Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders
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. They perform a variety of other tasks relating to the shipment of products. They also gauge or sample shipping tanks and test them for leaks.
A tank car usually carries compressed or liquid commodities, like chemicals, molasses, edible tallow, water, diesel fuel and ethanol, considered hazardous materials. As a vehicle car loader, one loads and unloads vehicle shipment using material moving equipment. Shipments can be chemical or bulk solids or commercial products. Responsibilities include the inspection of shipping tanks or ship cars before, during, and after loading and cleaning as needed.
Usually, no formal educational credential is required to be a tank vehicle/car loader. However, relevant work experience and short-term on-the-job training are vital to starting this job.
Tank car, truck, and ship loaders should be a good communicator. They must understand spoken information and read, speak, and write clearly so that other people can also understand and be a good listener. They should have reasoning and problem-solving ability, to follow guidelines to arrange objects or actions in a certain order. Besides, they should be able to analyze ideas and use logic. Tank vehicles’ loaders should be able to perceive and visualize things quickly and accurately. To succeed, tank vehicles/tank car loaders should know how to watch gauges, dials, and output to ensure that a machine is working correctly.
Qualifications
Every career requires an element of study and academic qualification, and there can be several study routes and pathways you can take. In following any academic pathway you will study subjects that contribute to the specialised knowledge required to achieve your career goals. These qualifications provide a future employer with the evidence that you have the desired knowledge, understanding and experience of their industry, so it’s important to consider the various types of qualifications available to you and to understand how they can boost your career and create opportunities for you.
- NSQF Level 3 Airline Cargo Assistant
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.
Progression Routes
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