How To Become A Picker/Fork Lift Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a picker/fork lift operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a picker/fork lift operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $16.43 an hour? That's $34,165 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 7% and produce 56,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScorePicker/Fork Lift OperatorUS Average

Salary

2.7

Avg. Salary $34,165

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.3

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.78%

Asian 2.25%

Black or African American 15.78%

Hispanic or Latino 17.47%

Unknown 4.27%

White 59.44%

Gender

female 9.94%

male 90.06%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

8.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.8

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a picker/fork lift operator

Explore picker/fork lift operator education requirements

Most common picker/fork lift operator degrees

High School Diploma

52.6 %

Associate

16.7 %

Diploma

14.9 %

Start to develop specific picker/fork lift operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Fork-Lift	33.26%
Load Trucks	17.71%
Pallets	16.88%
Production Schedules	13.38%
RF Scanner	5.72%

Complete relevant picker/fork lift operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New picker/fork lift operators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a picker/fork lift operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real picker/fork lift operator resumes.

Research picker/fork lift operator duties and responsibilities

Set ladders, rolling scaffolds and hoists in place.
Build mix pallets according to loading documentation.
Certify cherry picker operator / pull orders and putaway
Operate a fork lift and motorize pallet jack for movement of merchandise, order picking and loading and unloading of trucks.

Prepare your picker/fork lift operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your picker/fork lift operator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a picker/fork lift operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable picker/fork lift operator resume templates

Build a professional picker/fork lift operator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your picker/fork lift operator resume.