Tank car, truck, and ship loaders salary
| Measure | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $39,460 | $18.97 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $58,870 | $28.30 |
| Mean (average) | $59,970 | $28.83 |
| 90th percentile | $83,160 | $39.98 |
These wages describe everyone employed in the occupation, from new entrants to experienced workers. They are not starting salaries and not earnings of graduates from any particular program. Verified data
Tank car, truck, and ship loaders pay by state and metro area
Table: median wage and employment for all 36 states and territories
| State | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $75,450 | $66,510 | $93,600 | 240 | 1.65 |
| Arkansas | $33,800 | $28,600 | $47,440 | 150 | 1.63 |
| California | $68,600 | $43,570 | $110,100 | 110 | 0.09 |
| Colorado | $51,200 | $38,650 | $63,700 | 80 | 0.42 |
| Florida | $45,540 | $28,090 | $79,790 | 430 | 0.63 |
| Georgia | $51,160 | $31,100 | $59,950 | 50 | 0.16 |
| Hawaii | $45,240 | $44,290 | $94,310 | ||
| Idaho | $41,700 | $28,400 | $61,290 | 80 | 1.33 |
| Indiana | $44,310 | $37,500 | $66,530 | 250 | 1.16 |
| Iowa | $51,450 | $44,530 | $66,840 | 180 | 1.71 |
| Kentucky | $53,160 | $27,470 | $90,940 | 130 | 0.96 |
| Louisiana | $58,900 | $48,940 | $68,010 | 500 | 3.79 |
| Maryland | $81,320 | $45,220 | $125,490 | 110 | 0.59 |
| Massachusetts | $71,750 | $37,960 | $81,760 | 140 | 0.56 |
| Michigan | $57,900 | $47,010 | $66,880 | 200 | 0.66 |
| Minnesota | $76,620 | $52,200 | $84,440 | ||
| Mississippi | Data unavailable | 320 | 4.04 | ||
| Missouri | $57,750 | $40,640 | $73,500 | 180 | 0.91 |
| Montana | $80,070 | $67,010 | $108,160 | 80 | 2.37 |
| Nebraska | $46,300 | $41,690 | $63,840 | ||
| New Hampshire | $70,030 | $52,120 | $79,560 | 40 | 0.91 |
| New Jersey | $64,890 | $50,980 | $77,790 | 120 | 0.4 |
| New Mexico | $48,010 | $40,810 | $51,840 | 80 | 1.4 |
| New York | $48,220 | $38,720 | $67,590 | 110 | 0.17 |
| North Carolina | $44,910 | $40,350 | $53,260 | 240 | 0.72 |
| North Dakota | $61,210 | $49,760 | $76,650 | 310 | 10.33 |
| Ohio | $57,700 | $37,820 | $80,370 | 820 | 2.15 |
| Oklahoma | $35,360 | $28,710 | $50,880 | 170 | 1.41 |
| Oregon | $74,040 | $50,520 | $80,430 | ||
| Pennsylvania | $48,120 | $33,560 | $83,550 | 90 | 0.22 |
| South Carolina | $80,700 | $54,540 | $80,700 | 90 | 0.57 |
| Texas | $61,170 | $45,680 | $93,070 | 1,620 | 1.67 |
| Utah | $53,370 | $49,110 | $53,370 | ||
| Virginia | $41,190 | $31,760 | $70,880 | 60 | 0.2 |
| West Virginia | $54,750 | $48,990 | $63,650 | 90 | 1.76 |
| Wisconsin | $57,250 | $49,770 | $69,590 | 170 | 0.83 |
A location quotient above 1 means the occupation is more concentrated in that state than in the nation overall.
Metro areas with the most jobs
Highest paying metro areas
Job outlook for tank car, truck, and ship loaders
- Average annual openings, 2025 to 2035: 1,300. Openings include new jobs plus replacement needs when workers retire or leave the occupation. Official projection
- Share of workers who are self-employed (2025): 14.8%.
These are official BLS projections. ConnectPrep does not alter them or present its own forecasts as official statistics.
Education and training for tank car, truck, and ship loaders
- Typical entry education
- No formal educational credential
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- O*NET Job Zone
- Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
Highest education of people working in this occupation
O*NET describes this preparation level as: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Degrees and programs that lead to this career
Programs officially mapped to this occupation in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. A mapping means the program commonly prepares students for the occupation, not that every graduate works in it. Official crosswalk
- NO MATCH CIP 99.9999
Skills, knowledge, and daily work
Most important skills
Most important knowledge areas
Typical tasks
- 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.
- Monitor product movement to and from storage tanks, coordinating activities with other workers to ensure constant product flow.
- Operate ship loading and unloading equipment, conveyors, hoists, and other specialized material handling equipment such as railroad tank car unloading equipment.
- Record operating data such as products and quantities pumped, gauge readings, and operating times, manually or using computers.
Technology skills
- Warehouse management system WMS (in demand)
- Linux (hot technology)
- Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- SAP software (hot technology)
- CompuWeigh GMS
- Distributed control system DCS
Transferable skills for career changers: Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Time Management, Complex Problem Solving, Coordination, Quality Control Analysis.
Common job titles: Load Out Person, Loader, Loader Operator, Loading Operator, Oil Movements Operator, PVC Loader (Polyvinyl Chloride Loader), Rail Car Loader, Tank Car Loader, Tankerman, Truck Loader.
Is it worth it? Model the cost of getting there
Use the ROI calculator to compare the cost of the education this career usually requires against staying on your current path. It starts from the official wage distribution above, and you can change every assumption.
Frequently asked questions
How much do tank car, truck, and ship loaders make?
The national median annual wage for tank car, truck, and ship loaders was $58,870 in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. The lowest paid 10 percent earned less than $39,460 and the highest paid 10 percent earned more than $83,160. These figures cover all workers in the occupation, not only new entrants.
What education do tank car, truck, and ship loaders need?
BLS lists no formal educational credential as the typical education needed to enter this occupation, with none of related work experience and short-term on-the-job training on-the-job training typically needed to become competent.
Is tank car, truck, and ship loaders a growing career?
BLS projects employment of tank car, truck, and ship loaders to change +2.8% from 2025 to 2035, compared with +3.5% for all occupations. About 1,300 openings are projected each year on average, including openings from workers who retire or change occupations.
Which states pay tank car, truck, and ship loaders the most?
By median annual wage in May 2025, the highest paying states were Maryland ($81,320), South Carolina ($80,700), Montana ($80,070). Pay differences partly reflect differences in living costs.