Will tank loaders be replaced by AI?
Updated
Tank loaders score 20 of 100 for AI exposure. 72% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 7% today and speed up another 21%.
- 7% AI can do it
- 21% AI helps
- 72% Needs a person
Low exposure
Lower than 79% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 19 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 1 of them today, speeds up 4 and leaves 14 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Record operating data such as products and quantities pumped, gauge readings, and operating times, manually or using computers. Logging pumped volumes and gauge readings is routine data entry. | 80% AI can do it |
| Verify tank car, barge, or truck load numbers to ensure car placement accuracy based on written or verbal instructions. Checking load numbers against instructions is partly records work. | 35% AI helps |
| Monitor product movement to and from storage tanks, coordinating activities with other workers to ensure constant product flow. Monitoring tank levels is digital, but coordination needs people. | 30% AI helps |
| Copy and attach load specifications to loaded tanks. Generating spec sheets is easy; physically attaching them is not. | 30% AI helps |
| Perform general warehouse activities, such as opening containers and crates, filling warehouse orders, assisting in taking inventory, and weighing and checking materials. Order picking and inventory counts are partly digital tasks. | 25% AI helps |
| Check conditions and weights of vessels to ensure cleanliness and compliance with loading procedures. Physical vessel inspection and weighing; compliance checks partly documentable. | 18% Needs a person |
| Start pumps and adjust valves or cables to regulate the flow of products to vessels, using knowledge of loading procedures. Starting pumps and adjusting valves is hands on equipment control. | 15% Needs a person |
| Lower gauge rods into tanks or read meters to verify contents, temperatures, and volumes of liquid loads. Gauge rod reading is physical; recording values is automatable. | 12% Needs a person |
| Operate ship loading and unloading equipment, conveyors, hoists, and other specialized material handling equipment such as railroad tank car unloading equipment. Operating heavy loading equipment is hands on and on site. | 10% Needs a person |
| Test samples for specific gravity, using hydrometers, or send samples to laboratories for testing. Hydrometer testing is hands on; lab submission paperwork is routine. | 10% Needs a person |
Show the other 9 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Seal outlet valves on tank cars, barges, and trucks. Physical valve sealing on vehicles needs hands on work. | 8% Needs a person |
| Operate industrial trucks, tractors, loaders, and other equipment to transport materials to and from transportation vehicles and loading docks, and to store and retrieve materials in warehouses. Driving and operating industrial vehicles on site is physical work. | 8% Needs a person |
| Operate conveyors and equipment to transfer grain or other materials from transportation vehicles. Operating grain conveyors and transfer equipment is physical work. | 8% Needs a person |
| Unload cars containing liquids by connecting hoses to outlet plugs and pumping compressed air into cars to force liquids into storage tanks. Hose connection and air pumping are physical field operations. | 6% Needs a person |
| Test vessels for leaks, damage, and defects, and repair or replace defective parts as necessary. Leak testing and repairs need physical inspection and skilled hands. | 5% Needs a person |
| Clean interiors of tank cars or tank trucks, using mechanical spray nozzles. Spray cleaning tank interiors is physical and hands on. | 5% Needs a person |
| Observe positions of cars passing loading spouts, and swing spouts into the correct positions at the appropriate times. Real time visual positioning of moving rail cars and spouts. | 4% Needs a person |
| Remove and replace tank car dome caps, or direct other workers in their removal and replacement. Removing dome caps is physical hardware work. | 4% Needs a person |
| Connect ground cables to carry off static electricity when unloading tanker cars. Connecting grounding cables is a physical safety task. | 3% Needs a person |
How tank loaders compare
All occupations (923)
Transportation and material moving (52)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $58,870 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 10,700 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +2.8% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Connect and verify grounding cables on rail tank cars
- Test tank vessels for leaks and make field repairs
- Run loading sequences in the Distributed control system DCS
- Reconcile logged volumes in Microsoft Excel and SAP
- Check weights in CompuWeigh GMS before each release
- Gauge and sample shipping tanks before loading
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about tank loaders and AI
Will AI replace tank loaders?
Partly. About 2 in 10 working hours of a tank loader's job go to tasks AI can already do, mostly logging pumped volumes and gauge readings. Physical work on tanks and rail cars stays with people because grounding, hose connection, and leak testing need hands in the field.
Which tasks is AI taking over in tank loading?
Recording operating data leads, with an exposure score of 80, because logging pumped volumes, gauge readings, and run times is routine data entry that software handles well. Verifying load numbers against instructions, scored 35, is partly records work that a WMS or SAP screen can already check.
Which tasks stay human for tank loaders?
Connecting ground cables, scored 3, and swinging loading spouts into position, scored 4, stay with people because both need a person reading moving rail cars and grounding equipment in real time. Removing dome caps, scored 4, and cleaning tank interiors, scored 5, are hands-on hardware work.
How can tank loaders stay valuable?
Learn the DCS and CompuWeigh GMS screens well enough to catch flagged errors before a car leaves the rack. Keep grounding, dome cap, and leak test skills sharp, since those tasks carry the lowest exposure. Use Microsoft Excel to check logged volumes against SAP shipment records.
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