stevedore
Stevedores sort, handle, load and unload freight into over-the-road equipment in accordance with oral and written instructions, as well as state regulations. They move freight such as boxes, bulky items, or even large pallets of goods to and from storage areas and onto transport vehicles.
stevedore stevedores sort, handle, load and unload freight into over-the-road equipment in accordance with oral and written instructions, as well as state regulations. The role shows moderate AI exposure (0.50 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include warehouse operations, international regulations for cargo handling, laws on the transportation of dangerous goods, safety regulations for warehouses, national regulations on handling cargo.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £27,832 a year for Warehouse operatives (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £24,447 to £33,151 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 9252). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Elementary occupations” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only stevedore, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 9. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Administration and Management
- Customer and Personal Service
- Public Safety and Security
- Transportation
- Production and Processing
- Mathematics
- English Language
- Personnel and Human Resources
What you'd actually do
- Maintain equipment storage areas to ensure that inventory is protected.
- Read work orders or receive oral instructions to determine work assignments or material or equipment needs.
- Move freight, stock, or other materials to and from storage or production areas, loading docks, delivery vehicles, ships, or containers, by hand or using trucks, tractors, or other equipment.
- Install protective devices, such as bracing, padding, or strapping, to prevent shifting or damage to items being transported.
- Sort cargo before loading and unloading.
- Attach identifying tags to containers or mark them with identifying information.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does stevedore do?
Stevedores sort, handle, load and unload freight into over-the-road equipment in accordance with oral and written instructions, as well as state regulations. They move freight such as boxes, bulky items, or even large pallets of goods to and from storage areas and onto transport vehicles.
What skills does stevedore need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include warehouse operations, international regulations for cargo handling, laws on the transportation of dangerous goods, safety regulations for warehouses, national regulations on handling cargo, vehicle cargo capacity. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace stevedore?
Our AI-durability model gives stevedore a score of 0.50 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.