Material Handlers
Job description
These individuals handle and place materials in trucks and railcars. They work for:
- Transport and warehousing companies
- Moving companies
- Manufacturing and processing plants
- Distribution centres
- Warehouses
Environment
- Controlled ambient temperature
- Climatic conditions
- Equipment, machinery, tools
- Vehicle or passenger compartment
- Hazardous chemical
- Uncontrolled ambient temperature
- Noise
- Vibration
Main tasks
Manual Handlers
- Load and unload appliances, boxes, and furniture into a moving truck.
- Count, weigh, and sort products and materials.
Mechanized Material Handlers
- Load and unload trucks and railcars filled with items, materials (coal, ore, etc.), and goods.
- Operate trucks, tractors, and loaders to move items and store warehouse materials.
- Set up equipment to fill and empty tank cars, tank trucks, or tanks.
- Transfer products from transport vehicles to storage areas.
- Open containers and crates.
- Fill orders in a warehouse.
- Participate in taking inventory.
- Weigh and check items
Hourly wage
The hourly wage is calculated by averaging wages from 2022 to 2024.- Minimum
- $16.10
- Median
- $21.82
- Maximum
- $31.04
Job prospects for 2024-2028
Les 2 champs de sélection ci-dessous vous permettent de comparer 2 régions. Les données des régions seront automatiquement mises à jour à la sélection. Par défaut, la province de Québec est sélectionnée pour la première région.
Job prospects for 2024-2028
Job prospects
All of Québec
Very good
All of Québec
Non available
Total jobs for 2023
All of Québec
51,000
All of Québec
na
Gender distribution
All of Québec
Not available.
- 12.9% Female
- 87.1% Male
Not available.
- 12.9% Female
- 87.1% Male
Job types
All of Québec
Not available.
- Full time
- Part time
Not available.
- Full time
- Part time
Yearly wage on 2020
All of Québec
$44,800
All of Québec
Other characteristics
All of Québec
- Non traditional for women
- None
All of Québec
- Non traditional for women
- None
Sectors of activity
All of Québec
Not available.
-
NAICS 44, 4518% of jobs
-
NAICS 48, 4917% of jobs
-
NAICS 4113% of jobs
-
NAICS 311, 3128% of jobs
-
NAICS 3214% of jobs
-
Others40% of jobs
All of Québec
Not available.
-
NAICS 44, 4518% of jobs
-
NAICS 48, 4917% of jobs
-
NAICS 4113% of jobs
-
NAICS 311, 3128% of jobs
-
NAICS 3214% of jobs
-
Others40% of jobs
Training and requirements
Formation
No specific training
Sometimes required
- A few years of secondary school education may be required.
Main skills and characteristics
Skills
- Data collection
Abilities
- Static muscle power
- Limb coordination
- Core strength
- Control accuracy
- Oral comprehension
- Manual dexterity
- Endurance
- Near vision
- Written comprehension
- Dynamic strength
- Deductive reasoning
- Speech recognition
- Awareness of issues
- Physical flexibility in extension
- Distance vision
Knowledge and attributes
- Focussed on results
- Capacity to work in a team
- Rigour
- Sense of initiative
- Vitality
- Respect standards and regulations
- Sense of observation
- Commitment to quality
- Tolerance to routine work
- Timeliness
Interests
- Work in transportation and maintenance
- Work manually
- Exercer une activité sportive ou physique
Personality profiles (RIASEC)
- Realistic
- People with this profile prefer carrying out concrete tasks and being physically involved in what they do.
- Conventional
- People with this profile prefer specific, well-defined tasks. They like to respect the order of things and follow established rules.
- Investigative
- People with this profile prefer relying on theoretical knowledge before acting. They like observation, analysis and problem solving.
Official name of the NOC 75101
Material handlers
Job titles
- Truck loader
- Lift truck operator
- Material handler
- Express service handler (except air transport)
- Explosives handler
- Stock helper
- Warehouse keeper helper
- Stock-keeper helper
- Box bander
- Loader-unloader - material handling
- Coal loader-unloader
- Liquids loader-unloader
- Furniture loader-unloader
- Cement loader and sacker
- Feed mill loader
- Tank truck loader
- Ready-mix truck loader
- Van loader
- Freight loader (except air transport)
- Fats and oils loader
- Railway car loader
- Boxcar loader
- Freight car loader
- Bucket elevator operator
- Pick-up machine operator
- Bulk materials loader operator
- Package lift operator
- Reach truck operator
- Pallet lift operator
- Straddle carrier operator
- Industrial truck operator
- Electric truck operator
- Tier lift truck operator
- Forklift operator
- Power truck driver - material handling
- Electric dolly operator
- Stacker operator - material handling
- Pole stacker operator
- Jitney driver - material handling
- Mobilift operator
- Electric mule operator
- Pallet loader operator
- Lift driver
- Jack lift operator
- Tow motor driver (except air transport)
- Supermarket jigger operator
- Pallet truck operator
- Dumper - material handling
- Lumber unloader - material handling
- Coal dumper
- Freight unloader (except air transport)
- Glass cut-off machine unloader
- Bulk materials unloader
- Freight car unloader
- Household goods mover
- Furniture mover
- Dockman/woman - truck transport
- Bandoleer packer - explosives manufacturing
- Hand packager
- Packer - material handling
- Explosives packer
- Piler - material handling
- Piler (except processing)
- Shingle piler - material handling
- Lumber piler - building supplies
- Hand bagger - material handling
- Storage man/woman
- Lumber stocker - material handling
- Grain elevator operator
- Conveyor belt patroller-controller
- Hand bundler
- Labourer - warehousing and storage
- Labourer - material handling
- Material handler - manufacturing and warehousing
- Lumber handler - building supplies
- Ash handler
- Coal handler
- Freight handler (except air transport)
- Grain handler
- Light materials handler
- Heavy materials handler
- Munitions handler
- Recycled paper handler
- Hand truck operator
- Automatic pallet equipment operator
- Pole distributor operator
- Stacking machine operator - material handling
- Automated storage and retrieval system operator
- Conveyor operator - material handling (except underground mines)
- Conveyor belt operator (except underground mines)
- Coal conveyor operator
- Coal conveyor operator - surface mining
- Grain conveyor operator
- Bulk materials carrier operator
- Stacking machine tender - material handling
- Stockpiler
- Conveyor tender - material handling (except underground mines)
- Beltman/woman
- Skidder - fruit packing
- Storage worker - material handling
- Used building materials yard attendant
- Malthouse worker
- Truck load weigher
- Grain weigher
- Paper wrapper - material handling
- Disposal worker - warehouse
- Shipment assembler
- Dumper - surface coal mining
- Belt conveyor attendant
- Bin attendant
- Conveyor console operator
- Bin filler
- Box filler
- Cribber - grain elevator
- Coal wheeler
Skill type
Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations
Last update: January 29, 2026
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