How to become a fork lift truck operator
Official title: Fork lift truck operator
Also called: Fork lift operator, Fork lift operator
Fork lift truck operator operates power-driven trucks equipped with a fork lift or lifting platform to pick up, transport and raise or mechanically stack bales, crates, cartons and similar objects in a warehouse, storeroom, factory or other establishment. He/she exercises care to prevent damage to goods. He/she may carry out routine servicing of trucks, tow hand trucks and load or unload trucks.
Main tasks
- Operating and monitoring lifting trucks and similar equipment to load and unload, transport, lift and stack goods and pallets in terminals, harbours, warehouses, factories and other establishments
- Positioning lifting devices under, over or around loaded pallets, skids and boxes and securing material or products for transport to designated areas
- Inspecting equipment to identify wear and damage
- Performing routine maintenance on vehicles and equipment
- Keeping records of work undertaken and breakdown of lifting truck and similar equipment
Ways in
- Apprenticeship: Work-study diploma. Related ITE work-study diplomas: Work-Study Diploma in Vertical Transportation. You are employed by a company and study at ITE at the same time. Peernovo matched these from course names.
- Polytechnic or ITE: ITE course (Nitec or Higher Nitec). Related ITE courses: Higher Nitec in Vertical Transportation. Peernovo matched these from course names; ITE does not publish which jobs each course leads to.
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $30,000 a year. The middle half earn $21,684 to $37,956 a year.
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Related jobs
- Excavating/Trench digging machine operator
- Dredge operator
- Pile driver/drilling machine operator
- Tunnelling machine operator
- Crane/Hoist operator (excluding port)
- Crane operator (on-site)
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Questions people ask
How do I become a fork lift truck operator?
Ways in include: ITE course (Nitec or Higher Nitec); Work-study diploma.
How much does a fork lift truck operator earn in Singapore?
Median full-time pay is $30,000 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $21,684 to $37,956.
Will AI change the work of a fork lift truck operator?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg): Resident Occupational Wages (Occupational Wage Survey) (June 2024 (data.gov.sg update 2026-04-01)), Singapore Open Data Licence v1.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026