How to hire a dock associate

How to hire a dock associate, step by step

Here's a step-by-step dock associate hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a dock associate job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new dock associate
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your dock associate job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a dock associate for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

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   Hiring the perfect dock associate also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of dock associate salaries for various roles:

   Type of Dock Associate	Description	Hourly rate
   Dock Associate	Hand laborers and material movers manually move freight, stock, or other materials. Others feed or remove material to and from machines, clean vehicles, pick up unwanted household goods, and pack materials for moving.	$13-18
   Stage Hand	Stagehands are skilled employees who work in the television, film, or theatre to assist other crew members set up the sound, lighting, and other equipment as well as helping performers change into their costumes. These employees are required to hang banners, update marquees, and handle other signage within the venue as it is important for any production... Show more	$12-23
   Material Handler	Material handlers are responsible for moving products, storing items, and managing supplies to proper shelf categories. A material handler also documents deliveries and ensures that all items for shipment are correct and free of any damage... Show more	$12-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Pallets
   • Electric Pallet Jack
   • Safety Procedures
   • Sales Floor
   • Load Trucks
   • Hazardous Materials
   • Outbound Freight
   • RF Scanner
   • CDL
   • Electric Marking Tools
   • Load Trailers
   • Manual Equipment
   • Customer Orders
   • Inventory Control

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Operate yard truck to manage dock needs, maintain safety and cleanliness of dock as well as yard.
   • Load orders into trailers for shipment; coordinate cross-dock operations and load consolidations.
   • Mow lawn, run errands, advise customers, and assist in loading and unloading the boats.

   More dock associate duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your dock associate job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A dock associate can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, dock associates' average salary in louisiana is 34% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level dock associates 28% less than senior-level dock associates.
   • Certifications. A dock associate with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a dock associate's salary.

   Average dock associate salary

   $15.93hourly

   $33,136 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level dock associate salary

   $28,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average dock associate salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$38,802	$19
   2	Ohio	$37,365	$18
   3	Illinois	$36,922	$18
   4	Wisconsin	$36,481	$18
   5	Connecticut	$35,461	$17
   6	California	$35,399	$17
   7	Texas	$34,947	$17
   8	Georgia	$34,733	$17
   9	Colorado	$34,205	$16
   10	Tennessee	$34,082	$16
   11	New Jersey	$33,430	$16
   12	Arizona	$32,595	$16
   13	Arkansas	$32,466	$16
   14	Florida	$31,960	$15
   15	Mississippi	$31,179	$15
   16	Virginia	$30,504	$15
   17	Missouri	$29,721	$14

   Average dock associate salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	The RealReal	$35,441	$17.04
   2	Briggs & Stratton	$34,539	$16.61
   3	Paraco Gas	$34,416	$16.55	5
   4	AmeriPride Services	$34,366	$16.52
   5	Parker Global Strategies	$34,325	$16.50
   6	Techtronic Industries TTI	$34,137	$16.41	7
   7	Volt Systems LLC	$33,557	$16.13
   8	Aramark	$33,327	$16.02
   9	Integrated Resources	$33,016	$15.87
   10	Remedy Intelligent Staffing	$32,809	$15.77
   11	HireLevel	$32,654	$15.70
   12	Neovia Logistics	$32,564	$15.66
   13	Saddle Creek Logistics Services	$32,498	$15.62	6
   14	Integrity Staffing	$32,378	$15.57
   15	Averitt Express	$32,317	$15.54
   16	The Paper Source	$32,265	$15.51
   17	Staffmark	$32,237	$15.50
   18	Kelly Services	$32,185	$15.47	3
   19	Colorado Boxed Beef Company	$32,004	$15.39
   20	Citarella, Inc	$31,974	$15.37

4. Writing a dock associate job description

   A job description for a dock associate role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a dock associate job description:

   Dock associate job description example

   Scope of the Role includes:
   Paraco Dock / Yard employees allow our operations to run efficiently by providing vital support for the facility and service operations. As brand ambassadors to Paraco, our dock / yard employees provide memorable, positive and engaging experience by providing customer service with propane filling and selling while ensuring our drivers have the tools and supplies necessary to service our customers. The dock / yard employee is an integral member of the Paraco family who brings a positive work ethic to deliver a great customer experience. Reporting to the Plant Supervisor, you will be a key member of the Gas Production Line Grill Cylinder Dock team.
   
   Essential responsibilities will include but not be limited to:
   • Facility maintenance - keeping yard clean and organized.
   • Tank/Cylinder dock/yard management:
   o Unloading tanks /cylinders
   o Evacuating and organizing tanks/cylinders.
   o Refilling tanks /cylinders
   o Loading onto truck or refilling BBQ tanks for walk-in customers and providing safe-use instructions.
   • Calibrating scales daily.
   • Daily plant inspections.
   • Filling Motor Fuel.
   • Performing other dock related duties as assigned.
   
   We’re looking for the following abilities and skills:
   • 2+ years forklift experience
   • Superior organizational and cleaning skills
   • Listening, reading and following instructions to perform responsibilities safely and efficiently.
   • Focusing on the tasks at hand ensuring attention to detail, awareness of surroundings ensuring safety.
   • Effective verbal and written communication skills to speak with customers, vendors and other employees.
   • Willingness to work outdoors in all weather and driving conditions.
   • Routinely handle objects weighing up to 50 pounds and on occasion may be expected to lift and/or move objects weighing up to 75 pounds up to chest height.
   • Strong interpersonal skills and be very customer focused, enthusiastic, committed, motivated and resourceful.
   • High School Diploma or GED equivalent.
   • Position hours are 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM Monday to Friday with occasional overtime, weekends and holidays that will be based upon business needs.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find dock associates for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your dock associate job on Zippia to find and recruit dock associate candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit dock associates, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new dock associate

   Once you've found the dock associate candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new dock associate. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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