Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders
On the Job
Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders load and unload materials from tank cars, trucks, or ships using equipment. They may load chemicals or solids, such as coal, sand, or grain. They may check for leaks or other problems.
Physical Demands 
This career requires good eyesight.
Typical Work Tasks
People who work in this career often:
- Monitor loading processes to ensure they are performed properly.
- Monitor vehicle movement or location.
- Inspect cargo areas for cleanliness or condition.
- Inspect material-moving equipment to detect problems.
- Test materials, solutions, or samples.
- Verify information or specifications.
- Communicate with others to coordinate material handling or movement.
- Record operational or production data.
- Operate vehicles or material-moving equipment.
- Connect cables or electrical lines.
Typical Working Conditions
- Wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, hard hats, or life jackets.
- Having face-to-face discussions.
- Working outdoors exposed to weather.
- Serious consequences if mistakes are made.
- Exposure to contaminants (like gases or odors).
- Exposure to hazardous conditions.
- Working with a group or team.
- Responsibility for others' health and safety.
- Meeting strict deadlines.
- The importance of being accurate or exact.
- Using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools, or controls.
- Being in situations in which conflicts arise.
This page includes information from the O*NET 24.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Source: You can learn about our data sources in the About Us section.
