All About Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
Industrial Truck or Tractor Operator Definition Operate industrial trucks or tractors equipped to move materials around a warehouse, storage yard, factory, construction site, or similar location.
Life As an Industrial Truck or Tractor Operator: What Do They Do?
- Signal workers to discharge, dump, or level materials.
- 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.
- Operate or tend automatic stacking, loading, packaging, or cutting machines.
- Inspect product load for accuracy and safely move it around the warehouse or facility to ensure timely and complete delivery.
- Position lifting devices under, over, or around loaded pallets, skids, or boxes and secure material or products for transport to designated areas.
- Move controls to drive gasoline- or electric-powered trucks, cars, or tractors and transport materials between loading, processing, and storage areas.
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What Every Industrial Truck or Tractor Operator Should Know
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Operation 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.
Time Management: Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
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.
Other Industrial Truck or Tractor Operator Job Titles
- Plowing Gardens
- Caterpillar Tractor Operator
- Hi Low Truck Driver
- Hydraulic Lift Driver
- Industrial Truck Driver
Job Opportunities for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
In the United States, there were 549,900 jobs for Industrial Truck or Tractor Operator in 2016. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 6.5% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 36,000 new jobs for Industrial Truck or Tractor Operator by 2026. The BLS estimates 65,900 yearly job openings in this field.
The states with the most job growth for Industrial Truck or Tractor Operator are Utah, Arizona, and Nevada. Watch out if you plan on working in Maine, Delaware, or District of Columbia. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Average Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators Salary
The typical yearly salary for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators is somewhere between $24,910 and $51,620.
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators who work in Alaska, District of Columbia, or Hawaii, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators in different U.S. states.
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $33,520 |
| Alaska | $53,580 |
| Arizona | $35,910 |
| Arkansas | $33,150 |
| California | $37,940 |
| Colorado | $36,670 |
| Connecticut | $40,980 |
| Delaware | $39,630 |
| District of Columbia | $50,240 |
| Florida | $36,460 |
| Georgia | $36,700 |
| Hawaii | $50,540 |
| Idaho | $35,450 |
| Illinois | $36,240 |
| Indiana | $35,420 |
| Iowa | $37,950 |
| Kansas | $36,440 |
| Kentucky | $33,980 |
| Louisiana | $35,560 |
| Maine | $35,920 |
| Maryland | $40,490 |
| Massachusetts | $39,370 |
| Michigan | $37,830 |
| Minnesota | $41,500 |
| Mississippi | $31,500 |
| Missouri | $35,750 |
| Montana | $37,500 |
| Nebraska | $34,880 |
| Nevada | $38,400 |
| New Hampshire | $41,340 |
| New Jersey | $36,490 |
| New Mexico | $37,650 |
| New York | $42,340 |
| North Carolina | $33,720 |
| North Dakota | $39,920 |
| Ohio | $35,490 |
| Oklahoma | $36,140 |
| Oregon | $37,410 |
| Pennsylvania | $37,730 |
| Rhode Island | $38,390 |
| South Carolina | $34,820 |
| South Dakota | $35,010 |
| Tennessee | $33,810 |
| Texas | $33,580 |
| Utah | $35,850 |
| Vermont | $39,690 |
| Virginia | $37,900 |
| Washington | $43,430 |
| West Virginia | $39,200 |
| Wisconsin | $37,890 |
| Wyoming | $40,520 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- SAP
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Inventory management software
- RedPrairie DLx Warehouse
How to Become an Industrial Truck or Tractor Operator
Education needed to be an Industrial Truck or Tractor Operator:
How many years of work experience do I need?
Where Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators Work
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Related Careers
Those interested in being an Industrial Truck or Tractor Operator may also be interested in:
Career changers with experience as an Industrial Truck or Tractor Operator sometimes find work in one of the following fields:
References:
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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