Freight handlers manage the coming in and going out of large trucks containing items for storage or delivery. They assist truck drivers into and out of loading docks by guiding them. They may also spearhead the installation of other items that may help guide these drivers.
They also take care of the loading and unloading of the items in the trucks. They check these items and ensure that they are correct before clearing them for storage or for departure from the warehouse. Sometimes, they may also assist in maintaining the systems in the warehouse to ensure that everything is in order. They may also help in managing the maintenance and the cleanliness of the whole place.
Freight handlers should be able to work with heavy equipment and should know how to operate large vehicles as well. In this job, you need to have a presence of mind, strong organization skills, and good interpersonal skills. In terms of educational background, a high school diploma or a GED would be enough. However, a certification in operating forklifts may also be required.
How to Become a Freight Handler
What is a Freight Handler
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a Freight Handler. For example, did you know that they make an average of $16.3 an hour? That's $33,913 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 156,200 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Freight Handler Do
There are certain skills that many Freight Handlers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed Customer-service skills, Hand–eye coordination and Listening skills.
How To Become a Freight Handler
If you're interested in becoming a Freight Handler, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 12.4% of Freight Handlers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 1.2% of Freight Handlers have master's degrees. Even though some Freight Handlers have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a Freight Handler. When we researched the most common majors for a Freight Handler, we found that they most commonly earn High School Diploma degrees or Associate Degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on Freight Handler resumes include Diploma degrees or Bachelor's Degree degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a Freight Handler. In fact, many Freight Handler jobs require experience in a role such as Cashier. Meanwhile, many Freight Handlers also have previous career experience in roles such as Sales Associate or Material Handler.
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Freight Handler Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of Order Selector you might progress to a role such as Driver eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title Operations Manager.
Freight Handler Jobs You Might Like
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Average Salary for a Freight Handler
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5 Freight Handler Resume Examples
Build a professional freight handler resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 5+ resume templates to create your freight handler resume.
Joe Wright Freight Handler |
Joe Wright Freight Handler Experience Freight Handler2019 - Present United Parcel Service•New York, NY
Warehouse Labour2018 - 2019 Cardinal Health•Albuquerque, NM
Film Crew2013 - 2018 McDonald's•Chicago, IL
Skills Package Processing EquipmentStore ShelvesCompany PoliciesSales GoalsStorage AreasOverhead StorageOshaInspect Stock ItemsCompany StandardsTarget Goals Education High School Diploma 2013 - 2013 |
Learn How To Write a Freight Handler Resume
At Zippia, we went through countless Freight Handler resumes and compiled some information about how to optimize them. Here are some suggestions based on what we found, divided by the individual sections of the resume itself.
View Freight Handler Resume Examples And TemplatesAnd if you’re looking for a job, here are the five top employers hiring now:
Choose From 10+ Customizable Freight Handler Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Freight Handler templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Freight Handler resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Find the best Freight Handler job for you
Freight Handler Jobs You Might Like
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Online Courses For Freight Handler That You May Like
Online Freight Broker Training - Learn the skills necessary to become a Freight Broker or agent...
No matter the volume of production of a micro or small company, delivery to clients will always be indispensable. Designing the best way to transport goods may mean performing the process by the company’s own means or through outsourcing (an important part of an organization’s logistic process) In this course on logistics you will get to know the processer related to transportation and how they go from selecting routes, choosing vehicles, shipment frequency, to ensuring the reception of changes...
Top Skills For a Freight Handler
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 34.4% of Freight Handlers listed Company Policies on their resume, but soft skills such as Customer-service skills and Hand–eye coordination are important as well.
Best States For a Freight Handler
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a Freight Handler. The best states for people in this position are Vermont, New York, Wisconsin, and Maine. Freight Handlers make the most in Vermont with an average salary of $45,434. Whereas in New York and Wisconsin, they would average $44,727 and $43,241, respectively. While Freight Handlers would only make an average of $42,799 in Maine, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Wisconsin
$43,241
Avg. Salary
2. Vermont
$45,434
Avg. Salary
3. Pennsylvania
$40,450
Avg. Salary
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