Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators

What Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators Do

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

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

Short-term on-the-job training

Self-employed

0.4%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

• Mathematicsimportance 3.0/5
• English Languageimportance 2.8/5
• Production and Processingimportance 2.8/5
• Transportationimportance 2.8/5
• Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 2.5/5
• Administration and Managementimportance 2.5/5
• Administrativeimportance 2.3/5
• Public Safety and Securityimportance 2.3/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

• Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets5.0/5
• Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.7/5
• Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.7/5
• Time Pressure4.5/5
• Exposed to Very Hot or Cold Temperatures4.4/5
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.4/5

Related Careers

• Hoist and Winch Operators
• Crane and Tower Operators
• Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders
• Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining
• Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
• Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
• Pile Driver Operators
• Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

• Pile Driver Operators95% skill match
• Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers95% skill match
• Logging Equipment Operators95% skill match
• Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators95% skill match
• Motorboat Operators95% skill match
• Roustabouts, Oil and Gas94% skill match
• Power Plant Operators94% skill match
• Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators94% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

• Operation and Controlimportance 3.9/5
• Operations Monitoringimportance 3.3/5
• Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
• Equipment Maintenanceimportance 3.0/5
• Troubleshootingimportance 3.0/5
• Time Managementimportance 3.0/5
• Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.8/5
• Social Perceptivenessimportance 2.6/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

• Dependability
• Cautiousness
• Attention to Detail
• Integrity
• Stress Tolerance
• Self-Control
• Achievement Orientation

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

• RealisticHigh
• ConventionalMedium
• InvestigativeLow
• EnterprisingLow
• SocialLow
• ArtisticLow

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where industrial truck and tractor operators make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1. 1Dalton, GA6.15× national avg
2. 2Winchester, VA-WV4.35× national avg
3. 3Chambersburg, PA4.07× national avg
4. 4Stockton-Lodi, CA4.02× national avg
5. 5Kenosha, WI3.46× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

• Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment OperatorsCareer Change
• Pile Driver OperatorsCareer Change
• Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment OperatorsCareer Change
• Pump Operators, Except Wellhead PumpersLateral Move

See the full career path from Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.