Sort cargo before loading and unloading.

“Sort cargo before loading and unloading.” is a core task performed by Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand. Among the occupation's 21 rated tasks, workers place it 19th by importance (#3 most important). About 58% of workers say it is relevant to their job.

This is a single occupation-specific task statement from O*NET. The figures below describe how central the task is to the job and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the task will be automated.

Work activities this task rolls up to

O*NET groups concrete tasks into broader work activities shared across many occupations.

• Sort materials or products. in Processing Information

AI exposure

The OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rates this task E0. No direct exposure — current language models give little or no time savings on this task.

Exposure measures whether a model could meaningfully speed the task up — it is an estimate of overlap with model capabilities, not a measure of whether the work will be done by software. The study's intermediate score (β) for this task is 0.00. Automation potential label: T0.

Other tasks in this occupation

• Install protective devices, such as bracing, padding, or strapping, to prevent shifting or damage to items being transported. · importance 4.5
• Maintain equipment storage areas to ensure that inventory is protected. · importance 4.5
• Attach identifying tags to containers or mark them with identifying information. · importance 4.1
• Read work orders or receive oral instructions to determine work assignments or material or equipment needs. · importance 4.1
• Move freight, stock, or other materials to and from storage or production areas, loading docks, delivery vehicles, ships, or containers, by hand or using trucks, tractors, or other equipment. · importance 4.0
• Record numbers of units handled or moved, using daily production sheets or work tickets. · importance 4.0
• Attach slings, hooks, or other devices to lift cargo and guide loads. · importance 4.0
• Carry needed tools or supplies from storage or trucks and return them after use. · importance 3.6
• Pack containers and re-pack damaged containers. · importance 3.3
• Adjust controls to guide, position, or move equipment, such as cranes, booms, or cameras. · importance 3.1
• Connect electrical equipment to power sources so that it can be tested before use. · importance 2.9
• Carry out general yard duties, such as performing shunting on railway lines.
• Guide loads being lifted to prevent swinging.
• Adjust or replace equipment parts, such as rollers, belts, plugs, or caps, using hand tools.

See all tasks on the Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand page.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-task-10782,
  title  = {Sort cargo before loading and unloading.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/tasks/task-10782}
}