What does a shipping/receiving technician do?
Shipping/receiving technician responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real shipping/receiving technician resumes:
- Manage an off-site facility by organizing overflow product placement and the logistics of transporting it as needed.
- Ship hazardous material according to 49-CFR and IATA.
- Arrange finish product in FIFO and sequential order.
- Maintain the editorial schedule of affiliate shipments, including database metrics, WMS transactions.
- Load truck with shipments, strapping boxes onto pallets for shipment, scanning invoices for shipment.
- Receive merchandise with RF scanner, sort merchandise by department, and prepare merchandise for the sales floor.
- Transfer incoming inventory via RF scanning equipment to appropriate location.
- Box and ship medical devices following specific procedures designate by corporate office and FDA.
- Perform logistics management operations by inspect incoming property for correct identification, condition and security classifications.
- Load and unload tractor-trailers and flatb trailers (using tow motor and/or pallet jacks).
- Arrange air shipments and LTL loads.
- Pack and ship rush orders going through LTL.
- Verify pallet count matches BoL, approve and sign BoL.
- Move motorcycles and snowmobiles with forklift.
Shipping/receiving technician skills and personality traits
We calculated that 29% of Shipping/Receiving Technicians are proficient in Shipping Receiving, Data Entry, and Pallet Jack. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Customer-service skills, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Shipping/Receiving Technicians that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Shipping Receiving, 29%
Performed shipping receiving both physically and systematically.
- Data Entry, 6%
Performed data entry of inbound inventory.
- Pallet Jack, 5%
Unloaded trailers of hazardous waste using forklifts/hand-trucks/pallet jacks.
- Safety Standards, 5%
Performed daily, quarterly and annual inventory for sub-contractors Operated forklift in accordance with company safety standards
- Inventory Control, 4%
Cross-utilized in inventory control of inbound lap top computers processing repair orders and shipping to the troubleshooting department using Oracle software
- Logistics, 4%
Perform logistics management operations by inspected incoming property for correct identification, condition and security classifications.
Common skills that a shipping/receiving technician uses to do their job include "shipping receiving," "data entry," and "pallet jack." You can find details on the most important shipping/receiving technician responsibilities below.
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a shipping/receiving technician to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "material recording clerks are frequently in contact with suppliers, vendors, or managers and need to convey their company’s needs effectively." Shipping/receiving technicians often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "utilized communication and customer service skills by working directly with customers to answer any questions and directing them appropriately. "
Customer-service skills. Another essential skill to perform shipping/receiving technician duties is customer-service skills. Shipping/receiving technicians responsibilities require that "material recording clerks may interact with customers in order to respond to problems or complaints." Shipping/receiving technicians also use customer-service skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "position: receive incoming customer parts/inspect & dismantle for processing; data entry/editing; coordinate program /software, troubleshoot with it. "
Detail oriented. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of shipping/receiving technicians is detail oriented. This skill is critical to many everyday shipping/receiving technician duties, as "material and product inspecting clerks must pay attention to detail when checking items for defects, some of which are small and difficult to spot." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "verify shipments by checking shipping documents in accordance with standard operating procedures or detailed instructions. "
Math skills. shipping/receiving technician responsibilities often require "math skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "material recording clerks may need to calculate shipping costs or take measurements." This resume example shows what shipping/receiving technicians do with math skills on a typical day: "certify solutions using math and communication effectively data entry. "
The three companies that hire the most shipping/receiving technicians are:
- Clean Harbors6 shipping/receiving technicians jobs
- Danaher6 shipping/receiving technicians jobs
- Eurofins6 shipping/receiving technicians jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable shipping/receiving technician resume templates
Build a professional shipping/receiving technician resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your shipping/receiving technician resume.
Compare different shipping/receiving technicians
Shipping/receiving technician vs. Shipper
A shipper is an employee who is responsible for filling customer orders and ensures that the quality of these orders meets the company standards. Shippers are tasked with locating items in a warehouse and preparing them for shipping while completing all the transportation procedures so that no complications arise during the cargo-sending process. They use different trays, forklifts, and scissor lifts following the safety standards set by government regulations and company rules. Shippers must also know how to operate a scanner or use the shipping system to track inventory.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a shipping/receiving technician are more likely to require skills like "data entry," "pallet jack," "logistics," and "departmental policies." On the other hand, a job as a shipper requires skills like "pallets," "basic math," "math," and "electric pallet jack." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Shippers earn the highest salaries when working in the manufacturing industry, with an average yearly salary of $35,425. On the other hand, shipping/receiving technicians are paid more in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $36,422.shippers tend to reach similar levels of education than shipping/receiving technicians. In fact, shippers are 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Shipping/receiving technician vs. Warehouse shipping clerk
The duties of a warehouse receiving worker include interacting with delivery couriers, such as DHL and FedEx/UPS, while generally simplifying the customer service delivery process. They are expected to closely inspect all goods and products for damages, verify the quantities of products ordered, and enter these into inventory using RF or WMS system. The responsibility of determining the designated method of shipment of products may also fall to them.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real shipping/receiving technician resumes. While shipping/receiving technician responsibilities can utilize skills like "safety standards," "logistics," "departmental policies," and "dot," warehouse shipping clerks use skills like "pallets," "osha," "ups," and "fedex."
Warehouse shipping clerks earn a lower average salary than shipping/receiving technicians. But warehouse shipping clerks earn the highest pay in the automotive industry, with an average salary of $35,441. Additionally, shipping/receiving technicians earn the highest salaries in the manufacturing with average pay of $36,422 annually.warehouse shipping clerks earn similar levels of education than shipping/receiving technicians in general. They're 0.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Shipping/receiving technician vs. Warehouse receiving
A Shipping Clerk is responsible for managing shipment procedures and handling the tasks of receiving, preparing, and approving them for delivery. Among the duties of a Shipping Clerk also involves processing orders and ensuring all details are accurate, producing the necessary labels and receipts, weighing and examining packages, and organizing schedules of deliveries and pick-ups. Furthermore, a Shipping Clerk must also observe procedures, coordinate with every personnel involved, communicate with clients, and maintain an accurate inventory record at all times.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, shipping/receiving technicians are more likely to have skills like "data entry," "pallet jack," "safety standards," and "logistics." But a warehouse receiving is more likely to have skills like "pallets," "warehouse receiver," "load trucks," and "warehouse environment."
Warehouse receivings make a very good living in the transportation industry with an average annual salary of $33,909. On the other hand, shipping/receiving technicians are paid the highest salary in the manufacturing industry, with average annual pay of $36,422.When it comes to education, warehouse receivings tend to earn similar degree levels compared to shipping/receiving technicians. In fact, they're 0.5% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Shipping/receiving technician vs. Shipping clerk
Types of shipping/receiving technician
Updated January 8, 2025
