Tow motor operator vs material handler/forklift operator

The differences between tow motor operators 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 tow motor operator and a material handler/forklift operator. Additionally, a material handler/forklift operator has an average salary of $36,453, which is higher than the $29,544 average annual salary of a tow motor operator.

The top three skills for a tow motor operator include production lines, safety procedures and pallet jack. The most important skills for a material handler/forklift operator are pallets, safety procedures, and electric pallet jack.

Tow motor operator vs material handler/forklift operator overview

	Tow Motor Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Yearly salary	$29,544	$36,453
Hourly rate	$14.20	$17.53
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	72,291	168,379
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 59%	High School Diploma, 59%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	4	4

Tow motor operator vs material handler/forklift operator salary

Tow motor operators and material handler/forklift operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Tow Motor Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Average salary	$29,544	$36,453
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $36,000	Between $29,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	-	Lakeville, MN
Highest paying state	-	North Dakota
Best paying company	-	Nestlé
Best paying industry	-	Automotive

Differences between tow motor operator and material handler/forklift operator education

There are a few differences between a tow motor operator and a material handler/forklift operator in terms of educational background:

	Tow Motor Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 59%	High School Diploma, 59%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Tow motor operator vs material handler/forklift operator demographics

Here are the differences between tow motor operators' and material handler/forklift operators' demographics:

	Tow Motor Operator	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 91.6% Female, 8.4%	Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 1.8% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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 tow motor operator and material handler/forklift operator duties and responsibilities

Tow motor operator example responsibilities.

Use automate systems and RF units to pull, put away and load customer product, in addition to managing inventory
Fabricate and assemble products using CNC machine by keying in programs numbers and also codes.
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.
Load and unload items from machines and dollies.

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.

Tow motor operator vs material handler/forklift operator skills

Common tow motor operator skills

Production Lines, 25%
Safety Procedures, 12%
Pallet Jack, 9%
RF Scanner, 7%
Line Assembly, 5%
Transport Vehicles, 4%

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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Transportation Industry
Tow Motor Operator
Tow Motor Operator vs Material Handler/Forklift Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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