Forklift Operator job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

5

O*NET task statements

Preparation

Job Zone 1-2 of 5

very little to some preparation

Typical entry education

No formal educational credential

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$46,420

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators (O*NET-SOC 53-7051.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

1. 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. importance 4.6 of 5
2. Move controls to drive gasoline- or electric-powered trucks, cars, or tractors and transport materials between loading, processing, and storage areas. importance 4.5 of 5
3. Manually or mechanically load or unload materials from pallets, skids, platforms, cars, lifting devices, or other transport vehicles. importance 4.5 of 5
4. Position lifting devices under, over, or around loaded pallets, skids, or boxes and secure material or products for transport to designated areas. importance 4.5 of 5
5. Inspect product load for accuracy and safely move it around the warehouse or facility to ensure timely and complete delivery. importance 4.3 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Handling and Moving Objects, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events and Performing General Physical Activities.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• 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.
• Operate or tend automatic stacking, loading, packaging, or cutting machines.
• Turn valves and open chutes to dump, spray, or release materials from dump cars or storage bins into hoppers.

Knowledge areas: Mathematics.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Warehouse management system WMS, Autodesk AutoCAD, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists no formal educational credential as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists short-term on-the-job training as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 1-2 of 5 (very little to some preparation). Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board.

Job title: Forklift Operator
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Forklift Operator to operate industrial trucks or tractors equipped to move materials around a warehouse, storage yard, factory, construction site, or similar location.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- 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.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists no formal educational credential as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in operation and control, operations monitoring and coordination
- Working knowledge of Mathematics
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Warehouse management system WMS or Autodesk AutoCAD]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

The median annual wage was $46,420 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $22.32. BLS estimates about 774,420 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators to grow 1.5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 64,700 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

See the full forklift operator salary breakdown by percentile, state and metro.

• Read a real forklift operator posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Move levers or controls that operate lifting devices, such as…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only forklift operator work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (operation and control and operations monitoring).