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.
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.
Job titles
- Bin filler
- Coal handler
- 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
Related occupations