Transfer car operator vs driver/material handler

The differences between transfer car 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 transfer car operator and a driver/material handler. Additionally, a driver/material handler has an average salary of $36,219, which is higher than the $36,029 average annual salary of a transfer car operator.

Transfer car operator vs driver/material handler overview

	Transfer Car Operator	Driver/Material Handler
Yearly salary	$36,029	$36,219
Hourly rate	$17.32	$17.41
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	46,552	198,718
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 53%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	4	4

Transfer car operator vs driver/material handler salary

Transfer car operators and driver/material handlers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Transfer Car Operator	Driver/Material Handler
Average salary	$36,029	$36,219
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $43,000	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 transfer car operator and driver/material handler education

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

	Transfer Car Operator	Driver/Material Handler
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	High School Diploma, 53%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Business
Most common college	-	-

Transfer car operator vs driver/material handler demographics

Here are the differences between transfer car operators' and driver/material handlers' demographics:

	Transfer Car Operator	Driver/Material Handler
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 88.5% Female, 11.5%	Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 16.1% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 2.8% White, 58.3% 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 transfer car operator and driver/material handler duties and responsibilities

Transfer car operator example responsibilities.

Use automate systems and RF units to pull, put away and load customer product, in addition to managing inventory
Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.
Take field readings to ensure the DCS and field gauges are accurate.

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.

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Transportation Industry
Transfer Car Operator
Transfer Car Operator vs Driver/Material Handler

Updated January 8, 2025

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