Pit operator vs fork truck operator

The differences between pit operators and fork truck 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 pit operator and a fork truck operator. Additionally, a pit operator has an average salary of $34,111, which is higher than the $32,272 average annual salary of a fork truck operator.

The top three skills for a pit operator include pallets, safety policies and rf scanner. The most important skills for a fork truck operator are pallets, safety procedures, and load trucks.

Pit operator vs fork truck operator overview

	Pit Operator	Fork Truck Operator
Yearly salary	$34,111	$32,272
Hourly rate	$16.40	$15.52
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	68,306	117,624
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 51%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	4	4

Pit operator vs fork truck operator salary

Pit operators and fork truck operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Pit Operator	Fork Truck Operator
Average salary	$34,111	$32,272
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $39,000	Between $26,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	Lansing, IL	Grand Forks, ND
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Post Holdings	Seneca Foods
Best paying industry	Finance	Finance

Differences between pit operator and fork truck operator education

There are a few differences between a pit operator and a fork truck operator in terms of educational background:

	Pit Operator	Fork Truck Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 48%	High School Diploma, 51%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Pit operator vs fork truck operator demographics

Here are the differences between pit operators' and fork truck operators' demographics:

	Pit Operator	Fork Truck Operator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2%	Male, 87.1% Female, 12.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 14.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 2.8% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 12.8% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.7% Asian, 1.9% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between pit operator and fork truck operator duties and responsibilities

Pit operator example responsibilities.

Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.

Fork truck operator example responsibilities.

Create and cataloge files for GMP library.
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.

Pit operator vs fork truck operator skills

Common pit operator skills

Pallets, 17%
Safety Policies, 13%
RF Scanner, 12%
Load Trucks, 10%
Safety Committee, 8%
Powered Industrial Trucks, 6%

Common fork truck operator skills

Pallets, 19%
Safety Procedures, 10%
Load Trucks, 7%
Load Trailers, 6%
Pallet Jack, 6%
Assembly Line, 5%

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Transportation Industry
Pit Operator
Pit Operator vs Fork Truck Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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