Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders earn a median of $58,870 per year ($28.30/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 2.8% through 2035, with about 1,300 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: No formal educational credential.
- SOC 53-7121
- Transportation and Material Moving
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loader in four numbers
- Median pay
- $58,870a year, or $28.30/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $39KTop 10% $83K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +2.8%About as fast as averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+2.8%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +2.8% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 1,30012,800 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202512.8K
- Projected 203513.2K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 12.8K Projected 2035 13.2K - Typical education
- No formal credentialneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Less than high school12%
- High school81.4%
- Certificate3.9%
- Some college0.9%
- Bachelor's1.8%
Highest education held by tank car, truck, and ship loaders Segment Value Less than high school 12% High school 81.4% Certificate 3.9% Some college 0.9% Bachelor's 1.8%
Also advertised as: Load Out Person, Loader, Loader Operator, Loading Operator, Oil Movements Operator, PVC Loader (Polyvinyl Chloride Loader).
Pay
How much do Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders make?
Every tank car, truck, and ship loader in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$58,870
Middle half earn $46,300 to $70,060
- 10th
- $39,460
- 25th
- $46,300
- 75th
- $70,060
- 90th
- $83,160
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $39,460 |
| 25th | $46,300 |
| Median | $58,870 |
| 75th | $70,060 |
| 90th | $83,160 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $58,870
- Median hourly wage
- $28.30/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $59,970
- People employed
- 10,700
Versus all US occupations
At $58,870, Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders earn 15% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $7,890 a year.
Versus transportation and material moving occupations
Inside the Transportation and Material Moving group, where the middle occupation pays $62,840, this is 6% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $83,160 or more while the bottom 10% earn $39,460, a gap of 2.1×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 31% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
Maryland posts the highest raw median ($81,320), but once local prices are taken into account South Carolina leads at $86,081 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Maryland | $81,320 | $77,478 | 110 |
| 2South Carolina | $80,700 | $86,081 | 90 |
| 3Montana | $80,070 | $84,600 | 80 |
| 4Minnesota | $76,620 | $77,691 | N/A |
| 5Alabama | $75,450 | $84,944 | 240 |
| 6Oregon | $74,040 | $71,632 | N/A |
| 7Massachusetts | $71,750 | $67,844 | 140 |
| 8New Hampshire | $70,030 | $67,230 | 40 |
| 9California | $68,600 | $61,958 | 110 |
| 10New Jersey | $64,890 | $59,639 | 120 |
Job outlook
Is Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loader a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
About as fast as average. +2.8% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders | +2.8% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders to change 2.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 400 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 1,300 openings are projected each year, 10.2% of the 12,800 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loader
- 1
Typical entry-level education
No formal educational credential
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Little or no preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as tank car, truck, and ship loaders.
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)81.4%
- Less than a High School Diploma12%
- Post-Secondary Certificate3.9%
- Bachelor's Degree1.8%
- Some College Courses0.9%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 81.4% |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 12% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 3.9% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 1.8% |
| Some College Courses | 0.9% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loader do?
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.
Day-to-day tasks
- 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.
- Verify tank car, barge, or truck load numbers to ensure car placement accuracy based on written or verbal instructions.
- Monitor product movement to and from storage tanks, coordinating activities with other workers to ensure constant product flow.
- Seal outlet valves on tank cars, barges, and trucks.
- Start pumps and adjust valves or cables to regulate the flow of products to vessels, using knowledge of 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.
- Observe positions of cars passing loading spouts, and swing spouts into the correct positions at the appropriate times.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather at least weekly.
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayMeeting strict deadlines at least weekly.
Conflict situations
NeverEvery dayHandling conflict situations at least monthly.
Cost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely seriousMistakes carry very serious consequences.
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lot
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Reading Comprehension3.3
- Active Listening3.0
- Writing3.0
- Speaking3.0
- Critical Thinking3.0
- Monitoring3.0
- Active Learning2.8
- Mathematics2.5
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 3.3 |
| Active Listening | 3.0 |
| Writing | 3.0 |
| Speaking | 3.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.0 |
| Monitoring | 3.0 |
| Active Learning | 2.8 |
| Mathematics | 2.5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Operations Monitoring3.8
- Operation and Control3.8
- Time Management3.1
- Complex Problem Solving3.0
- Coordination2.9
- Quality Control Analysis2.9
- Judgment and Decision Making2.9
- Management of Personnel Resources2.9
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Operations Monitoring | 3.8 |
| Operation and Control | 3.8 |
| Time Management | 3.1 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.0 |
| Coordination | 2.9 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 2.9 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 2.9 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 2.9 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software
- Materials requirements planning logistics and supply chain software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loader?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loader |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 7 |
| Investigative | 2 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 1 |
| Enterprising | 1 |
| Conventional | 5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Realistic7.0
- Conventional4.8
- Investigative2.0
- Enterprising1.3
- Artistic1.0
- Social1.0
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loader
O*NET related occupations
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Industrial Truck and Tractor Operator
$46,420median a year
Most earn $37K to $63K
+1.5%No formal credential - Transportation and Material Moving
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$40,240median a year
Most earn $31K to $55K
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$74,500median a year
Most earn $52K to $88K
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More transportation and material moving careers
Median annual pay, with tank car, truck, and ship loaders highlighted
- Airline Pilot$232,140
- Commercial Pilot$123,220
- Locomotive Engineer$81,410
- Railroad Conductor and Yardmaster$78,000
- Crane and Tower Operator$68,080
- Flight Attendant$63,580
- Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loader$58,870
- Truck Driver$58,640
- Refuse and Recyclable Material Collector$49,690
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Airline Pilot | $232,140 |
| Commercial Pilot | $123,220 |
| Locomotive Engineer | $81,410 |
| Railroad Conductor and Yardmaster | $78,000 |
| Crane and Tower Operator | $68,080 |
| Flight Attendant | $63,580 |
| Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loader | $58,870 |
| Truck Driver | $58,640 |
| Refuse and Recyclable Material Collector | $49,690 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loader appears on
Questions
Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loader: frequently asked questions
How much do Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders make?
Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders earn a median of $58,870 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 15% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. That works out at $28.30/hr. The middle half earn between $46,300 and $70,060. The top 10% earn $83,160 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loader?
No. BLS lists no formal educational credential as the typical entry requirement for Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as little or no preparation. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 81.4% hold high school diploma or the equivalent (such as a ged).
Is Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loader a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 2.8% over 2025–2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 1,300 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loader do?
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. A core O*NET task: record operating data such as products and quantities pumped, gauge readings, and operating times, manually or using computers. Employers most often ask for Enterprise resource planning ERP software, Office suite software, Operating system software.
Which states pay Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders the most?
The highest state medians for Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders are Maryland ($81,320), South Carolina ($80,700), Montana ($80,070) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, South Carolina moves to the top at $86,081.
What personality type suits a Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loader?
O*NET scores Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders highest on the Realistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.