Forklift Operator job description

Forklift operators move pallets, cases, and raw material through warehouses, distribution centers, plants, and yards, on sit-down counterbalance trucks, stand-up trucks, and pallet jacks. The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 765,200 industrial truck and tractor operators in 2025 and put their median wage at $46,420 for May 2025. No formal educational credential is typically required, and BLS says the simpler machines take only a few days to learn. The credential that gates the seat comes from the employer instead: OSHA rule 1910.178 requires an employer to certify that each powered industrial truck operator has been trained and evaluated, then to re-evaluate that operator's performance at least once every three years. Because freight ships around the clock, overnight shifts are ordinary.