Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders
Also known as: Barge Loader, Barges Loader, Bulk Tank Car Unloader (+30 more)
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.
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What You'll Do
- Verify tank car, barge, or truck load numbers to ensure car placement accuracy based on written or verbal instructions.
- Observe positions of cars passing loading spouts, and swing spouts into the correct positions at the appropriate times.
- Operate ship loading and unloading equipment, conveyors, hoists, and other specialized material handling equipment such as railroad tank car unloading equipment.
- Monitor product movement to and from storage tanks, coordinating activities with other workers to ensure constant product flow.
- Record operating data such as products and quantities pumped, gauge readings, and operating times, manually or using computers.
- Check conditions and weights of vessels to ensure cleanliness and compliance with loading procedures.
- 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.
- Seal outlet valves on tank cars, barges, and trucks.
- Test samples for specific gravity, using hydrometers, or send samples to laboratories for testing.
Essential Skills
Career Fit Overview
Use this summary to understand the kind of profile this role rewards. It helps you judge whether this career looks like a stronger match than your current role, a nearby move worth exploring, or a broader path to compare more seriously.
Top passions
- Maker: Building and fixing energizes you. You like tangible results and practical tools.
- Organizer: Bringing order to data and processes satisfies you.
- Analyst: Investigating problems and finding patterns keeps you engaged.
Common styles
Cautiousness, Dependability, Attention to Detail, Integrity, Stress Tolerance
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Key Abilities
This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:
Technologies & Tools
Work Environment & Strengths
Common Strengths for This Career
- Cautiousness (High importance: 4.72/5)
- Dependability (High importance: 4.65/5)
- Attention to Detail (High importance: 4.54/5)
- Integrity (High importance: 4.07/5)
- Stress Tolerance (High importance: 3.9/5)
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Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience may be helpful but is usually not required. Training is often provided on the job.
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Also Known As
This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:
Career Fit FAQs
Is this career a good fit for me
This page shows the role itself. To see personal fit, use the assessment to compare your interests, motivations, and strengths against this career and against the role you are in now.
Can this help if I want to stay in my field
Yes. Many people use career pages like this to compare nearby roles in the same field and see whether they need a full switch or a better-fit version of the work they already know.
What should I compare first
Start with the daily tasks, the preparation level, and the work-style signals on this page. Then use the assessment to see whether this role looks like a stronger fit than your current role or just a different title.
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