Freight handler vs merchandise handler

The differences between freight handlers and merchandise handlers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a freight handler has an average salary of $35,944, which is higher than the $31,855 average annual salary of a merchandise handler.

The top three skills for a freight handler include basic math, pallets and math. The most important skills for a merchandise handler are basic math, math, and pallets.

Freight handler vs merchandise handler overview

	Freight Handler	Merchandise Handler
Yearly salary	$35,944	$31,855
Hourly rate	$17.28	$15.31
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	67,422	47,657
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 54%	High School Diploma, 43%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

What does a freight handler do?

A freight handler is responsible for monitoring the distribution and delivery of the freight, unloading and storing materials, and verifying the accurate information of the freight records. Freight handlers inspect the condition and quality of the goods and materials before loading into the distribution trucks for shipment. They also operate various warehouse tools and equipment to transport merchandise from the vehicle to different parts of the facility. A freight handler must be highly organized, especially in checking the correct tagging of items and conducting safety checks.

What does a merchandise handler do?

A merchandise handler deals with inventory and merchandise for shipment to ecommerce customers. This position requires familiarity with all computer technology used in processing the merchandise. The duties of this position are accurately recording the movement of merchandise, operating merchandise handling equipment, confirming the quantity of inventory, and handling the merchandise with care to avoid damage. They also need to ensure the customer has quality experience with every order.

Freight handler vs merchandise handler salary

Freight handlers and merchandise handlers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Freight Handler	Merchandise Handler
Average salary	$35,944	$31,855
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $44,000	Between $26,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	Billerica, MA	Taunton, MA
Highest paying state	Alaska	Hawaii
Best paying company	R+L Carriers	The RealReal
Best paying industry	Transportation	Retail

Differences between freight handler and merchandise handler education

There are a few differences between a freight handler and a merchandise handler in terms of educational background:

	Freight Handler	Merchandise Handler
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 54%	High School Diploma, 43%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Freight handler vs merchandise handler demographics

Here are the differences between freight handlers' and merchandise handlers' demographics:

	Freight Handler	Merchandise Handler
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 88.2% Female, 11.8%	Male, 60.3% Female, 39.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.6% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.8% Asian, 5.2% White, 55.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 20.8% Asian, 5.9% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between freight handler and merchandise handler duties and responsibilities

Freight handler example responsibilities.

Manage temporary staff doing warehouse work and train and test them in order to receive forklift certification per OSHA.
Dock work then get CDL and then go to the road
Work on the dock loading and unloading truck and backup CDL driver.
Ship order via FedEx on a daily basis and perform an inventory and cycle count when need.
Distribute break loads, freight and merchandise on inbound and outbound side of the LTL freight terminal.
Job include handling all types of LTL freight with a forklift while unloading and loading trailers for delivery.

Merchandise handler example responsibilities.

Clean and maintain the warehouse in compliance with OSHA standards.
Make visual evaluations and floor moves while maintaining OSHA guidelines.
Process incoming merchandise shipments by unpacking products, moving items in WMS, steaming clothing, and stocking shelves.
Transport pallets to where they need to go in the store to insure products are stocked up properly for customer needs.
Distribute production materials to designate locations on assembly lines observing the first-in-first-out (FIFO) inventory control practice.
Greet customers while bagging their groceries, collect carts in parking lot, put away return items, general sanitation.

Freight handler vs merchandise handler skills

Common freight handler skills

Basic Math, 28%
Pallets, 21%
Math, 12%
Hazardous Materials, 10%
Manual Equipment, 7%
Hand Trucks, 3%

Common merchandise handler skills

Basic Math, 21%
Math, 17%
Pallets, 11%
Hand Tools, 10%
Purchase Orders, 6%
Hand Trucks, 6%

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Transportation Industry
Freight Handler
Freight Handler vs Merchandise Handler

Updated January 8, 2025

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