53 Series · SOC 53-7121
Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders Salary
National pay, percentile range, growth outlook, and state-by-state detail from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey (May 2025).
- $58,870
- Median / year
- +1.4%
- 2024→2025
- $83,160
- Top 10% earn
- +4.3%
- Growth '24–'34
- 10,700
- Estimated US jobs
Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders earn a median of $58,870 per year.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey, the median annual wage is $58,870, based on the most recent survey of employers. Reported pay ranges from $39,460 (10th percentile) to $83,160 (90th percentile) nationally, across roughly 10,700 estimated jobs in covered establishments. The highest published state median in this ranking is Maryland ($81,320).
The pay verdict
Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders earn a median of $58,870, putting them below the typical US occupation and higher than 46% of the 825 occupations with a published BLS median. Within Transportation and Material Moving, it ranks #20 of 50 by median pay. Employment is projected to grow 4.3% by 2034.
- $58,870
- Median annual wage
- Top 54%
- of 825 US occupations with published wages
- #20 of 50
- in Transportation and Material Moving
- 2.1×
- 90th-to-10th pay spread
Highest-paying state: Maryland at $81,320. Typical entry-level education: No formal educational credential.
Observed pay change
What changed, BLS OEWS 2019–2025
- The published national median for Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders moved from $42,360 in May 2019 to $58,870 in May 2025 (+39.0%).
- Across the 749 occupations priced in both releases under SOC-2018, the median occupation changed +24.5%.
- Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders sits +14.5 pp ahead of that median, nominal dollars, no price deflator applied.
Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders (SOC 53-7121) has a national median of $58,870 per year in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025 release. The published 10th-to-90th-percentile boundaries run from $39,460 to $83,160, and the published mean is $59,970. Those summary statistics describe the estimated distribution; their difference alone does not identify its cause. OEWS estimates 10,700 jobs in covered establishments nationally. WageDex has published rows for 35 state or territory areas and 38 metropolitan or nonmetropolitan wage areas. The published national median moved from $58,070 in the May 2024 OEWS release to $58,870 in May 2025, a rise of $800 (+1.4%). This is a change between two BLS survey estimates, not an inflation-adjusted same-worker pay raise.
BLS Employment Projections forecast a +4.3% change in employment from 2024 to 2034, which we classify as about as fast as average relative to the all-occupations baseline of 3.1%. About 1,300 openings are projected per year from growth, occupational transfers, and labor-force exits. BLS assigns No formal educational credential as typical education needed for entry, and BLS classifies its typical on-the-job preparation as short-term on-the-job training. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific fatality and injury rate for this role in the current release. The safety panel below shows its broad Transportation and Material Moving Occupations SOC-group context and is not an occupation-level measurement or ranking.
Geographic variation matters as much as the headline median. Maryland pays the highest state median at $81,320, which is +38% above the national figure. The highest published metropolitan-area median in this ranking is Billings, MT at $83,390. The observed difference does not identify its cause. Pair the national median with the state and metropolitan-area rows below while keeping the geography and statistic consistent. OEWS includes tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses, but not employer benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, or nonproduction bonuses. See our methodology for the sourcing and calculation details.
Median Salary
$58,870
per year
Median Hourly
$28.30/hr
per hour
Mean Salary
$59,970
average
Employment
10,700
jobs nationwide
How does this pay compare nationally?
Where Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders pay sits nationally
Median annual wage vs. 825 detailed BLS occupations with a published median
$58,870 Bottom 46% higher than 46% of 825 US occupations
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Read the chart as text · as of May 2025
| Band | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| $0–$20,000 | 0 US occupations | 0% |
| $20,000–$40,000 | 98 US occupations | 12% |
| $40,000–$60,000 (this entry) | 298 US occupations | 36% |
| $60,000–$80,000 | 209 US occupations | 25% |
| $80,000–$100,000 | 82 US occupations | 10% |
| $100,000–$120,000 | 58 US occupations | 7% |
| $120,000–$140,000 | 32 US occupations | 4% |
| $140,000–$160,000 | 14 US occupations | 2% |
| $160,000–$180,000 | 9 US occupations | 1% |
| $180,000 and above | 25 US occupations | 3% |
$58,870 · 46th percentile of 825 US occupations
Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · May 2025
Does this job pay well and grow?
Each dot is a 53-series occupation, placed by projected 2024–2034 growth and median pay. The highlighted dot is Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders; the upper-right quadrant is the sweet spot (high pay + fast growth).
Read the chart as text
- Laborers and Freight…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 1.5%, Median annual wage $40240
- Stockers and Order F…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 8.5%, Median annual wage $37330
- Heavy and Tractor-Tr…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 4%, Median annual wage $58640
- Light Truck Drivers: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 7.3%, Median annual wage $44860
- Industrial Truck and…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 1.1%, Median annual wage $46420
- First-Line Superviso…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 3.7%, Median annual wage $62890
- Packers and Packager…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -5.4%, Median annual wage $36280
- Driver/Sales Workers: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 8.8%, Median annual wage $38770
- Bus Drivers, School: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 0.2%, Median annual wage $47920
- Cleaners of Vehicles…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 3.9%, Median annual wage $35830
- Shuttle Drivers and …: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 6.7%, Median annual wage $37290
- Bus Drivers, Transit…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 4.3%, Median annual wage $59050
- Refuse and Recyclabl…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 0.9%, Median annual wage $49690
- Parking Attendants: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 3%, Median annual wage $35150
- Flight Attendants: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 9.2%, Median annual wage $63580
- Airline Pilots, Copi…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 3.9%, Median annual wage $232140
- Automotive and Water…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -1%, Median annual wage $35670
- Commercial Pilots: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 5.1%, Median annual wage $123220
- Motor Vehicle Operat…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 6%, Median annual wage $37180
- Railroad Conductors …: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 1.1%, Median annual wage $78000
- Crane and Tower Oper…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 3%, Median annual wage $68080
- Machine Feeders and …: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) -13%, Median annual wage $41220
- Taxi Drivers: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 11.1%, Median annual wage $42100
- Captains, Mates, and…: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 0.5%, Median annual wage $92460
- Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders: Projected growth 2024–2034 (%) 4.3%, Median annual wage $58870
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS (wages, May 2025) and Employment Projections (2024–2034).
Job Outlook (2024–2034)
Projected Growth
+4.3%
About as fast as average
Annual Openings
1,300
per year (projected)
Employment Change
+500
12,000 (2024) → 12,500 (2034)
Typical Education
No formal educational credential
On-the-Job Training
Short-term on-the-job training
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034
Workplace Safety
All safety ratings →Transportation and Material Moving Occupations context
Broad SOC context, not an occupation grade
Fatality Rate
17.5/100K
Injury Rate
4.8/100
Danger Index
28/100
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) & Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), 2023
Career Intelligence
Skills, knowledge, and tasks most important for Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders roles, ranked by importance. Source: O*NET.
Top Skills
Knowledge Areas
Key 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.
- ▸ 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.
- ▸ 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.
- ▸ Copy and attach load specifications to loaded tanks.
- ▸ Remove and replace tank car dome caps, or direct other workers in their removal and replacement.
- ▸ Operate ship loading and unloading equipment, conveyors, hoists, and other specialized material handling equipment such as railroad tank car unloading equipment.
Source: O*NET Online, National Center for O*NET Development. Data represents typical importance ratings for this occupation.
Salary Range
Annual Salary Distribution
Hourly Rate Distribution
Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders pay history, 2015–2025
Published national median across 11 BLS OEWS releases. Nominal dollars, not inflation-adjusted.
Read the chart as text
| Period | National median |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $36,660 |
| 2016 | $35,770 |
| 2017 | $36,860 |
| 2018 | $38,220 |
| 2019 | $42,360 |
| 2020 | $45,610 |
| 2021 | $49,390 |
| 2022 | $53,930 |
| 2023 | $58,620 |
| 2024 | $58,070 |
| 2025 | $58,870 |
2015 median
$36,660
2025 median
$58,870
2019–2025 change (same SOC)
+$16,510 (+39%)
Avg/year (same SOC)
+5.6%
| Release | Median | Change | Estimated jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2015 | $36,660 | First banked release | 11,960 |
| May 2016 | $35,770 | -2.4% | 10,920 |
| May 2017 | $36,860 | +3.0% | 10,300 |
| May 2018 | $38,220 | +3.7% | 9,000 |
| May 2019 | $42,360 | Classification break | 11,620 |
| May 2020 | $45,610 | +7.7% | 12,610 |
| May 2021 | $49,390 | +8.3% | 12,090 |
| May 2022 | $53,930 | +9.2% | 12,470 |
| May 2023 | $58,620 | +8.7% | 11,400 |
| May 2024 | $58,070 | -0.9% | 10,920 |
| May 2025 | $58,870 | +1.4% | 10,700 |
Across the 11 releases WageDex holds for this occupation, the published national median went from $36,660 in May 2015 to $58,870 in May 2025. Within the SOC-2018 classification (2019–2025), the like-for-like change averages +5.6% per year in nominal terms. Within the same SOC classification, estimated employment went from 11,620 in May 2019 to 10,700 in May 2025.
Each figure is a separate BLS survey estimate, so a change between releases reflects the estimated occupation-wide median in each year. It is not the raise any individual worker received, and it is not adjusted for inflation. Years where BLS did not publish an annual median for this occupation are omitted rather than filled in. This span also crosses a classification change: releases before May 2019 use the 2010 Standard Occupational Classification and later releases use the 2018 SOC, so figures either side of that boundary are not strictly like-for-like. Headline change rates on this page use only the same-classification subset.
Salary by State
Highest Paying States
Lowest Paying States
View all 35 states →
| # | State | Median Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland | $81,320 | +38% above national |
| 2 | South Carolina | $80,700 | +37% above national |
| 3 | Montana | $80,070 | +36% above national |
| 4 | Minnesota | $76,620 | +30% above national |
| 5 | Alabama | $75,450 | +28% above national |
| 6 | Oregon | $74,040 | +26% above national |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $71,750 | +22% above national |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $70,030 | +19% above national |
| 9 | California | $68,600 | +17% above national |
| 10 | New Jersey | $64,890 | +10% above national |
| 11 | North Dakota | $61,210 | +4% above national |
| 12 | Texas | $61,170 | +4% above national |
| 13 | Louisiana | $58,900 | same as national |
| 14 | Michigan | $57,900 | 2% below national |
| 15 | Missouri | $57,750 | 2% below national |
| 16 | Ohio | $57,700 | 2% below national |
| 17 | Wisconsin | $57,250 | 3% below national |
| 18 | West Virginia | $54,750 | 7% below national |
| 19 | Utah | $53,370 | 9% below national |
| 20 | Kentucky | $53,160 | 10% below national |
| 21 | Iowa | $51,450 | 13% below national |
| 22 | Colorado | $51,200 | 13% below national |
| 23 | Georgia | $51,160 | 13% below national |
| 24 | New York | $48,220 | 18% below national |
| 25 | Pennsylvania | $48,120 | 18% below national |
| 26 | New Mexico | $48,010 | 18% below national |
| 27 | Nebraska | $46,300 | 21% below national |
| 28 | Florida | $45,540 | 23% below national |
| 29 | Hawaii | $45,240 | 23% below national |
| 30 | North Carolina | $44,910 | 24% below national |
| 31 | Indiana | $44,310 | 25% below national |
| 32 | Idaho | $41,700 | 29% below national |
| 33 | Virginia | $41,190 | 30% below national |
| 34 | Oklahoma | $35,360 | 40% below national |
| 35 | Arkansas | $33,800 | 43% below national |
Salary by Metro Area
Highest Paying Metros
View all 23 metro areas →
| # | Metro Area | Median Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Billings, MT | $83,390 | +42% above national |
| 2 | Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | $83,160 | +41% above national |
| 3 | Corpus Christi, TX | $81,920 | +39% above national |
| 4 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $77,490 | +32% above national |
| 5 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $76,850 | +31% above national |
| 6 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $64,890 | +10% above national |
| 7 | Lake Charles, LA | $63,170 | +7% above national |
| 8 | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | $63,100 | +7% above national |
| 9 | New Orleans-Metairie, LA | $62,200 | +6% above national |
| 10 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $61,420 | +4% above national |
| 11 | Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $61,220 | +4% above national |
| 12 | St. Louis, MO-IL | $60,950 | +4% above national |
| 13 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $60,440 | +3% above national |
| 14 | Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA | $57,940 | 2% below national |
| 15 | Columbus, OH | $57,030 | 3% below national |
| 16 | Memphis, TN-MS-AR | $55,730 | 5% below national |
| 17 | Charleston, WV | $54,750 | 7% below national |
| 18 | Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | $53,370 | 9% below national |
| 19 | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | $50,380 | 14% below national |
| 20 | Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | $50,160 | 15% below national |
| 21 | Baton Rouge, LA | $49,700 | 16% below national |
| 22 | Greeley, CO | $46,230 | 21% below national |
| 23 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $44,010 | 25% below national |
Same SOC major group
Other detailed occupations in SOC major group 53 (Transportation and Material Moving Occupations) - category peers, not a pay match.
Air Traffic Controllers
SOC 53-2021
Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors
SOC 53-1041
Aircraft Service Attendants
SOC 53-6032
Airfield Operations Specialists
SOC 53-2022
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers
SOC 53-2011
Showing 5 of 49 detailed occupations BLS assigns to this SOC major group.
Nationwide occupations with similar pay or employment scale
Two OEWS peer sets outside this SOC major group (Transportation and Material Moving Occupations). Same-category cards above stay inside the group; these neighborhoods are cross-group nearest neighbors on national median pay ($58,870 here) and reported employment (10,700 jobs here).
Similar median pay
Nearest other detailed occupations by BLS OEWS national median annual wage.
Similar employment scale
Nearest headcount peers (floor 1,000 national jobs), distinct from the pay column.
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on BLS OEWS national median annual wage and reported employment. Employment peers exclude occupations already listed in the pay column so the two link sets stay distinct.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders make? ▼
Where does Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders pay rank nationally? ▼
What state pays Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders the most? ▼
What education do Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders need? ▼
Does BLS publish a safety rate for Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders? ▼
Is Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders a good career? ▼
How does Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders pay vary by state? ▼
Which metro areas pay the most for Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders? ▼
What to do with this data
How to use Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders pay figures in a real decision
- The 75th-percentile wage is about $70,060/year. Treat it as the upper-quartile market boundary, not an automatic target for experience alone; role scope, location, industry, credentials, performance, and employer context still need separate evidence. Salary calculator
- Location moves pay significantly: Maryland leads at $81,320/year for this role. Weigh state pay against local cost of living before relocating or negotiating remote. Pay by state
- Compare this occupation against similar roles before you decide, so you are reading the pay band in context rather than in isolation. Compare jobs
These are BLS survey estimates for the occupation, not a salary offer or a prediction for any individual. Your pay depends on experience, employer, exact role, and location.
Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Occupation wages use BLS OEWS May 2025; outlook uses BLS Employment Projections for 2024–2034; safety, skills, knowledge, and task panels identify their BLS or O*NET sources in context. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.
This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or career advice. Actual pay for a specific role, employer, or offer may differ from these national/state figures, consult a qualified career counselor, recruiter, or financial advisor before making decisions based on this data.