Material handlers handle, move, load and unload materials by hand or using a variety of material handling equipment. They are employed by transportation, storage and moving companies, and by a variety of manufacturing and processing companies and retail and wholesale warehouses.
Main job duties:
Load, unload and move products and materials by hand or using basic material handling equipment
Move household appliances and furniture onto and off moving trucks or vans
Perform other material handling activities such as counting, weighing, sorting, packing and unpacking.
Operate winches and other loading devices to load and unload materials onto and off trucks, railway cars and loading docks of warehouses and industrial establishments
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 hoses or pipes and operate equipment to load and unload liquid petroleum, chemical or other products into or from tank cars, tank trucks or storage tanks
Operate equipment to dump materials such as coal, ore and grain into or to remove materials from railway cars, trucks or other vehicles
Operate conveyors and equipment to transfer grain or other materials from transportation vehicles to elevators, bins or other storage areas
May perform other activities, such as opening containers and crates, filling warehouse orders, assisting in taking inventory and weighing and checking materials.
Skills:
Manual Dexterity, Flexibility, Strength
Attention to detail
Organizational skills
Proficiency with material handling equipment like forklifts
Communication skills
Teamwork
Job title examples:
Conveyor console operator
Forklift truck operator
Freight handler (except air transport)
Furniture mover
Lumber piler – building supplies
Material handler
Railway car loader
Stockpiler
Storage worker – material handling
Truck loader
Warehouseman/woman
Hourly wages:
$17.20 low
$20.53 median
$29.44 high
Education & Training:
Some secondary school education may be required.
Physical strength is required for manual material handlers who work with heavy materials.
We are collecting data to better understand who is looking for work and what kind of opportunities jobseekers are searching for. This data is completely anonymous and non-personally identifiable.