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Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators

Agriculture, Food and Natural ResourcesO*NET 53-7051.00United States

Operate industrial trucks or tractors equipped to move materials around a warehouse, storage yard, factory, construction site, or similar location.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning
Median annual earnings
$46,328

50th percentile, United States

Projected change
+5.6%

2025 to 2035

Typical education
High school diploma or less

95.9% of the workforce

Employment
781.27K jobs

Growing to 824.87K by 2035

Explore this career by location

Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

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The work

What industrial truck and tractor operators do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Position lifting devices under, over, or around loaded pallets, skids, or boxes and secure material or products for transport to designated areas.
  • Inspect product load for accuracy and safely move it around the warehouse or facility to ensure timely and complete delivery.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile
$36,679
25th percentile
$39,892
50th percentile
$46,328
75th percentile
$54,720
90th percentile
$62,566

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $46,328 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+5.6%average or slower
2025781,274 jobs
2035 projected824,867 jobs

43,593 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

High school diploma or less
95.9%
Some college
4.1%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

  • Forklift Truck
  • Warehousing
  • Loading And Unloading
  • Lifting Ability
  • Palletizing
  • Pallet Jacks
  • Shipping And Receiving
  • Material Handling Equipment
  • Packaging And Labeling
  • Inventory Management
  • General Mathematics
  • Order Picking
  • Inventory Staging
  • Powered Industrial Truck (PIT) Operation
  • Safety Procedures
  • Material Handling
  • Housekeeping
  • Machinery
  • Cycle Counting
  • Warehouse Operations

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Operation and Control
Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Operations Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Equipment Maintenance
Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Troubleshooting
Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Repairing
Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Mathematics
Using mathematics to solve problems.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Systems Evaluation
Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

  1. 01Forklift Operators49,916 postings
  2. 02Forklift Drivers6,875 postings
  3. 03Warehouse Drivers2,393 postings
  4. 04Reach Truck Operators1,458 postings
  5. 05Cherry Picker Operators862 postings
  6. 06Pallet Jack Operators651 postings
  7. 07Stackers502 postings
  8. 08Lift Truck Operators410 postings
  9. 09Equipment Operators292 postings
  10. 10Shipping and Receiving Operators281 postings
  11. 11Electric Pallet Jack Operators246 postings
  12. 12Clamp Truck Operators212 postings
  13. 13Reach Operators202 postings
  14. 14Fork Truck Operators163 postings
  15. 15Stacker Operators142 postings
  16. 16Warehouse Pickers/Packers131 postings
  17. 17Warehouse Material Handlers120 postings
  18. 18Truck Drivers119 postings
  19. 19Operators103 postings
  20. 20Warehousers93 postings

Top employers

  1. 01Randstad4,480 postings
  2. 02Aerotek3,413 postings
  3. 03Staffmark1,236 postings
  4. 04ManpowerGroup1,172 postings
  5. 05Ryder1,045 postings
  6. 06Kelly Services800 postings
  7. 07Costco777 postings
  8. 08XPO Logistics758 postings
  9. 09Adecco705 postings
  10. 10ABF Freight System658 postings
  11. 11Deutsche Post DHL Group584 postings
  12. 12Spherion Staffing551 postings
  13. 13Express Employment Professionals539 postings
  14. 14Rl Carriers528 postings
  15. 15Core-Mark International494 postings
  16. 16Americold Logistics438 postings
  17. 17BJ's Wholesale Club408 postings
  18. 18NFI Industries387 postings
  19. 1948forty Solutions355 postings
  20. 20The Coca-Cola Company337 postings

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