Basic Job Description
Cargo specialists help ensure Army forces receive supplies, weapons, equipment and mail - on a daily basis, all over the world. They are primarily responsible for transferring or supervising the transfer of passengers, cargo and equipment to and from air, land and water transport by manual and mechanical methods.
Duties performed by Soldiers in this MOS include:
- Inspect, count and document cargo utilizing both manual and automated data processing systems
- Load and unload supplies and equipment from ships, docks, beaches, railheads, boxcars, warehouses, motor vehicles and aircraft
- Operate and maintain all types and sizes of winches, cranes and forklifts
- Create load plans for air shipment and ocean liner vessels
- Operate ocean liner vessel equipment
Training Information
Job training for a cargo specialist requires 10 weeks of Basic Combat Training and eight weeks of Advanced Individual Training with on-the-job instructions. Part of this time is spent in the classroom and part in the field.
Some of the skills you'll learn are:
- Operation and care of forklifts, power winches, container handlers and cranes
- Techniques for loading and storing cargo
- Techniques for planning and scheduling cargo shipments
- Safety procedures for handling potentially dangerous cargo
ASVAB Score Required: 88 in aptitude area GM
Security Clearance: None
Strength Requirement: very heavy
Physical Profile Requirement: 211222
Other Requirements
- Color discrimination of red/green
Similar Civilian Occupations
- The skills you learn will help prepare you for a career with trucking firms, air cargo companies and shipping lines. You'll be able to consider a future as an industrial truck operator, a stevedore, a longshoreman, a material handler or a cargo checker.
