How To Become A Reach Truck Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a reach truck operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Reach truck operators are extremely hard working professionals who safely, efficiently, and securely use reach trucks for various transportation purposes. They obtain the authentic license and understand every safety protocol involved with bulky, heavy machinery. Operators operate their trucks to load them up first, move from one station to another, and finally unload them to the sizable retail store materials or firm's warehouse.

You can become an operator if you have good communication and versatile mechanical skills. Successful operators generate an income up to $14.77 an hour. Becoming a truck operator is very easy but challenging. You only need a GED or high school diploma to apply. A bachelor's degree under your belt is a huge plus.

You need good hand-eye coordination, alertness, and attention capabilities, as you will spend most of your time while driving. You have to be attentive all the time to avoid any kind of accident or misadventure. Your working hours depend on the day or night shift.

ScoreReach Truck OperatorUS Average

Salary

2.7

Avg. Salary $34,625

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

8.3

Growth Rate 7%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.88%

Asian 2.76%

Black or African American 16.39%

Hispanic or Latino 18.52%

Unknown 4.49%

White 56.95%

Gender

female 9.15%

male 90.85%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress Level

8.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.8

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

3.8

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a reach truck operator

Explore reach truck operator education requirements

Most common reach truck operator degrees

High School Diploma

57.1 %

Diploma

17.8 %

Associate

11.8 %

Start to develop specific reach truck operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Pallets	18.65%
RF Scanner	6.95%
Basic Math	6.62%
SIT	5.23%
Electric Pallet Jack	4.74%

Complete relevant reach truck operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New reach truck operators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a reach truck operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real reach truck operator resumes.

Research reach truck operator duties and responsibilities

Receive product in using WMS (warehouse management system )
Put away and picking of parts using RF scanner.
Train other employees to operate CNC beam line python.
Reach truck operator/picking order from WMS system and put away.

Prepare your reach truck operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your reach truck operator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a reach truck operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Reach Truck Operator Resume templates

Build a professional Reach Truck Operator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Reach Truck Operator resume.

Apply for reach truck operator jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a reach truck operator job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do reach truck operators rate their job?

-/5

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1 Star

Reach Truck Operator reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2022

Pros

It saves time and makes work easier and enhance greater output

Cons

To be surcharge when there's a damage on goods through accident