Shipping, Receiving, And Traffic Clerks

Shipping, Receiving, and Traffic Clerks

Description

Verify and maintain records on incoming and outgoing shipments. Prepare items for shipment. Duties include assembling, addressing, stamping, and shipping merchandise or material; receiving, unpacking, verifying and recording incoming merchandise or material; and arranging for the transportation of products.

Tasks

Examine shipment contents and compare with records such as manifests, invoices, or orders to verify accuracy.
Record shipment data, such as weight, charges, space availability, damages, or discrepancies for reporting, accounting, or recordkeeping purposes.
Prepare documents, such as work orders, bills of lading, or shipping orders, to route materials.
Confer or correspond with establishment representatives to rectify problems, such as damages, shortages, or nonconformance to specifications.
Pack, seal, label, or affix postage to prepare materials for shipping, using hand tools, power tools, or postage meter.
Contact carrier representatives to make arrangements or to issue instructions for shipping and delivery of materials.
Deliver or route materials to departments using handtruck, conveyor, or sorting bins.
Requisition and store shipping materials and supplies to maintain inventory of stock.
Determine shipping methods, routes, or rates for materials to be shipped.
Compute amounts, such as space available, shipping, storage, or demurrage charges, using computer or price list.
Compare shipping routes or methods to determine which have the least environmental impact.

Knowledge

Clerical: Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
Production and Processing: Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Customer and Personal Service: Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Administration and Management: Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Computers and Electronics: Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Abilities

Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Work Activities

Handling and Moving Objects: Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Interacting With Computers: Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Processing Information: Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships: Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.

Work Context

Face-to-Face Discussions: How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
Contact With Others: How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled: How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
Electronic Mail: How often do you use electronic mail in this job?
Telephone: How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate: How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
Work With Work Group or Team: How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
Frequency of Decision Making: How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
Time Pressure: How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?
Importance of Repeating Same Tasks: How important is repeating the same physical activities (e.g., key entry) or mental activities (e.g., checking entries in a ledger) over and over, without stopping, to performing this job?

Interests

Conventional: Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Realistic: Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Enterprising: Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Investigative: Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Artistic: Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Social: Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Work Style

Dependability: Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Attention to Detail: Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Integrity: Job requires being honest and ethical.
Cooperation: Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Independence: Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Self Control: Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Adaptability/Flexibility: Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Stress Tolerance: Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
Initiative: Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Concern for Others: Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.

Work Values

Relationships: Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Support: Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Independence: Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Working Conditions: Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
Achievement: Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Recognition: Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.

Related Occupations

Procurement Clerks

Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks

Stock Clerks- Stockroom, Warehouse, or Storage Yard

Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping

Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service

Coin, Vending, and Amusement Machine Servicers and Repairers

Freight and Cargo Inspectors

Lay Titles

Booking Clerk

Break Out Man

Break Out Worker

Car Checker

Cloth Booker

Container Coordinator

Disposition Clerk

Distributing Clerk

Express Clerk

Fish Receiver

Forwarder

Freight Breaker

Freight Clerk

Freight Forwarder

Freight Separator

Fruit Express Agent

Fruit Receiver

Fuel Oil Clerk

Garment Sorter

Grain Elevator Clerk

Gun Repair Clerk

Incoming Freight Clerk

Industrial Order Clerk

Logistics Coordinator

Material Control Associate

Material Handler

Material Processor

Milk Receiver

Package Sorter

Paper Control Clerk

Piggyback Clerk

Print Traffic Manager

Receiver

Receiving Associate

Receiving Clerk

Receiving Manager

Reconsignment Clerk

Return to Factory Clerk

Route Delivery Clerk

Routing Clerk

Sheet Writer

Ship Runner

Shipper

Shipper Receiver

Shipping Checker

Shipping Clerk

Shipping Coordinator

Shipping Manager

Shipping Order Clerk

Shipping Packer

Shipping-Order Clerk

Shipping/Receiving Clerk

Sorter

Sorter Pricer

Station Baggage Agent

Stock Receiver

Store Receiver

Switching Clerk

Traffic Assistant

Traffic Coordinator

Traffic Manager

Traffic Recorder

Traffic Worker

Transformer Stock Clerk

Truckload Checker

Vault Person

Vault Worker

Warehouse Manager

Warehouseman

National Wages and Employment Info

Median Wages (2008):: $13.95 hourly, $29,010 annual.

Employment (2008):: 690,780 employees