Forklift Operator- Expert

TheogCompanies; Salinas (CA); On-site; USD 34,440 - 35,817; Full time

Job summary

TheogCompanies is seeking a skilled Forklift Operator Expert to safely move materials within our Salinas facility. You will operate forklifts, use a scan gun, inspect equipment, and maintain an organized workspace to meet production deadlines.

Responsibilities include blending, issuing materials, packaging, receiving, shipping pre-stage, load operations, rotation, and 12 pallet/tube operations. A valid forklift certification and strong safety discipline are preferred.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required or preferred.
• Valid forklift operation experience and certification preferred.
• Ability to read and interpret work instructions and safety rules.

Responsibilities

• Blending: stage and prepare raw materials and pallets throughout the shift.
• Material Issuance: rotate and issue raw products, unload, and stage for production.
• Packaging/Pack Out: receive inbound packaging, stock materials, and maintain FIFO.
• Receiving/Shipping: unload materials, verify counts, and stage for dispatch.
• Load Trucks/Rotation: pre-inspect trailers, load orders, and rotate stock per FIFO.
• 12 Pallet/Tube Operation: handle start-up, cooling, and related forklift tasks.

Skills

Forklift operation experience

Bilingual English/Spanish

Reading work instructions

Education

High School diploma or GED

Tools

Scanner gun

Forklift

Job description

Title: Forklift Operator Expert
Salary Range: $25.50 Hourly
Status: Non-Exempt
Days/Shifts: B Shift, Monday - Saturday
Location: Salinas, CA

Job Summary: Skilled and reliable forklift operator to safely and efficiently handle material movement within the facility, using a scan gun. Operate forklifts to load, unload, and move materials, perform equipment inspections, maintain a clean workspace, and meet deadlines.

Major Responsibilities and Tasks

• Blending
  • Wash and sanitize all plastic cull, trash and recycled bins.
  • Pull the startup pallets into blending area by staging pallets at appropriate line.
  • Rotate and stage raw products in blending area throughout the shift.
  • Bring empty cull, empty pallets (plastic) and trash bins into blending area.
  • Take out full cull and trash bins, empty wood/plastic pallets and dirty rpcs out of the blending area into the yard throughout the shift.
  • Sort/dump of cull waste, trash, recycle materials and pallets to appropriate containers and or area throughout the shift.
  • Cover unused partial pallets (end of 2nd shift).
• Material Issuance
  • Rotate and organize Box 3.
  • Issue raw products to the plant following raw issuance SOP.
  • Unload pallets, rpc and other misc. items.
  • Load material on truck for growers for next day harvest.
  • Load dirty rpc on TOSCA truck.
  • Stage the startup raw product for next day production.
  • Assist in bagging raw products by placing plastic bag over pallets inside the cooler.
  • Dump raw product as and when time permits.
  • Rotate all pallets and rpcs in yard opening up space for inbound deliveries.
  • Ensure the yard area near the dumpsters is clear of debris and organized.
• Packaging
  • Receive packaging inbound, ensure all trucks are unloaded safely and timely, follow proper verification process.
  • Stocking of packaging materials for production including labels.
  • Perform daily/weekly/monthly inventory of miscellaneous items.
  • Provide daily updates on inventory detail to the Inventory/Receiving Manager.
  • Monitor all inventory (including pallets/rpc).
  • Notify potential stock-outs to assure timely customer order fill.
  • Accurate and timely notification of any product or material issue, damaged products, low inventory and material or products in bad condition.
  • Rotate packaging materials and maintain a FIFO process to all inventories.
• Pack Out
  • Stock material (cartons in mezzanine, clams in pack out, empty pallets in Box 3 and other material required by production prior to start-up).
  • Bring in
    • Trays and lids (5oz, 10oz, 16oz, WL, Butter)
    • Carton (lift to Vestibule - HL to bring in)
    • Miscellaneous items (such as plastic rolls as needed)
    • Trash bins and Green Bins (whole leaf)
    • Empty Pallets for palletizing
  • Bring out
    • Full Trash bins
    • Carton bins (recycling)
    • Shelf Life pallets
  • Move completed FG pallets (tagged) from packout area and move to appropriate box location.
• Receiving
  • Unload raw material from trucks using a forklift, place pallets of raw material on a scale, weigh the pallet to obtain the gross weight, record weights onto the Load/Unload Chart.
  • Verify counts of pallets of raw material against Bills of Lading (BOL) or Purchase Orders (PO), note and report discrepancies in product type and quantity.
  • Turn in the completed Load/Unload Chart to the Shipping office, obtain pallet ID tags, and place them on pallets of product.
  • Ensure raw material is cooled before taking the pallet into the Raw Product Cold Box. Take warm product to the Tube Operator and/or cooling tube.
  • Place cooled product in the Raw Product Cold Box and rotate product, FIFO.
  • Supply the plant with raw material as needed per Raw Issuance SOP.
  • Pre-stage raw product to be transferred to Co‑Packers.
• Shipping Pre-Stage
  • Operate scanner gun for picking and rotating finished goods.
  • At the beginning of the shift and throughout, obtain Pick Tickets from the Shipping office. Pick Tickets contain customer order information such as type of product and quantity that needs to be pulled from the warehouse to fill an order. Pick and scan items of finished product from the warehouse and enter quantities into the scanner gun.
  • Build pallets of finished goods for customer orders, place a sticker on the pallet to identify which order the pallet/product belongs to, place in the staging rack, and complete the Load Chart. The Load Chart is filled out while the pallet is being built. When done pulling product and building pallets for the order, turn the completed Loader Sheet and Pick Ticket into the Shipping office. All writing must be clean, neat and legible. Must verify counts.
  • Read and follow special instructions on the Pick Ticket. Special instructions may include the customer’s requirement to use corner boards, CHEP pallets, or to shrink wrap the pallet.
  • Must meet order picking efficiency standards set by organic girl.
• Load Trucks
  • Conduct pre-inspection of the trailer to ensure it is clean, proper temperature, note damage to the trailer, etc. Complete the pre-inspection form which is on the Load Tag document. Inform a supervisor if the trailer does not pass pre-inspection.
  • While using a forklift, go to staging area, get pallets of product for the order, verify counts, and load the truck. Verify counts by reading the Pick Ticket already filled out during pre-stage and by writing the counts on the blank Pick-Ticket. If missing product for the order, pick items from the warehouse to complete the order. When remove product from the warehouse, use a hand scanning gun to scan the bar code on the rack and pallet and enter the quantity of cases into the scan gun.
• Rotation
  • Perform using a scanner gun: Take pallets of finished product from production and place in the warehouse.
  • Obtain the Production Schedule, read and understand the volume of product being produced, and move product in the warehouse to ensure there is enough room for incoming product. Rotate product based on FIFO.
  • Using an Inventory Sheet, perform cycle counts. This involves finding the product on the Inventory Sheet in the warehouse, counting the product, and confirming quantities in the warehouse.
• 12 Pallet/Tube Operation
  • Scan start-up product to PRDIN.
  • Take the start-up product to blending area and drop outside.
  • Send any pending raw product “SP” items to the plant.
  • Unload incoming raw product from flatbeds using 12 pallet forklifts.
  • Perform Tube Start‑Up procedure.
  • Perform cooling operation using vacuum tubes.
  • Maintain proper documentation for all activity including daily rundown of cooling tube and forklift.

Job Specific Competencies

• Previous forklift experience in a manufacturing plant, using scan guns and pre‑staging.
• Demonstrated driving proficiency with a forklift to load and unload vendor trucks and put materials away properly.
• Maintain and work in accordance with OSHA norms.
• Literate in English and/or Spanish. Bilingual English/Spanish preferred.
• Ability to read, write, and interpret work related documents and instructions, safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedures.
• The employee may be required to perform other duties and tasks beyond those specifically listed, as necessitated by business needs and at the discretion of management.

Physical Requirements

• Regular standing, walking, using hands, reaching, climbing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, speaking or hearing. Frequently required to sit. Must lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required include distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
• Must be able to use a handheld scanning device and follow screen prompts and instructions.

Work Hours & Travel Requirements

• Must be available to work a flexible schedule, including nights, weekends, and holidays.

Experience and Education

• High School graduate or GED equivalent from an accredited institution preferred.
• Prior experience in a fresh vegetable or food processing plant a plus.
• Certification in forklift operation preferred, however organic girl will certify employees.

EEO Statement

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, sex, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or on the basis of disability.

Legal Information

Applicants have rights under Federal Employment Laws:
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) English: https://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/posters/fmlaframe.pdf
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Spanish: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/WHD/legacy/files/fmlasp.pdf
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC): https://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/ofccpost.htm
Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) English: https://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/posters/eppac.pdf
Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) Spanish: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/WHD/legacy/files/eppaspan.pdf
Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA): https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/VETS/legacy/files/USERRA_Private.pdf

Department: Distribution
Position: Non-Management Full‑time