Skilled Trades
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.
Median salary
$58,070
Typical range
$38k – $88k
Job outlook
+4% (faster than average)
AI exposure
Plan a path to Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders
Education
Typical entry: No degree required
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Junior Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders
Entry / Junior
$38,260
~2 yrs to advance
Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders
Established
$58,070
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders
Senior
$73,095
Key skills
A typical day
- •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.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Skilled Trades
Explore all- Purdue University50% admit · $78,000 grad pay
- Ohio State University53% admit · $68,000 grad pay
- Pennsylvania State University55% admit · $70,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.