Work distributor vs material handler/forklift operator

The differences between work distributors and material handler/forklift operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a material handler/forklift operator has an average salary of $36,453, 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 material handler/forklift operator are pallets, safety procedures, and electric pallet jack.

Work distributor vs material handler/forklift operator overview

	Work Distributor	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Yearly salary	$31,865	$36,453
Hourly rate	$15.32	$17.53
Growth rate	6%	7%
Number of jobs	103,859	168,379
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 59%
Average age	40	43
Years of experience	-	4

Work distributor vs material handler/forklift operator salary

Work distributors and material handler/forklift operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Work Distributor	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Average salary	$31,865	$36,453
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $39,000	Between $29,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	Puyallup, WA	Lakeville, MN
Highest paying state	Washington	North Dakota
Best paying company	Stericycle	Nestlé
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Automotive

Differences between work distributor and material handler/forklift operator education

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

	Work Distributor	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 42%	High School Diploma, 59%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Work distributor vs material handler/forklift operator demographics

Here are the differences between work distributors' and material handler/forklift operators' demographics:

	Work Distributor	Material Handler/Forklift Operator
Average age	40	43
Gender ratio	Male, 63.2% Female, 36.8%	Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9%
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, 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	5%	4%

Differences between work distributor and material handler/forklift operator 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.

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.

Work distributor vs material handler/forklift operator skills

Common work distributor skills

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

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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Work Distributor
Work Distributor vs Material Handler/Forklift Operator

Updated January 8, 2025

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