How To Become A Tankerman: What It Is and Career Path

What is a tankerman and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Generally, the primary duty of a Tankerman is to prepare and manage the vessel assigned to you and monitor the transferal of liquid cargo to and from said vessel. The exact job responsibilities will depend on your employer's requirements and the type of vessel you work on, for example, a barge on a river or an oil tanker on the high seas.

As a Tankerman, you must be familiar with government regulations regarding the vessel you are working on and work prolonged hours or even days because shifts aboard the vessel can run from several days to several months.

You may have to climb ladders, walk catwalks, and walk on uneven or slippery surfaces. You must have a good sense of smell to be able to detect potentially dangerous odors. Therefore, you must also be in excellent physical condition.

The average annual pay for a Tankerman is $62,208 a year. Just in case you need a salary calculator, that works out to be roughly $29.91 an hour.

ScoreTankermanUS Average

Salary

4.1

Avg. Salary $52,133

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

8.1

Growth Rate 1%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.70%

Asian 4.85%

Black or African American 17.31%

Hispanic or Latino 13.19%

Unknown 9.34%

White 53.62%

Gender

female 2.18%

male 97.82%

Age - 31

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 31

Stress Level

8.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.7

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

1.9

Work Life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a tankerman

Explore tankerman education requirements

Most common tankerman degrees

High School Diploma

55.3 %

Bachelor's

15.3 %

Associate

14.1 %

Start to develop specific tankerman skills

Skills	Percentages
PIC	11.29%
TWIC	11.14%
Hand Tools	9.38%
Ladders	7.02%
CPR	6.50%

Complete relevant tankerman training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New tankermen learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a tankerman based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real tankerman resumes.

Research tankerman duties and responsibilities

Operate controls and levers for cranes and booms to facilitate liquid cargo transfer.
Connect and disconnect hoses using appropriate PPE.
Maintain and wear appropriate PPE at all times.
Make various tasks, chip and maintain cleanliness of the vessel.

Prepare your tankerman resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your tankerman resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a tankerman resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Tankerman Resume templates

Build a professional Tankerman resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Tankerman resume.

Apply for tankerman jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a tankerman job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do tankermen rate their job?

4/5

Based On 1 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Tankerman reviews

4.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2020

Pros

Pays well, job security is great, you don’t have to deal with a ton of people on a day to day basis

Cons

Being away from home if you work as a tankerman on a vessel. Enduring outside elements for long periods at a time.