Profession 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.

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Personality Type

• Enterprising / Realistic
• Enterprising / Conventional
• Realistic / Conventional

Knowledge

• Vehicle cargo capacity

  The capacity and the limits of the commissioned vehicle in terms of weight, type of cargo it can handle, and other cargo loading specifications.

• Ramp safety requirements

  Thoroughly understand ramp safety requirements and procedures.

• Safety regulations for warehouses

  The body of warehouse safety procedures and regulations to prevent incidents and hazards. Follow safety regulations and inspect equipment.

• National regulations on handling cargo

  The national regulations governing the loading and unloading of cargo in ports within that country.

• Laws on the transportation of dangerous goods

  The legal regulations that apply in the transportation of potentially dangerous goods, and the procedures involved in classifying such materials.

• International regulations for cargo handling

  The body of conventions, guidelines and rules which dictate the activity of loading and unloading cargo in international ports.

• Warehouse operations

  Know the basic principles and practices of warehouse operations such as goods storage. Understand and satisfy customer needs and requirements while effectively utilising warehouse equipment, space and labour.

• Loading charts for transportation of goods

  Understand the information displayed in loading charts showing the weight of shipments loaded in trailers. Read loading charts for the transport of larger items, dangerous materials or shipments that need special care.

Skills

• Store warehouse goods with precision

  Transport goods in the warehouse and place them in the appropriate and designated locations with precision in order maximise used of space. Operate forklifts or other instruments in this activity.

• Organise weight of loads according to lifting equipment capacity

  Organise the weight of loads to prevent overloading and imbalances in lifting equipment.

• Apply techniques for stacking goods into containers

  Apply techniques required to stack materials into containers. Use techniques to maximise the space in containers.

• Perform defensive driving

  Drive defensively to maximise road safety and save time, money, and lives; anticipate the actions of other road users.

• Assess stability of vessels

  Assess the two kinds of stability of vessels, namely transversal and longitudinal.

• Shunt inbound loads

  Shunt inbound freight loads to and from railcars for inbound and outbound trains.

• Conduct routine machinery checks

  Check machinery and equipment to ensure reliable performance during use and operations in worksites.

• Manoeuvre heavy trucks

  Drive, manoeuvre and park tractors, trailers and lorries on roads, around tight corners, and in parking spaces.

• Analyse supply chain strategies

  Examine an organisation's planning details of production, their expected output units, quality, quantity, cost, time available and labour requirements. Provide suggestions in order to improve products, service quality and reduce costs.

• Use ICT systems

  Select and use ICT systems for a variety of complex tasks in order to meet a variety of needs.

• Perform services in a flexible manner

  Adapt service approach when circumstances change.

• Lift heavy weights

  Lift heavy weights and apply ergonomic lifting techniques to avoid damaging the body.

• Handle intermodal equipment

  Handle intermodal equipment e.g. cranes, sideloaders, forklifts and hostler trucks.

• Operate forklift

  Operate a forklift, a vehicle with a pronged device in front for lifting and carrying heavy loads.

• Mark differences in colours

  Identify differences between colours, such as shades of colour.

• Operate material handling equipment

  Perform general physical activities in warehouse such as loading, unloading and sorting goods; operate handling equipment.

• Accommodate cargo in freight transport vehicle

  Properly position, cushion, restrain and balance cargo.

• Understand supply chain improvements in relation to profit gains

  Interpret how the supply chain improvements will impact company profits. Intensify the improvement in those processes that will streamline the supply chain most effectively while generating most profit.

• Tolerate stress

  Maintain a temperate mental state and effective performance under pressure or adverse circumstances.

• Work on uneven surfaces

  Perform work on uneven surfaces; climb ladders and execute tasks on top of railcars.

• Ensure that shipment contents correspond with shipping documentation

  Ensure that the content of shipments corresponds with the respective shipping documentation.

• Assess trim of vessels

  Assess the trim stability of vessels, referring to the stability of a vessel while it is in a static condition.

• Keep time accurately

  Measure the passage of time, often with the assistance of a clock or stopwatch.

• Show confidence

  Demonstrate degrees of maturity by fully understanding one's own qualities and abilities which can serve as sources of confidence in different situations.

• Operate on-board computer systems

  Operate on-board computer systems in heavy trucks and vehicles; communicate with yard management computer system.

• Operate voice picking systems

  Operate voice pick systems applying various picking methods; work using verbal instructions and prompts via headphones and a microphone.

• Shunt outbound loads

  Shunt outbound freight loads to and from inbound and outbound trains.

• Climb on railcars

  Have the physical abilities to climb on and into railcars following adequate security procedures.

• Relay messages through radio and telephone systems

  Possess the communication abilities to relay messages through a radio and telephone system.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB