Tractor operator vs lift operator

The differences between tractor operators and lift 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 tractor operator and a lift operator. Additionally, a tractor operator has an average salary of $33,058, which is higher than the $32,309 average annual salary of a lift operator.

The top three skills for a tractor operator include GRASS, mowing and minor maintenance. The most important skills for a lift operator are pallets, fork-lift, and electric pallet jack.

Tractor operator vs lift operator overview

	Tractor Operator	Lift Operator
Yearly salary	$33,058	$32,309
Hourly rate	$15.89	$15.53
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	49,115	72,445
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 51%	High School Diploma, 53%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	4	4

Tractor operator vs lift operator salary

Tractor operators and lift operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Tractor Operator	Lift Operator
Average salary	$33,058	$32,309
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $40,000	Between $26,000 And $39,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Fremont, CA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	Walsh Electric	BD
Best paying industry	Government	Automotive

Differences between tractor operator and lift operator education

There are a few differences between a tractor operator and a lift operator in terms of educational background:

	Tractor Operator	Lift Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 51%	High School Diploma, 53%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Tractor operator vs lift operator demographics

Here are the differences between tractor operators' and lift operators' demographics:

	Tractor Operator	Lift Operator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 93.1% Female, 6.9%	Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 15.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 22.3% Asian, 2.7% White, 53.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 15.4% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 2.6% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between tractor operator and lift operator duties and responsibilities

Tractor operator example responsibilities.

Used hand or power tools such as mowers, blowers, edgers and weed whackers.
Utilize disk and hay bine cutters, hay rakes and hay bailers to cultivate fields.
Operate and maintain tractor and brush hog used to mow property.
Help maintain the canal banks and spay the weeds and mow the canal banks
Read RF gun system WMOS and PKMS to locate products send off into waves.
Operate tractors and skid steer loaders to load trucks and make deliveries to customer's homes.

Lift operator example responsibilities.

Use automate systems and RF units to pull, put away and load customer product, in addition to managing inventory
Use AS400 to take yarn out of inventory.
Load and unload ship cargo using wenches or other hoisting devices.
Check forklift for problems such as fluid levels, tires and forks.
Load and unload trucks with as sit down with slip sheet and double forks attachment practicing a safe environment.
Record inventory and reroute misplaced pallets at rack locations to the correct location

Tractor operator vs lift operator skills

Common tractor operator skills

GRASS, 17%
Mowing, 14%
Minor Maintenance, 8%
Safety Procedures, 6%
Loaders, 5%
Harvest, 5%

Common lift operator skills

Pallets, 17%
Fork-Lift, 14%
Electric Pallet Jack, 10%
Safety Rules, 9%
Power Saws, 4%
Load Trucks, 4%

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Tractor Operator
Tractor Operator vs Lift Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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