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What a loader does
A loader handles the physical loading and unloading of vehicles and storage: moving pallets, parcels and bulk goods, checking quantities and stacking loads safely and securely. The role keeps deliveries and dispatch moving on schedule.
It is a physical, active role usually worked in shifts. Day to day it combines lifting, stacking and equipment use with accuracy and safety, often supported by trolleys, pallet trucks, scanners and paperwork.
Core responsibilities
- Loading and unloading vehicles, pallets and deliveries.
- Checking quantities and condition against paperwork.
- Stacking and securing loads safely for transport.
- Moving goods between bays, storage and dispatch.
- Operating pallet trucks or equipment where certified and required.
- Reporting damage, shortages and hazards.
- Following manual-handling and loading-safety rules.
Skills and qualities
- Physical fitness for heavy lifting and active work.
- Care with load security and stacking.
- Accuracy when checking goods against paperwork.
- Reliability and a steady pace.
- Teamwork across goods-in and dispatch.
- Any required handling-equipment certification.
- Strong manual-handling and loading-safety awareness.
Typical employers and settings
- Distribution, fulfilment and logistics centres.
- Manufacturing and production sites.
- Builders’ merchants, yards and wholesale depots.
- Transport, freight and courier operations.
- Cold-storage and food-distribution facilities.
How the role is recruited
- Roles are often filled directly or through staffing agencies, especially for peaks.
- Applications are usually short; a CV or simple application is common.
- Screening focuses on fitness, availability, any certifications and right to work.
- Interviews are practical and may include a site tour or short trial shift.
- Onboarding covers loading methods, equipment, bays and safety.
Documents involved
- A job advert and clear job description.
- Proof of valid handling-equipment certification where required.
- An employment contract or agency assignment terms.
- Right-to-work and identity checks as required in the jurisdiction.
- A safety induction and onboarding checklist.
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