Transportation and Material Moving Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 53-7121

Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders

Median pay sits 28% below the mid peer in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations (neighbors include Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers, Flight Attendants, Commercial Pilots, Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders: Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers ($232K) , Flight Attendants ($64K) , Commercial Pilots ($123K) , Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels ($92K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 53-7121 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Seal outlet valves on tank cars, barges, and trucks
  2. 2. Verify tank car, barge, or truck load numbers to ensure car placement accuracy based on written or verbal instructions
  3. 3. Connect ground cables to carry off static electricity when unloading tanker cars
  4. 4. Start pumps and adjust valves or cables to regulate the flow of products to vessels, using knowledge of loading procedures
  5. 5. Check conditions and weights of vessels to ensure cleanliness and compliance with loading procedures
  6. 6. Observe positions of cars passing loading spouts, and swing spouts into the correct positions at the appropriate times
  7. 7. Monitor product movement to and from storage tanks, coordinating activities with other workers to ensure constant product flow
  8. 8. Copy and attach load specifications to loaded tanks
  9. 9. Remove and replace tank car dome caps, or direct other workers in their removal and replacement
  10. 10. Operate ship loading and unloading equipment, conveyors, hoists, and other specialized material handling equipment such as railroad tank…
  11. 11. Test samples for specific gravity, using hydrometers, or send samples to laboratories for testing
  12. 12. Test vessels for leaks, damage, and defects, and repair or replace defective parts as necessary

Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders: O*NET ranks Operations Monitoring first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 53-7121 - lead skill Operations Monitoring at 3.8 ; lead knowledge Transportation. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Operations Monitoring 3.8
  2. 2. Operation and Control 3.8
  3. 3. Reading Comprehension 3.3
  4. 4. Time Management 3.1
  5. 5. Active Listening 3.0
  6. 6. Writing 3.0
  7. 7. Speaking 3.0
  8. 8. Critical Thinking 3.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Transportation 3.5
  2. 2. Production and Processing 3.3
  3. 3. English Language 3.3
  4. 4. Public Safety and Security 3.1
  5. 5. Mechanical 2.9
  6. 6. Education and Training 2.5
Pay vs Transportation and Material Moving Occupations peers
-28%
vs mid peer median $81,410
This role $58,870/yr
$59K
National median
↑ +4%
Growth 2024-2034
1,300
Annual openings
10,700
Estimated US jobs
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers
Highest-pay peer · $232K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education No formal educational credential

Top Paying States for Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders

1. Montana $80,070
2. New Hampshire $70,030
3. Massachusetts $71,750
4. South Carolina $80,700
5. Minnesota $76,620
6. California $68,600
7. Oregon $74,040
8. Maryland $81,320
9. Alabama $75,450
10. New Jersey $64,890

Other Transportation and Material Moving Occupations titles

  1. 1. Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers $232,140
  2. 2. Commercial Pilots $123,220
  3. 3. Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels $92,460
  4. 4. Crane and Tower Operators $68,080
  5. 5. Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters $78,000
  6. 6. Flight Attendants $63,580

Among Transportation and Material Moving Occupations peers on this card, Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders sits 28% below the mid peer median ($81,410). Its own median is $58,870.

Employment Projections expect +4% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 1,300 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns No formal educational credential as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Montana at $80,070. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers at $232,140. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders pay-rank #20 in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders sits at pay-rank #20 of 50 detailed Transportation and Material Moving Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 53-7121 · national median $58,870 · middle third of Transportation and Material Moving Occupations (#20/50). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 53-7121

Montana · top state for Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders

$80K published median

New Hampshire · #2 state pay

$70K · behind Montana

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers

Highest-pay peer vs Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders · $232K

Flight Attendants

Lower-pay peer beside Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders · $64K

Compare Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders

Against another occupation

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders mid-table among Transportation and Material Moving Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #20 of 50 detailed Transportation and Material Moving Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity ($59K), Traffic Technicians ($59K), Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers ($59K), Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors ($58K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do tank car, truck, and ship loaders do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders. Leading ones include: 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; Connect ground cables to carry off static electricity when unloading tanker cars; Start pumps and adjust valves or cables to regulate the flow of products to vessels, using knowledge of loading procedures. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for tank car, truck, and ship loaders? ▼
For SOC 53-7121, O*NET importance scores lead with Operations Monitoring (3.8), Operation and Control (3.8), Reading Comprehension (3.3), Time Management (3.1). Knowledge areas emphasize Transportation, Production and Processing, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $58,870 as the national median for Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders. The published 10th-90th range is $39,460 to $83,160. Beside Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers ($232,140), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders is +4%. Projected annual openings: about 1,300. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders? ▼
BLS assigns No formal educational credential as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders? ▼
Montana ($80,070), New Hampshire ($70,030), Massachusetts ($71,750) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 53-7121. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics