Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
Operate industrial trucks or tractors equipped to move materials around a warehouse, storage yard, factory, construction site, or similar location.
Also called: Checker Loader · Fork Lift Technician · Fork Truck Driver · Forklift Driver · Forklift Operator · Lift Truck Operator
Median pay (national)
$46,390
$36,500–$61,540 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
805,770
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+1.1%
~76,400 openings/yr
Typical entry
No formal educational credential
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for industrial truck and tractor operators shows a relatively narrow range: the top 10% earn $61,540 versus $36,500 at the bottom 10% — 1.7x. The median of $46,390 leaves roughly 33% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +1.1% from 2024 to 2034 — slower than the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 76,400 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 54 states with released data, District of Columbia pays the most for this role (median $81,470, +76% vs the national median), while Virgin Islands sits lowest at $31,950 — a 155% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags Warehouse management system WMS as in-demand technologies for this role.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Writing
- Mathematics
- Active Learning
- Learning Strategies
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Inspect product load for accuracy and safely move it around the warehouse or facility to ensure timely and complete delivery.
- Move controls to drive gasoline- or electric-powered trucks, cars, or tractors and transport materials between loading, processing, and storage areas.
- Manually or mechanically load or unload materials from pallets, skids, platforms, cars, lifting devices, or other transport vehicles.
- Move levers or controls that operate lifting devices, such as forklifts, lift beams with swivel-hooks, hoists, or elevating platforms, to load, unload, transport, or stack material.
- Position lifting devices under, over, or around loaded pallets, skids, or boxes and secure material or products for transport to designated areas.
- Weigh materials or products and record weight or other production data on tags or labels.
- Perform routine maintenance on vehicles or auxiliary equipment, such as cleaning, lubricating, recharging batteries, fueling, or replacing liquefied-gas tank.
- Turn valves and open chutes to dump, spray, or release materials from dump cars or storage bins into hoppers.
- Operate or tend automatic stacking, loading, packaging, or cutting machines.
Tools & technology
- Warehouse management system WMS
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- SAP software
- Argos Software ABECAS Insight WMS
- ATMS StockTrack PLUS
- BarControl Enterprise Manager iBEM
- IntelliTrack Warehouse Management System (WMS)
- Inventory management systems
- Lilly Software Associates VISUAL DCMS
- Motek Priya
- RedPrairie DLx Warehouse
- SSA Global Supply Chain Management
- Symphony GOLD
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
Knowledge areas
- Mathematics
- English Language
- Production and Processing
- Transportation
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management
- Administrative
- Public Safety and Security