Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders - 53-7121.00

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.

Sample of reported job titles: Bulk Tank Car Unloader, Chemical Recovery Operator, Load Out Person, Loader, Loader Operator, Pumper, PVC Loader (Polyvinyl Chloride Loader), Shipper, Shipping and Receiving Operator, Warehouse Man

Tasks

• 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.
• Remove and replace tank car dome caps, or direct other workers in their removal and replacement.
• Lower gauge rods into tanks or read meters to verify contents, temperatures, and volumes of liquid loads.
• Clean interiors of tank cars or tank trucks, using mechanical spray nozzles.
• Operate conveyors and equipment to transfer grain or other materials from transportation vehicles.
• Test vessels for leaks, damage, and defects, and repair or replace defective parts as necessary.
• Unload cars containing liquids by connecting hoses to outlet plugs and pumping compressed air into cars to force liquids into storage tanks.
• Copy and attach load specifications to loaded tanks.
• Start pumps and adjust valves or cables to regulate the flow of products to vessels, using knowledge of loading procedures.
• Perform general warehouse activities, such as opening containers and crates, filling warehouse orders, assisting in taking inventory, and weighing and checking materials.

Technology Skills

• Data base user interface and query software - CompuWeigh GMS; Data entry software
• Materials requirements planning logistics and supply chain software - Distributed control system DCS
• Spreadsheet software - Microsoft Excel

Tools Used

• Belt conveyors - Conveyor belt systems
• Floor or platform scales - Loading scales
• Forklifts - Warehouse forklifts
• Front end loaders - Wheeled front end loaders
• Hoists - Electric hoists
• Hydrometers - Digital hydrometers
• Laser printers - Computer laser printers
• Loading equipment - Mobile shiploaders; Stock pickers
• Pallet trucks - Riding pallet jacks; Walk behind pallet jacks
• Personal computers
• Respirators - Protective respirators
• Skid steer loaders - Skid steers
• Spray hose - Mechanical spray nozzles
• Stackers - Reach trucks
• Tablet computers

Knowledge

• Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

Skills

• Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
• Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Abilities

• Multilimb Coordination - The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
• Control Precision - The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
• Depth Perception - The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
• Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance.
• Perceptual Speed - The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Rate Control - The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
• Static Strength - The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
• Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
• Reaction Time - The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
• Auditory Attention - The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
• Gross Body Equilibrium - The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
• Hearing Sensitivity - The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
• Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Stamina - The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
• Time Sharing - The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
• Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
• Extent Flexibility - The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
• Gross Body Coordination - The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
• Response Orientation - The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
• Speed of Limb Movement - The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
• Trunk Strength - The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
• Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Interests

• Interest code: RC
  • Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
  • Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Work Context

• Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets - 88% responded “Every day.”
• Face-to-Face Discussions - 90% responded “Every day.”
• Work With Work Group or Team - 85% responded “Extremely important.”
• Outdoors, Exposed to Weather - 84% responded “Every day.”
• Sounds, Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable - 84% responded “Every day.”
• Duration of Typical Work Week - 76% responded “More than 40 hours.”
• Exposed to Contaminants - 78% responded “Every day.”
• Very Hot or Cold Temperatures - 82% responded “Every day.”
• Telephone - 14% responded “Once a month or more but not every week.”
• Exposed to Hazardous Equipment - 83% responded “Every day.”
• Freedom to Make Decisions
• Frequency of Decision Making - 55% responded “Every day.”
• Time Pressure - 15% responded “Once a year or more but not every month.”
• Coordinate or Lead Others - 19% responded “Important.”
• Responsible for Others' Health and Safety
• Structured versus Unstructured Work
• Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - 43% responded “Extremely important.”
• Exposed to High Places - 16% responded “Never.”
• Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting - 13% responded “Once a month or more but not every week.”
• Contact With Others - 41% responded “Constant contact with others.”
• Exposed to Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites, or Stings - 71% responded “Every day.”
• Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment - 54% responded “Extremely important.”
• Consequence of Error - 17% responded “Not serious at all.”
• Exposed to Hazardous Conditions - 17% responded “Never.”
• Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results - 45% responded “Very important results.”
• Importance of Repeating Same Tasks - 32% responded “Important.”
• Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls - 50% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
• Spend Time Walking and Running - 44% responded “More than half the time.”
• Outdoors, Under Cover - 53% responded “Every day.”
• Electronic Mail
• Level of Competition - 52% responded “Moderately competitive.”
• Responsibility for Outcomes and Results - 16% responded “Limited responsibility.”
• Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions - 17% responded “Continually or almost continually.”
• In an Enclosed Vehicle or Equipment - 52% responded “Every day.”
• Spend Time Standing - 35% responded “About half the time.”
• Cramped Work Space, Awkward Positions - 39% responded “Once a month or more but not every week.”
• Frequency of Conflict Situations - 49% responded “Once a week or more but not every day.”
• Letters and Memos - 35% responded “Once a month or more but not every week.”
• Deal With External Customers - 29% responded “Very important.”

Education

Percentage of Respondents	Education Level Required
82%	High school diploma or equivalent
11%	Post-secondary certificate
7%	Some college, no degree

Work Styles

• Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
• Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
• Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
• Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
• Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
• Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
• Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
• Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
• Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
• Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
• Self Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
• Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
• Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
• Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
• Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.

Work Values

• Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
• Independence - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
• Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.

Wages & Trends

• Median wages (2017)
  • $17.72 hourly, $36,860 annual
• Employment (2016)
  • 11,000 employees
• Projected growth (2016-2026)
  • Average (5% to 9%)
• Projected job openings (2016-2026)
  • 1,400