Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators

High Risk
Low High

Explore safer careers (5)

Lower estimated automation risk

First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators
33% automation risk | Low Risk
Pays better Higher growth
38.2 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Uses warehouse operations, equipment safety, operator coaching, dispatch priorities, and shift coordination.

Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines
46% automation risk | Moderate Risk
Pays better Higher growth
25.4 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Uses daily inspections, mechanical awareness, hydraulics, maintenance symptoms, and equipment safety knowledge.

Riggers
51% automation risk | Moderate Risk
Pays better Higher growth
19.9 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Transfers load handling, balance, signaling, warehouse lifting, equipment checks, and safety awareness.

Logistics Analysts
36% automation risk | Low Risk
Pays better Higher growth
34.8 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Fits operators with data aptitude using warehouse flow, routing, inventory, bottlenecks, and performance metrics.

Crane and Tower Operators
62% automation risk | High Risk
Pays better
9.5 pts lower View career
Why it fits

Builds on vehicle control, load stability, site communication, pre-use inspection, and safe lifting.

Compare this job with others
or search for another job
Share your results with friends and family.

Occupation snapshot

What does this snowflake show?
The Snowflake is a visual summary of the five badges: Automation Risk (calculated), Risk (polled), Growth, Wages and Volume. It gives you an instant snapshot of an occupations profile. The colour of the Snowflake relates to its size. The better the occupation scores in relation to others, the larger and greener the Snowflake becomes.
JOB SCORE
2.9/10
What's this?
Job Score (higher is better):

We rate jobs using four factors. These are:

- Chance of being automated
- Job growth
- Wages
- Volume of available positions

These are some key things to think about when job hunting.

Risk & user votes

Calculated automation risk

71% (High Risk)

High Risk (61-80%): This occupation shows a significant risk of end-to-end replacement by automation. Many core parts of the role may be structured, repeatable, software-driven, or physically predictable enough for AI, machines, or robotic systems to take over. If you work in this area, it may be worth exploring safer related careers or moving towards more human-centred responsibilities.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Human strengths important in this job

These are human abilities and work contexts that are important in this occupation. They may help explain why parts of the role are harder to replace end-to-end, but they are not the only inputs into the automation score.

Decision-making and problem solving

Quite important
Why this matters
Analyze information, weigh tradeoffs, and choose the best solution—especially when situations are ambiguous, high-stakes, or have real-world consequences.
Jobs that also use this strength

Coaching and developing others

Quite important
Why this matters
Helps people learn and improve through coaching, mentoring, and feedback. This relies on trust, motivation, and adapting guidance to each person—work that’s hard to replace end-to-end with automation.
Jobs that also use this strength

Coordinating others’ work

Quite important
Why this matters
Bringing people together, assigning tasks, and keeping a group aligned so work gets done.
Jobs that also use this strength

What users think

Based on 103 votes

70% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted that it's probable this occupation will be automated. This assessment is further supported by the calculated automation risk level, which estimates 71% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?

View sentiment trend

Pay & outlook

Wages

Low paid relative to other professions

In 2024, the median annual wage for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators was $46,390 ($22 per hour).

The median annual wage for Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators was 6.3% lower than the national median annual wage, which stood at $49,500.

View wage trend

Wages over time

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Growth

Slow growth relative to other professions.

The number of 'Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators' job openings is expected to rise 1.1% by 2034

View employment trend

Total employment, and estimated job openings

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2023 and 2033
Updated projections are due 09-2025.

Volume

Significantly greater range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2024 there were 805,770 people employed as 'Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators' within the United States.

This represents around 0.5% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 191 people are employed as 'Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators'.

People also viewed

Computer Programmers Commercial Pilots Lawyers Actors Light Truck Drivers

What people are saying (8)

Leave a comment
JP (Low)
14 Jul 2024 05:30
As a forklift operator, the risks of automation far outweigh those of a human. When a risk factor has occurred and quick thinking is required, a robot won't be able to make those split-second decisions or take instructions to minimize further risk.
A forklift operator (Moderate)
24 Jul 2022 03:40
As robotics technology continues to develop over the years, it is likely that robotic machine operators will eventually become safer, cheaper, and more efficient than their human counterparts.

Exactly how far we are from that point is unclear, but I would be surprised if there wasn't some level of automation within the next 20 years.
Gabe(Not full name) (Moderate)
07 Aug 2021 04:32
I voted likely because the job is very simple.1st get load, 2nd drive load to station. etc, 3rd then unload and get the check
Mārtiņš (Low)
08 Mar 2020 12:36
Not likely, since tractors need people to control in case of a fault like a uneven field pulls out a part and the robot keeps doing the job ruining the field or the yield.
Tom (Highly likely)
07 Sep 2019 05:16
Unfortunately they would be replaced
Rich Demarco (No chance)
10 Jul 2019 21:25
Robots simply do not have the same intuition that human drivers do to detect and predict hazards around them
Obraxis
23 Sep 2019 07:16
What a fool you are. In an autonomous warehouse ect. there are no hazards to predict... because there will be almost 0 of them. Its not that hard to think outside of your bubble.
Piffer
31 May 2020 20:04
This is where self-driving cars and trucks come in
Leave a reply about this occupation
0/8000

Job description

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

O*NET-SOC code: 53-7051.00