Electric Pallet Jack, 10%
Forklift Operation, 7%
RF Scanner, 6%
Assembly Line, 4%

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Pick Up Driver
Pick Up Driver vs Material Handler/Forklift Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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