How To Become A Transportation Clerk: What It Is and Career Path

What is a transportation clerk and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

If the idea of working in a warehouse or manufacturing environment appeals to you, consider a job as a transportation clerk.

As a transportation clerk, you'll be responsible for monitoring the merchandise leaving a company's warehouse. This could include creating shipping documents, such as invoices and purchase orders, and pulling inventory from the shelves.

Typically, transportation clerk jobs are entry-level positions open to aspirants with a high school diploma. However, some employers watch out for transportation clerks with experience ranging anywhere from five months to five years. Other employers are willing to train new hires, but extensive knowledge of invoices and packing slips could help.

On the other hand, some companies may require additional experience with private couriers' shipping software. It will be best if you are prepared to stand for long periods, move around often, and lift items repeatedly.

ScoreTransportation ClerkUS Average

Salary

2.2

Avg. Salary $27,742

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

8.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.86%

Asian 6.16%

Black or African American 9.04%

Hispanic or Latino 22.41%

Unknown 5.40%

White 56.13%

Gender

female 75.84%

male 24.16%

Age - 45

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 - 45

Stress Level

8.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

4.8

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

7.3

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a transportation clerk

Explore transportation clerk education requirements

Most common transportation clerk degrees

High School Diploma

31.7 %

Bachelor's

27.7 %

Associate

26.3 %

Start to develop specific transportation clerk skills

Skills	Percentages
Data Entry	24.52%
Patients	9.92%
Phone Calls	5.68%
Driver Logs	5.03%
CDL	4.97%

Complete relevant transportation clerk training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New transportation clerks 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 transportation clerk based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real transportation clerk resumes.

Research transportation clerk duties and responsibilities

Demonstrate strong math skills in managing inmate s accounts and calmly and effectively deescalating outbursts of belligerent inmates.
Apply knowledge of AS400, WMS, and RF systems in maintaining customer orders.
Process BOL's for inbound and outbound loads.
Scan and index BOL's into system for Canadian stores.

Prepare your transportation clerk resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your transportation clerk 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 transportation clerk resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Transportation Clerk Resume templates

Build a professional Transportation Clerk 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 Transportation Clerk resume.

Apply for transportation clerk jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a transportation clerk 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