All About Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
Position Description 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?
- Manually or mechanically load or unload materials from pallets, skids, platforms, cars, lifting devices, or other transport vehicles.
- Signal workers to discharge, dump, or level materials.
- 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 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.
- Hook tow trucks to trailer hitches and fasten attachments, such as graders, plows, rollers, or winch cables to tractors, using hitchpins.
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Industrial Truck or Tractor Operator Needed Skills
Below is a list of the skills most Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators say are important on the job.
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.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Types of Industrial Truck or Tractor Operator
- High Lift Driver
- Hyster Machine Operator
- Front End Loader Operator
- Industrial Tractor Driver
- Hi Lo Driver
Job Demand for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 549,900 jobs in the United States for Industrial Truck or Tractor Operator. 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.
How Much Does an Industrial Truck or Tractor Operator Make?
The salary for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators ranges between about $24,910 and $51,620 a year.
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 |
What Tools & Technology do Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators Use?
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
Becoming an Industrial Truck or Tractor Operator
Are there Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators education requirements?
What work experience do I need to become an Industrial Truck or Tractor Operator?
Where Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators Are Employed
The table below shows the approximate number of Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators employed by various industries.
Other Jobs You May be Interested In
Those interested in being an Industrial Truck or Tractor Operator may also be interested in:
Are you already one of the many Industrial Truck or Tractor Operator in the United States? If you’re thinking about changing careers, these fields are worth exploring:
References:
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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