Industrial Truck/Tractor Operator Career
Industrial Truck/Tractor Operator Career
The Real Poop
Industrial truck and tractor operation is no joke. All over the world, heavy things need to be moved around, and who you gonna call? Not Ghostbusters. You'll need high-powered industrial trucks and tractors. And until the machines take over the world, we'll need puny humans to drive those big guys.
Becoming an industrial truck or tractor operator is something you might consider if you've had an obsession with trucks since before you could say the word "trucks" properly.
Your main task will be to operate heavy machinery, something that only an adult can pull off. Your typical industrial truck-slash-tractor operator brings home around $34,000 a year, which may sound like a lot of money to that toddler inside of you…
People with this job tend to work thirty-plus hours a week in an industrial setting. When we use the term "industrial," we mean forklifts, cherry pickers, and all sorts of vehicles with other attachments that can be useful when it comes to building, moving, or accessing big or heavy things (source).
Tractors, on the other hand, are more common in farming (as you’re probably well aware from your preschool days). Basically, if you want to do this job, you'll need to be trained and certified to operate a variety of big, loud, and awesome machines.
People who get hired and do well in this field are licensed and at least somewhat experienced operators of heavy vehicles. If you're looking to get into it, figure out a way to get some practice behind the wheel of a big rig, tractor plow, or at least get started with a moving van. Anything donkey-powered doesn't count.
The worst thing someone might say about this job is that the day-to-day gets a tad repetitive, but if you're being mindless about it, you're not being safe. This is a job where you'd better be alert at all times.
The biggest industries where people find employment in this field are warehousing and storage, employment services (meaning agencies that connect workers with contract and full-time positions), building materials and supplies dealers, grocery wholesalers, and general freight trucking (source). The high availability of temp work in this industry means that it's easy to make a schedule that suits your lifestyle and take long vacations if you want (source).
While this job is mainly about using machines to move things, some physical strain may be required. Communication skills and the ability to think on your feet are also key.
One more thing: Remember that crack earlier about machines taking over the world? Well, if you're a worker in the heavy machine operation biz, that's no joke. The day is rapidly approaching when most industrial vehicles will be partially or completely automated, so you might want to think twice about planning your life around this job. Sure, you could retire young, but you might have to do it in Indonesia, where you can trade a dollar for about 13,000 Rupiahs (source).