Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders

Typical tasks

From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.

• 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.
• 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.
• Copy and attach load specifications to loaded tanks.
• Remove and replace tank car dome caps, or direct other workers in their removal and replacement.