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Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
Transportation and Material Moving · SOC 53-7051
0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$46,420
Median Annual Salary
Average
O*NET Outlook
73,400
Proj. Annual Openings
774,420
Employment (OEWS 2025)
+3.5%/yr
Empl. growth (2019–2025)
100/100
AI Resiliency Score
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 53-7051 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
Proxy / seed data labeledDescriptive-only
- SOC exposure
- 0.0%
- Low · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 54/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $46,420
- No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
- Projected openings
- 73,400
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +1.1%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- —
- FY— certified LCAs; 90,640 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
Operation and ControlOperations MonitoringCoordinationEquipment MaintenanceTroubleshooting
Transition context
- H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
- Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
- Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
- This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.
AI Exposure Analysis
AI Exposure0.0%
AI Resiliency100/100
Exposure BandLow
Sector Avg. Exposure0.2%
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
11.1%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI3.1%
AI ability · AIOE30.3%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne93%
Top Skills
1.Operation and Control
2.Operations Monitoring
3.Coordination
4.Equipment Maintenance
5.Troubleshooting
H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand
View full H-1B trends →No H-1B certified LCA filings recorded for this occupation in FY2016–FY2025.
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
Operate industrial trucks or tractors equipped to move materials around a warehouse, storage yard, factory, construction site, or similar location.
Common titles: Checker Loader, Fork Lift Technician, Fork Truck Driver, Forklift Driver, Forklift Operator, Lift Truck Operator
Representative 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.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Operate cranes, hoists, or other moving or lifting equipment.
- •Operate vehicles or material-moving equipment.
- •Load shipments, belongings, or materials.
- •Position material handling equipment.
- •Secure cargo.
Tools & Technologies
Microsoft Excel · hotMicrosoft Outlook · hotSAP software · hotWarehouse management system WMSArgos Software ABECAS Insight WMSBarControl Enterprise Manager iBEMInventory management systemsRedPrairie DLx WarehouseSSA Global Supply Chain ManagementSymphony GOLD
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
15
Occupations Shown
0.8%
Avg AI Exposure
6
Bright Outlook
Horizontal bar chart showing occupations with the highest projected annual openings. Each bar length represents annual projected openings. Color uses a gradient from violet (lower) to cyan (higher). Summary statistics are shown above the chart.
Employment & Wage Trend
BLS OEWS, 2019–2025
Multi-year BLS OEWS history for SOC 53-7051: 2019 — employment: 629,270, median wage: $36,200; 2020 — employment: 640,950, median wage: $37,560; 2021 — employment: 758,290, median wage: $38,380; 2022 — employment: 780,890, median wage: $41,230; 2023 — employment: 778,920, median wage: $44,470; 2025 — employment: 774,420, median wage: $46,420.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Outlook | Average | 20% Bright |
| Median Salary | $46,420 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |