About This Career

Operates industrial trucks or tractors equipped to move materials around a warehouse, storage yard, factory, construction site, or similar location.

This career is part of the Transportation, Distribution and Logistics cluster Transportation Operations pathway.

A person in this career:

• Moves 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.
• Moves controls to drive gasoline- or electric-powered trucks, cars, or tractors and transport materials between loading, processing, and storage areas.
• Manually or mechanically loads or unloads materials from pallets, skids, platforms, cars, lifting devices, or other transport vehicles.
• Positions lifting devices under, over, or around loaded pallets, skids, or boxes and secures material or products for transport to designated areas.
• Inspects product load for accuracy and safely moves it around the warehouse or facility to ensure timely and complete delivery.
• Signals workers to discharge, dump, or level materials.
• Weighs materials or products and records weight or other production data on tags or labels.
• Performs routine maintenance on vehicles or auxiliary equipment, such as cleaning, lubricating, recharging batteries, fueling, or replacing liquefied-gas tank.
• Operates or tends automatic stacking, loading, packaging, or cutting machines.
• Hooks tow trucks to trailer hitches and fastens attachments, such as graders, plows, rollers, or winch cables to tractors, using hitchpins.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 20 lbs., sometimes up to 50 lbs. You might do a lot of lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling.
• Work in this occupation involves bending or twisting your body more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Exposure to pollutants, gases, dust, fumes, odors, poor ventilation, etc.
• Conditions are very hot (above 90 F) or very cold (under 32 F)
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves making repetitive motions more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves standing more than one-third of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Picking out a particular sound in the presence of other sounds
• Judging how far away an object is, or which of several objects is closer or farther away
• Seeing clearly at a distance
• Seeing clearly up close
• Seeing objects or movement to one's side when looking forward
• Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying objects
• Using abdominal and lower back muscles repeatedly or over time without tiring

Work Hours and Travel

• Regular working hours and limited travel