Fork-lift truck drivers: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time fork-lift truck drivers in the UK earned a median £31,279 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 20% less than the £39,039 median for all full-time jobs.
What the figures show
It is in the lowest-paid third of the 382 occupations (127th from the bottom).
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £26,597 and £38,883.
Median full-time pay: women £13.81 an hour, men £14.85 an hour.
Paid hours are long: a full-time median of 40 a week including overtime, against 37.5 across all jobs.
ASHE counts roughly 22,000 employee jobs, 91% full-time.
From £25,204 in 2021, the median is up 24.1%, close to the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 80,000 people in this line of work, 16% of them in West Midlands.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £23,995* | £500.80 | £12.80 | £23,761* | £487.90 | £12.80 |
| 20th percentile | £26,059 | £530.30 | £13.23 | £25,715 | £517.60 | £13.22 |
| 25th percentile | £26,597 | £548.10 | £13.61 | £26,467 | £530.80 | £13.55 |
| 30th percentile | £27,038 | £553.20 | £13.74 | £26,774 | £548.30 | £13.73 |
| 40th percentile | £29,502 | £580.50 | £14.14 | £28,901 | £568.30 | £14.16 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £31,279 | £618.80 | £14.80 | £31,016 | £612.20 | £14.87 |
| 60th percentile | £33,138 | £651.00 | £16.09 | £32,897 | £640.50 | £16.10 |
| 70th percentile | £37,046 | £713.20 | £16.75 | £36,839 | £693.90 | £16.76 |
| 75th percentile | £38,883 | £747.40 | £17.27 | £38,799 | £738.80 | £17.37 |
| 80th percentile | £39,952* | £813.90* | £18.21 | £39,747* | £775.50* | £18.30 |
| Mean | £32,719 | £670.60 | £15.82 | £32,288 | £650.00 | £15.85 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £25,204 | £497.70 | £11.30 | £25,053 | £494.30 | 24 |
| 2022 revised | £26,376 | £521.20 | £12.14 | £25,692 | £519.70 | 29 |
| 2023 revised | £27,248* | £524.00 | £12.53 | £27,004* | £517.50 | 23 |
| 2024 revised | £28,949 | £580.20 | £13.71 | £28,316 | £570.50 | 22 |
| 2025 provisional | £31,279 | £618.80 | £14.80 | £31,016 | £612.20 | 22 |
Fork-lift truck drivers by region
UK: 80,000 (± 11,000), April 2025 to March 2026. 9 of the 12 regions and nations have samples too small to publish.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| West Midlands | 12,500* | ± 4,600 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 10,600* | ± 3,800 |
| North West | 9,600* | ± 3,700 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What fork-lift truck drivers do
Fork-lift truck drivers operate fork-lift trucks in factories, warehouses, storerooms and other areas to transfer goods and materials. (ONS SOC 2020, 8222)
Also covers: fork lift driver, fork lift truck driver, fork truck operator, stacker-driver, driver (fork-lift), flt driver, fork lifter, fork-lift driver, fork-lift operator, hyster driver, internal driver, stacker driver, clamp truck driver, driver (works trucks), electric truck driver, fork lift operator, fork truck driver and fork-lift truck driver (29 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Operates controls to pick up load on forks
- Drives truck to unloading point and lowers forks to correct position on stack or ground
- Ensures that truck is connected to charger or is correctly refuelled for use
- Keeps records of work undertaken
- Cleans, oils and greases machine
There are no formal academic entry requirements. A variety of vocational qualifications in Forklift Truck Operations are available at level 2.
Related
Mobile machine drivers and operatives (median £36,404) · Crane drivers · Mobile machine drivers and operatives n.e.c. · salary percentile · Average weekly hours worked in the UK · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026