Freight sorter vs freight handler

The differences between freight sorters and freight 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 $30,215 average annual salary of a freight sorter.

The top three skills for a freight sorter include load freight, delivery vehicle and hand trucks. The most important skills for a freight handler are basic math, pallets, and math.

Freight sorter vs freight handler overview

	Freight Sorter	Freight Handler
Yearly salary	$30,215	$35,944
Hourly rate	$14.53	$17.28
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	24,613	67,422
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	High School Diploma, 54%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

Freight sorter vs freight handler salary

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

	Freight Sorter	Freight Handler
Average salary	$30,215	$35,944
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $37,000	Between $28,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	-	Billerica, MA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	R+L Carriers
Best paying industry	-	Transportation

Differences between freight sorter and freight handler education

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

	Freight Sorter	Freight Handler
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	High School Diploma, 54%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Business
Most common college	-	-

Freight sorter vs freight handler demographics

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

	Freight Sorter	Freight Handler
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 70.9% Female, 29.1%	Male, 88.2% Female, 11.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 5.1% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	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%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between freight sorter and freight handler duties and responsibilities

Freight sorter example responsibilities.

Process mail using automate mail processing equipment or manual methods of sortation and distribution.
Volunteer work for kohl's cares events.

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.

Freight sorter vs freight handler skills

Common freight sorter skills

Load Freight, 62%
Delivery Vehicle, 22%
Hand Trucks, 6%
Sales Floor, 6%
Sort Freight, 4%

Common freight handler skills

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

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Transportation Industry
Freight Sorter
Freight Sorter vs Freight Handler

Updated January 8, 2025

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