Second floor operator vs driver/material handler

The differences between second floor operators and driver/material handlers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a second floor operator and a driver/material handler. Additionally, a driver/material handler has an average salary of $36,219, which is higher than the $32,919 average annual salary of a second floor operator.

The top three skills for a second floor operator include safety rules, safety procedures and machine operators. The most important skills for a driver/material handler are CDL, customer orders, and inventory control.

Second floor operator vs driver/material handler overview

	Second Floor Operator	Driver/Material Handler
Yearly salary	$32,919	$36,219
Hourly rate	$15.83	$17.41
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	73,359	198,718
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 38%	High School Diploma, 53%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	4	4

Second floor operator vs driver/material handler salary

Second floor operators and driver/material handlers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Second Floor Operator	Driver/Material Handler
Average salary	$32,919	$36,219
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $40,000	Between $28,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	-	Santa Clara, CA
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	Merck
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between second floor operator and driver/material handler education

There are a few differences between a second floor operator and a driver/material handler in terms of educational background:

	Second Floor Operator	Driver/Material Handler
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 38%	High School Diploma, 53%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Second floor operator vs driver/material handler demographics

Here are the differences between second floor operators' and driver/material handlers' demographics:

	Second Floor Operator	Driver/Material Handler
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 81.5% Female, 18.5%	Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 15.8% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 2.3% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 15.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.4% Asian, 2.6% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between second floor operator and driver/material handler duties and responsibilities

Second floor operator example responsibilities.

Exhibit leadership skills by managing co-worker assignments while simultaneously monitoring the skate floor
Operate CNC lathes and millers.
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.
Preform quality control check at beginning and during operation of all equipment to ensure continuing overall quality.

Driver/material handler example responsibilities.

Manage temporary staff doing warehouse work and train and test them in order to receive forklift certification per OSHA.
Load and unload LTL freight from inbound and outbound trailers.
Operate forklifts in transferring loading and unloading materials in LTL.
Pick and audit hazmat and international orders.
Handle emergency hazmat situations requiring quick decision making skills.
Stack and move pallets from different lines with different products documenting quantity and quality while participating in a team environment.

Second floor operator vs driver/material handler skills

Common second floor operator skills

Safety Rules, 36%
Safety Procedures, 24%
Machine Operators, 17%
Safety Standards, 9%
Production Schedules, 4%
Control Room, 2%

Common driver/material handler skills

CDL, 21%
Customer Orders, 11%
Inventory Control, 9%
Customer Service, 9%
Safety Rules, 7%
Pallets, 6%

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Transportation Industry
Second Floor Operator
Second Floor Operator vs Driver/Material Handler

Updated January 8, 2025

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