As of June 2026, Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders has an AI-exposure score of 58/100 (Elevated exposure) on the AI-Safe Careers index, blending O*NET tasks, the Anthropic Economic Index, the Penn/OpenAI study, and BLS data. This is an estimate of task exposure, not a prediction of job loss.
Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders
More exposed than 60% of the roles we track. Median pay ~US$58,870. About 1,300 projected openings a year (BLS 2024–34 — growth plus replacement).
Pay & demand figures are US medians (BLS, in USD) — your local figures will differ. Your exposure score applies broadly.
How you compare to similar Transportation roles
Your tasks, by AI exposure
- 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.
- Record operating data such as products and quantities pumped, gauge readings, and operating times, manually or using computers.
- Test samples for specific gravity, using hydrometers, or send samples to laboratories for testing.
- Observe positions of cars passing loading spouts, and swing spouts into the correct positions at the appropriate times.
- 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.
- Monitor product movement to and from storage tanks, coordinating activities with other workers to ensure constant product flow.
- Unload cars containing liquids by connecting hoses to outlet plugs and pumping compressed air into cars to force liquids into storage tanks.
- Remove and replace tank car dome caps, or direct other workers in their removal and replacement.
- Perform general warehouse activities, such as opening containers and crates, filling warehouse orders, assisting in taking inventory, and weighing and checking materials.
- Lower gauge rods into tanks or read meters to verify contents, temperatures, and volumes of liquid loads.
- Clean interiors of tank cars or tank trucks, using mechanical spray nozzles.
- Test vessels for leaks, damage, and defects, and repair or replace defective parts as necessary.
- Check conditions and weights of vessels to ensure cleanliness and compliance with loading procedures.
- Copy and attach load specifications to loaded tanks.
- Operate conveyors and equipment to transfer grain or other materials from transportation vehicles.
- Connect ground cables to carry off static electricity when unloading tanker cars.
- Seal outlet valves on tank cars, barges, and trucks.
- Operate ship loading and unloading equipment, conveyors, hoists, and other specialized material handling equipment such as railroad tank car unloading equipment.
No durable tasks identified for this role — its real, individually-assessed tasks consistently read as augmentable (84%).
Safer adjacent roles
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