Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders

Agriculture, Food and Natural ResourcesO*NET 53-7121.00United States

Load and unload chemicals and bulk solids, such as coal, sand, and grain, into or from tank cars, trucks, or ships, using material moving equipment. May perform a variety of other tasks relating to shipment of products.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning

Median annual earnings: $58,642
Projected change: +4.9%
Typical education: High school diploma or less
Employment: 12.91K jobs

Explore this career by location

Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.

Showing United States

State

County

Loading available locations…

Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

The work

What tank car, truck, and ship loaders do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

Seal outlet valves on tank cars, barges, and trucks.
Verify tank car, barge, or truck load numbers to ensure car placement accuracy based on written or verbal instructions.
Start pumps and adjust valves or cables to regulate the flow of products to vessels, using knowledge of loading procedures.
Observe positions of cars passing loading spouts, and swing spouts into the correct positions at the appropriate times.
Check conditions and weights of vessels to ensure cleanliness and compliance with loading procedures.
Monitor product movement to and from storage tanks, coordinating activities with other workers to ensure constant product flow.
Operate ship loading and unloading equipment, conveyors, hoists, and other specialized material handling equipment such as railroad tank car unloading equipment.
Record operating data such as products and quantities pumped, gauge readings, and operating times, manually or using computers.
Operate industrial trucks, tractors, loaders, and other equipment to transport materials to and from transportation vehicles and loading docks, and to store and retrieve materials in warehouses.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile: $38,840
25th percentile: $45,888
50th percentile: $58,642
75th percentile: $70,952
90th percentile: $87,044

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $58,642 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+4.9%average or slower

202512,912 jobs

2035 projected13,551 jobs

639 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

High school diploma or less: 93.4%
Certificate: 3.9%
Bachelor's degree: 1.8%
Some college: 0.9%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

Warehousing
Loading And Unloading
Forklift Truck
Pallet Jacks
Lifting Ability
Palletizing
Shipping And Receiving
Packaging And Labeling
Housekeeping
Inventory Staging
Shrink Wrapping
Pallet Building
Material Handling Equipment
General Mathematics
Inventory Management
Safety Training
Safety Procedures
First Aid
Warehouse Operations
Sprinkler Systems

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Operations Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
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.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
Management of Personnel Resources: Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Troubleshooting: Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Equipment Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Systems Analysis: Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

01Warehouse Loaders/Unloaders3,663 postings
02Warehouse Receiving Associates786 postings
03Warehouse People/Loaders602 postings
04Warehouse Associates/Loaders404 postings
05Warehouse Shipping/Receiving Associates356 postings
06Truck Loaders340 postings
07Warehouse Receiving Clerks311 postings
08Warehouse Shipping/Receiving Clerks280 postings
09Shipping and Receiving Warehouse Associates159 postings
10Shipping Loaders149 postings
11Warehouse Shipping/Receiving Managers125 postings
12Warehouse Workers72 postings
13Receiving and Warehouse Managers62 postings
14Loaders/Unloaders60 postings
15Night Warehouse Managers50 postings
16Truck Unloaders47 postings
17Warehouse Pickers/Packers41 postings
18Warehouse Receiving Supervisors37 postings
19Shipping and Receiving Material Handlers35 postings
20Shipping and Receiving Representatives29 postings

Top employers

01Randstad1,138 postings
02Cintas676 postings
03PepsiCo571 postings
04Capstone Logistics245 postings
05HD Supply199 postings
06Red Bull138 postings
07Core-Mark International92 postings
08Genuine Parts Company88 postings
09Staples76 postings
10UniFirst68 postings
11Hd Supply Management53 postings
12C&S Wholesale Grocers52 postings
13T & W Services50 postings
14Aerotek48 postings
15Frito Lay45 postings
16Adecco43 postings
17Imperial Dade43 postings
18Performance Food Group42 postings
19Staffmark39 postings
20Kelly Services37 postings

Keep looking

Commercial Divers

Median pay: $71,649
Employment outlook: +4.8%

Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators

Median pay: $46,328
Employment outlook: +5.6%

Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines

Median pay: $64,900
Employment outlook: +8.3%

Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians

Median pay: $82,771
Employment outlook: +11.6%