Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators

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Operate industrial trucks or tractors equipped to move materials around a warehouse, storage yard, factory, construction site, or similar location.

tasks jobzones knowledge skills abilities work_activities work_context interests work_styles work_values

Tasks

  • Turn valves and open chutes to dump, spray, or release materials from dump cars or storage bins into hoppers.

  • Hook tow trucks to trailer hitches and fasten attachments, such as graders, plows, rollers, and winch cables to tractors, using hitchpins.

  • Signal workers to discharge, dump, or level materials.

  • Perform routine maintenance on vehicles and auxiliary equipment, such as cleaning, lubricating, recharging batteries, fueling, or replacing liquefied-gas tank.

  • Manually load or unload materials onto or off pallets, skids, platforms, cars, or lifting devices.

  • Operate or tend automatic stacking, loading, packaging, or cutting machines.

  • Weigh materials or products, and record weight and other production data on tags or labels.

  • Position lifting devices under, over, or around loaded pallets, skids, and boxes, and secure material or products for transport to designated areas.

  • Move levers and controls that operate lifting devices, such as forklifts, lift beams and swivel-hooks, hoists, and elevating platforms, to load, unload, transport, and stack material.

  • Move controls to drive gasoline- or electric-powered trucks, cars, or tractors and transport materials between loading, processing, and storage areas.

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Job Zone

  • Name: Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed

  • Experience: Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience may be helpful in these occupations, but usually is not needed. For example, a teller might benefit from experience working directly with the public, but an inexperienced person could still learn to be a teller with little difficulty.

  • Education: These occupations usually require a high school diploma and may require some vocational training or job-related course work. In some cases, an associate's or bachelor's degree could be needed.

  • Job training: Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees.

  • Examples: These occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include sheet metal workers, forest fire fighters, customer service representatives, pharmacy technicians, salespersons (retail), and tellers.

  • Svp range: (4.0 to < 6.0)

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Knowledge

Browse Knowledge
  • Transportation
    Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

  • Mechanical
    Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

  • Mathematics
    Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

  • English Language
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • Education and Training
    Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • Customer and Personal Service
    Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

  • Clerical
    Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.

  • Production and Processing
    Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

  • Chemistry
    Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

  • Administration and Management
    Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

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Skills

Browse Skills
  • Reading Comprehension
    Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

  • Instructing
    Teaching others how to do something.

  • Operation Monitoring
    Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

  • Equipment Maintenance
    Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.

  • Critical Thinking
    Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

  • Active Listening
    Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

  • Learning Strategies
    Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

  • Equipment Selection
    Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.

  • Operation and Control
    Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

  • Coordination
    Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

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Abilities

Browse Abilities
  • Static Strength
    The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.

  • Extent Flexibility
    The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.

  • Multilimb Coordination
    The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.

  • Reaction Time
    The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.

  • Control Precision
    The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.

  • Depth Perception
    The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.

  • Oral Comprehension
    The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

  • Response Orientation
    The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.

  • Trunk Strength
    The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing.

  • Stamina
    The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.

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Work Activities

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Work Context

  • Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
    How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls?

  • Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
    How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?

  • Time Pressure
    How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?

  • Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled
    How often does this job require working indoors in non-controlled environmental conditions (e.g., warehouse without heat)?

  • Face-to-Face Discussions
    How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?

  • Sounds, Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable
    How often does this job require working exposed to sounds and noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable?

  • Work With Work Group or Team
    How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?

  • Responsible for Others' Health and Safety
    How much responsibility is there for the health and safety of others in this job?

  • Exposed to Contaminants
    How often does this job require working exposed to contaminants (such as pollutants, gases, dust or odors)?

  • Contact With Others
    How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?

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Interests

Browse Interests
  • Realistic
    Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

  • Conventional
    Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

  • Enterprising
    Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

  • Investigative
    Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

  • Artistic
    Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

  • Social
    Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

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Work Styles

  • Dependability
    Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

  • Self Control
    Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.

  • Attention to Detail
    Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

  • Cooperation
    Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.

  • Independence
    Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.

  • Initiative
    Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

  • Stress Tolerance
    Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.

  • Adaptability/Flexibility
    Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.

  • Integrity
    Job requires being honest and ethical.

  • Persistence
    Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.

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Work Values

Browse Work Values
  • Moral Values
    Workers on this job are never pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

  • Supervision, Human Relations
    Workers on this job have supervisors who back up their workers with management.

  • Support-Mean Extent
    Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.

  • Company Policies and Practices
    Workers on this job are treated fairly by the company.

  • Supervision, Technical
    Workers on this job have supervisors who train their workers well.

  • Activity
    Workers on this job are busy all the time.

  • Independence
    Workers on this job do their work alone.

  • Compensation
    Workers on this job are paid well in comparison with other workers.

  • Relationships-Mean Extent
    Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.

  • Achievement
    Workers on this job get a feeling of accomplishment.

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