Work distributor vs driver/material handler

The differences between work distributors and driver/material handlers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a driver/material handler has an average salary of $36,219, which is higher than the $31,865 average annual salary of a work distributor.

The top three skills for a work distributor include pallets, pallet jack and customer orders. The most important skills for a driver/material handler are CDL, customer orders, and inventory control.

Work distributor vs driver/material handler overview

	Work Distributor	Driver/Material Handler
Yearly salary	$31,865	$36,219
Hourly rate	$15.32	$17.41
Growth rate	6%	7%
Number of jobs	103,859	198,718
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 53%
Average age	40	43
Years of experience	-	4

Work distributor vs driver/material handler salary

Work distributors and driver/material handlers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Work Distributor	Driver/Material Handler
Average salary	$31,865	$36,219
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $39,000	Between $28,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	Puyallup, WA	Santa Clara, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	Hawaii
Best paying company	Stericycle	Merck
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Automotive

Differences between work distributor and driver/material handler education

There are a few differences between a work distributor and a driver/material handler in terms of educational background:

	Work Distributor	Driver/Material Handler
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 53%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Work distributor vs driver/material handler demographics

Here are the differences between work distributors' and driver/material handlers' demographics:

	Work Distributor	Driver/Material Handler
Average age	40	43
Gender ratio	Male, 63.2% Female, 36.8%	Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 5.5% White, 57.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	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	5%	4%

Differences between work distributor and driver/material handler duties and responsibilities

Work distributor example responsibilities.

Distribute production materials to designate locations on assembly lines observing the first-in-first-out (FIFO) inventory control practice.
Use of forks, barrel, clamp and pull-pack attachments.
Handle and coordinate incoming and outgoing product and accessory equipment to and from freight forwarders and/or customer materials personnel.

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.

Work distributor vs driver/material handler skills

Common work distributor skills

Pallets, 39%
Pallet Jack, 15%
Customer Orders, 13%
OSHA, 11%
RF, 5%
Inventory Control, 5%

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
Work Distributor
Work Distributor vs Driver/Material Handler

Updated January 8, 2025

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