Freight and Furniture Handlers

Freight and Furniture Handlers load and unload trucks, containers and rail cars, and transfer cargo between ships and other forms of transport and storage facilities.

What the job involves

• Labelling goods with customers' details and destinations

• Loading goods into trucks, containers and rail wagons, and securing loads

• Assisting to tie down loads and cover them with tarpaulins

• Guiding truck drivers into loading bays and through confined spaces

• Performing clerical functions to record and check cargo on arrival, storage and despatch

• Opening and closing hatches and securing cargo to prevent shifting during voyages

• Transferring loads using moving equipment and directing equipment operations using communication systems

• Stacking cargo on pallets, trays, flats and slings to facilitate transfer to and from ships