How to hire a ship dock

Ship dock hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring ship docks in the United States:

There are a total of 18,604 ship docks in the US, and there are currently 63,730 job openings in this field.
The median cost to hire a ship dock is $1,633.
Small businesses spend $1,105 per ship dock on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
Gainesville, GA, has the highest demand for ship docks, with 2 job openings.

How to hire a ship dock, step by step

To hire a ship dock, you should clearly understand the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, and allocate a budget for the position. You will also need to post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a ship dock:

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

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

What does a ship dock do?

A ship dock is responsible for performing various support tasks. Although the extent of their responsibilities depends on their line of work or company of employment, it typically includes loading and unloading heavy packages, reviewing documentation, maintaining records, and conducting shipment inspections to ensure compliance with the company's standards and regulations. They must also address issues and concerns, resolving them in a timely manner. Moreover, a ship dock must maintain an active communication line with staff for a smooth and efficient workflow.

Learn more about the specifics of what a ship dock does

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Identify your hiring needs

The ship dock hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

Determine employee vs contractor status

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

A ship dock's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, ship docks from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

This list shows salaries for various types of ship docks.

Type of Ship Dock	Description	Hourly rate
Ship Dock	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
Loader/Unloader	A loader's responsibilities regularly involve manual work such as lifting and transporting objects to vehicles like trucks and vans. The tasks of a loader may also include operating various kinds of machines, maintain accurate documentation and inventory, sort and organize goods while examining their quality and quantity, and devise strategies on how to expand space capacity... Show more	$12-18
Can Handler	Can handlers or material handlers have various duties and responsibilities within an organization. These include maintaining production and product distribution, staging finished products, and delivering production supplies and materials... Show more	$12-19

Create an ideal candidate profile
Common skills:
- Hand Trucks
- Freight Bills
- Hazardous Materials
- Pallet Jack
- Pallets
- Load Trucks
- Safety Procedures
- Cross-Dock
- Customer Service
- RF Scanner
- Outbound Trailers
- Customer Orders
- Sales Floor
- Load Trailers
Check all skills
Responsibilities:
- Operate yard truck to manage dock needs, maintain safety and cleanliness of dock as well as yard.
- Segregate and secure non-conforming product.
- Provide comprehensive and accurate flow of merchandise.
- Deliver excellent customer service by assisting customers with merchandise pick up.
- Maintain proper receiving procedures, including the verification of inaccuracies and temperatures of product entering and leaving the facility.
- Mow lawn, run errands, advise customers, and assist in loading and unloading the boats.
More ship dock duties

Make a budget

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

Location. For example, ship docks' average salary in new mexico is 38% less than in district of columbia.
Seniority. Entry-level ship docks 24% less than senior-level ship docks.
Certifications. A ship dock 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 ship dock's salary.

Average ship dock salary

$16.10hourly

$33,491 yearly

Entry-level ship dock salary

$29,000 yearly salary

Updated January 15, 2026

Average ship dock salary by state

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	New York	$41,636	$20
2	Minnesota	$37,812	$18
3	Oregon	$36,523	$18
4	Wisconsin	$36,457	$18
5	Washington	$36,129	$17
6	Nebraska	$35,427	$17
7	Arizona	$35,394	$17
8	Maryland	$35,343	$17
9	Missouri	$35,152	$17
10	Pennsylvania	$34,846	$17
11	California	$34,693	$17
12	Ohio	$34,547	$17
13	Georgia	$34,358	$17
14	Illinois	$34,217	$16
15	Indiana	$34,195	$16
16	Michigan	$33,984	$16
17	North Carolina	$33,722	$16
18	Oklahoma	$33,491	$16
19	Virginia	$33,424	$16
20	Florida	$33,176	$16

Average ship dock salary by company

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
1	Dairy Farmers of America	$38,288	$18.41	25
2	USF Reddaway	$37,715	$18.13
3	Oak Harbor Freight Lines	$36,784	$17.68	4
4	Holland	$36,734	$17.66
5	Midwest Motor Express	$36,543	$17.57
6	New Penn Financial, LLC	$36,275	$17.44
7	CTG	$34,989	$16.82
8	YRC Freight	$34,023	$16.36
9	SanMar	$33,607	$16.16
10	LKQ	$33,270	$16.00	6
11	Yellow	$33,219	$15.97
12	Vonachen Group	$33,058	$15.89
13	Harken	$32,954	$15.84
14	Saddle Creek Logistics Services	$32,823	$15.78	15
15	Dempsey Uniform & Linen Supply	$32,725	$15.73	2
16	Randstad North America, Inc.	$32,332	$15.54	9
17	Green Circle Growers	$32,302	$15.53
18	The Salvation Army	$29,521	$14.19	34

Writing a ship dock job description
A good ship dock job description should include a few things:
- Summary of the role
- List of responsibilities
- Required skills and experience
Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a ship dock job description:
Ship dock job description example
**Position Overview**

As a Cross Dock, you will use an electric pallet jack to load, unload and move materials onto trucks for shipment out of a warehouse facility. In this role, you will ensure there is flow of pallets from the staging area to the correct doors, and ensure load quality.

**Job Description**

**Description**

+ Operate an electric riding pallet jack.

+ Assist in unloading cross dock trailers.

+ Ensure the flow of pallets from the staging area to their appropriate doors is being accomplished.

+ Load, unload, and move materials onto trucks for shipment out of warehouse facility.

+ Monitor pallet construction and ensure load quality.

+ Prioritize work within your assigned zone.

+ Other duties as assigned by your supervisor.

+ Travel Required: No

**Environment**

+ Warehouse : Perishable Warehouse (28F to 60F)

**Skills**

+ Specialized Knowledge :

+ Special Skills :

+ Physical abilities: : Safely and efficiently move product weighing up to 60 lbs. Stand/walk for 10-12 hrs

+ Other: :

**Years Of Experience**

+ 0-2 : Relevant experience.

**Qualifications**

Attendance, General Equivalency Diploma - General Studies, High School Diploma - General Studies, Initiative, Productivity, Quality, Safety, Values

**Shift**

1st Shift (United States of America)

**Company**

C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc.

**About Our Company**

C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc. , based in Keene, NH, is the largest wholesale grocery supply company in the U.S. and the industry leader in supply chain innovation. Founded in 1918 as a supplier to independent grocery stores, C&S now services customers of all sizes, supplying more than 6,000 independent supermarkets, chain stores, military bases, and institutions with over 150,000 different products. At C&S, We Select the Best - those with the motivation, pride, and drive to succeed in our fast-paced world.

Working Safely is a Condition of Employment at C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc. C&S Wholesale Grocers is proud to be an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer, and considers qualified applicants without regard to race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status or any other protected factor under federal, state or local law.

Company: C&S Wholesale Grocers, Inc.

Job Area: Warehouse Perishable

Job Family: Operations

Job Type: Regular

Job Code: JC0165

ReqID: R-244633
Post your job
To find the right ship dock for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:
- Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
- Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with ship docks they would recommend.
- Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit ship docks who meet your education requirements.
- Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.
Post your job online:
- Post your ship dock job on Zippia to find and recruit ship dock candidates who meet your exact specifications.
- Use field-specific websites.
- Post a job on free websites.
Interview candidates
Recruiting ship docks requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.
Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.
The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.
Send a job offer and onboard your new ship dock
Once you've selected the best ship dock candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.
It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.
To prepare for the new ship dock first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.
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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How much does it cost to hire a ship dock?

There are different types of costs for hiring ship docks. One-time cost per hire for the recruitment process. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, onboarding, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider all of these costs when evaluating hiring a new ship dock employee.

You can expect to pay around $33,491 per year for a ship dock, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for ship docks in the US typically range between $13 and $18 an hour.

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Updated January 15, 2026

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How to hire a ship dock