Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
Also called: Carry All Driver, CAT Driver (Caterpillar Driver), CAT Operator (Caterpillar Operator), CAT Skinner (Caterpillar Skinner), CAT Tender (Caterpillar Tender), CAT Tractor Operator (Caterpillar Tractor Operator), Charging Car Operator, Checker Loader
Operate industrial trucks or tractors equipped to move materials around a warehouse, storage yard, factory, construction site, or similar location.
What industrial truck and tractor operators do
Typical tasks
- 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.
- 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.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators salary
The median annual wage for industrial truck and tractor operators is $46,420 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $36,840 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $62,520. The mean annual wage is $48,370.
The mean hourly wage of $23.00 is 3.2× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $46,420 → in 3 years $50,800 → in 5 years $53,900 → in 10 years $62,500 (10-year range $53,800–$72,600). The model assumes pay growth of +3.0% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
The same job in Japan
| Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators United States | フォークリフト運転作業員 Japan | |
|---|---|---|
| Median / average pay | $46,420 | ¥4.70M ≈ $29,896 |
| Pay in 10 years (est.) | $62,500 | ¥5.85M |
| Outlook score | 43 | 44 |
| AI replacement risk | 30% Low | 30% Low |
| Workers | 774K | — |
Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.
Skills, education and requirements for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 2 — some preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★☆☆☆ Fairly easy (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become industrial truck and tractor operators
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as industrial truck and tractor operators
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.