Jobs / Transportation and material moving / 53-7121.00
Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders
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. May gauge or sample shipping tanks and test them for leaks.
- US jobs
- 10,700
- Median wage
- $58,870 a year
- Job family
- Transportation and material moving
Can agents do the work of tank car, truck, and ship loaders?
We read the evidence for the whole job family, Transportation and material moving: Unmeasured (no change in 12 months)
No direct benchmark gives a success rate.
0% of this occupation's work, by O*NET work activities, is measured by a direct benchmark.
- 9%Assemble equipment or componentsNot measured
- 8%Connect components or supply lines to equipment or toolsNot measured
- 7%Evaluate the quality or accuracy of dataNot measured
- 7%Maintain operational recordsNot measured
- 7%Inspect facilities or equipmentNot measured
- 6%Monitor operations to ensure adequate performanceNot measured
- 6%Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipmentNot measured
- 6%Operate pumping systems or equipmentNot measured
Benchmarks for the job family
These cover work in transportation and material moving, not always this occupation's tasks.
Direct evidence
Work benchmarks mapped primary to this family. They set the step when they report how many tasks agents complete.
- 82%Waymo Driver (rider-only, 220.6M miles through March 2026) · Mar 2026Unrated
Also relevant
These benchmarks cover part of this family's work, or have no result yet. They do not set its step.
Typical tasks
From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.
- 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.
- Check conditions and weights of vessels to ensure cleanliness and compliance with loading procedures.
- Observe positions of cars passing loading spouts, and swing spouts into the correct positions at the appropriate times.
- 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.
- Connect ground cables to carry off static electricity when unloading tanker cars.
- Copy and attach load specifications to loaded tanks.
- Remove and replace tank car dome caps, or direct other workers in their removal and replacement.
Other job titles for this occupation (36)
Load Out Person · Loader · Loader Operator · Loading Operator · Oil Movements Operator · PVC Loader (Polyvinyl Chloride Loader) · Rail Car Loader · Tank Car Loader · Tankerman · Truck Loader · Barge Loader · Barges Loader · Bulk Tank Car Unloader · Car Loader · Car Unloader · Caustics Loader · Coal Dumping Equipment Operator · Dock Loader · Pumper Gauger · PVC Monitor (Polyvinyl Chloride Monitor) · Rail Loader · Receiving Operator · Ship Unloader · Shipping and Receiving Operator · Shipping Loader · Ships Loader · Spout Tender · Tank Truck Loader · Truck Unloader · Unloader · Warehouse Associate · Warehouse Loader · Warehouse Shipping Associate · Warehouse Shipping Clerk · Warehouse Truck Loader · Warehouse Unloader