How To Become A Distribution Clerk: What It Is and Career Path

What is a distribution clerk and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Distribution clerks work in warehouses to monitor and manage shipments, ensuring that all deliveries are correct and made on time. Their main duties include processing products for delivery, coordinating with vendors on prices and orders, ensuring that orders are not damaged, and create necessary documentation.

Additional duties usually involve supervising the unloading of shipments, reviewing shipment documentation for accuracy and completeness, as well as maintaining the cleanliness and organization of work areas. They typically work forty-hour shifts but may have schedules outside of regular business hours since most companies handle shipments at night.

The minimum educational requirement for this role is a high school diploma or equivalent. In terms of experience, employers prefer applicants that have prior experience in a similar job, ideally one that deals with administrative and clerical work. Furthermore, an aspiring distribution clerk will need to have adequate physical strength since this job may involve carrying heavy objects or operating warehouse machinery.

Distribution clerks can earn between $27,000 to $58,000 per year, aside from bonuses and incentive programs.

ScoreDistribution ClerkUS Average

Salary

2.5

Avg. Salary $32,142

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.3

Growth rate -3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.74%

Asian 7.13%

Black or African American 11.32%

Hispanic or Latino 20.35%

Unknown 4.16%

White 56.30%

Gender

female 49.53%

male 50.47%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

6.3

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.0

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a distribution clerk

Explore distribution clerk education requirements

Most common distribution clerk degrees

High School Diploma

35.0 %

Bachelor's

27.2 %

Associate

22.5 %

Start to develop specific distribution clerk skills

Skills	Percentages
Data Entry	15.87%
Shipping Receiving	12.18%
Patients	11.73%
Inventory Control	7.09%
Customer Support	5.00%

Complete relevant distribution clerk training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New distribution clerks learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a distribution clerk based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real distribution clerk resumes.

Research distribution clerk duties and responsibilities

Manage all aspects of verifying incoming items and outgoing customer material release orders (MRO )
Enter time card information in the payroll system occasionally.
Process and pack orders using wet and dry ice for FedEx shipping.
Research U.P.S., FedEx, mail inquiries, and distribute and process mail.

Prepare your distribution clerk resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your distribution clerk resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a distribution clerk resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable distribution clerk resume templates

Build a professional distribution clerk resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your distribution clerk resume.