Gate Clerk Job Description (Warehouse Gatehouse)
A warehouse gate clerk job description you can paste into a posting today, five interview questions, and a first-week training checklist for the person you hire. Free, no email.
The gate clerk is the first person every truck meets and the person who writes the record everyone else relies on: which trailer came in, when, with which seal, and where it was sent. A vague posting gets you a security guard or a receptionist. The text below describes the job as it is actually done at a warehouse or distribution center gatehouse. Edit the parts in [brackets].
01Job description (copy and paste)
Gate Clerk (Gatehouse Clerk)
About the role
The Gate Clerk checks every truck in and out of our [site name] yard. You record each trailer and driver, confirm the load against the appointment or paperwork, tell the driver where to go, and keep the gate log accurate so the dock, the yard team and the office can see what is on site.
What you will do
- Check in arriving trucks: record trailer number, tractor or truck number, carrier, driver name, seal number and arrival time.
- Confirm each arrival against the appointment schedule, bill of lading or pickup number, and send the driver to the assigned door or parking spot.
- Check out departing trucks: confirm the trailer, record the seal number and departure time, and make sure the paperwork leaving matches the trailer leaving.
- Check that seal numbers match the paperwork and report any mismatch, broken seal or visible damage to the shift lead before the truck moves.
- Keep the gate log complete and readable for every shift, and hand over open items at shift change.
- Call or radio the yard driver and dock lead when a trailer needs to be moved or a door is ready.
- Answer driver questions politely, give site rules and directions, and keep the gate area clear.
- Prepare the daily gate report: trucks in, trucks out, trailers still on site, late or missed appointments.
What we are looking for
- High school diploma or equivalent.
- Accurate with numbers: trailer, seal and reference numbers are long and one wrong digit loses a trailer.
- Comfortable using a phone or tablet app and basic computer tools.
- Clear, calm communication with drivers, often by radio or phone.
- Able to work outdoors or in a gatehouse in all weather, and to stand and walk for a full shift.
- [Bilingual English/Spanish preferred.] [Valid driver's license if the role covers yard moves.]
Schedule and pay
[Full time / part time]. [Shift: days, nights, weekends]. [Pay: $XX to $XX per hour]. Reports to the [Shipping and Receiving Supervisor / Yard Supervisor].
02Five interview questions
- A driver arrives with no appointment and says he is late for a pickup. What do you do first?
- The seal number on the trailer does not match the bill of lading. Walk me through what you do.
- Two trucks arrive at the same time and the line is backing onto the street. How do you handle it?
- Tell me about a time you found a mistake in a record someone else wrote. What did you do?
- Read back this trailer number to me: [say a 10 or 11 character container or trailer number]. (Listen for accuracy and how they check it.)
03First-week training checklist
Tick each line when the new hire has done it with the trainer watching, not just heard about it. It prints with the posting above.
| Done | Day | What | Trainer initials |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Site walk with the shift lead: gate, doors, parking rows, staging, where trailers must never be left. Safety rules and radio channels. | ||
| Day 1 | Shadow the current clerk for a full shift. Watch how trailer numbers, seal numbers and times are written. | ||
| Day 2 | Check in trucks with the trainer watching. Every trailer number and seal number is read back before it is saved. | ||
| Day 2 | Learn the appointment list and the paperwork: bill of lading, pickup number, what to do when there is none. | ||
| Day 3 | Check out trucks: seal number, paperwork match, departure time. Practice the mismatch and damage steps. | ||
| Day 3 | Door and spot assignment: how the dock tells you which door is ready, how you tell the yard driver. | ||
| Day 4 | Run the gate alone for part of the shift with the trainer nearby. Review the log together at the end. | ||
| Day 5 | Shift handover: open moves, trailers waiting for a door, anything unusual. Prepare the daily gate report. | ||
| Day 5 | Sign off: trainer and new clerk review a sample of the week's records for missing or wrong entries. |
04Where the duties and pay figure come from
O*NET, the US Labor Department's occupation database, describes the closest occupation group, Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks (43-5071.00), like this:
Verify and maintain records on incoming and outgoing shipments involving inventory.O*NET OnLine, 43-5071.00 Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks (onetonline.org, opened October 10, 2026)
The same page gives a median wage of $21.76 an hour for 2025. O*NET has no separate gate clerk occupation; this is the closest group (it also covers receiving and inventory clerks), so treat the wage as a rough guide. The duties above are written for a warehouse or DC yard and are ours, not O*NET's.
Day one for the new hire
Training goes faster when the record the new hire writes is the same one the dock and the office read. Vantage keeps the gate log and the yard list on one phone: each trailer is logged in and out at the gate with a timestamp, and the live yard map and door board show which trailer is at which door.
Give your new clerk a phone gate log on day one.
Vantage is a yard management app that runs on a phone. The trailer number is read from a photo on the device in the iPhone app (typed in a browser), and every record gets a timestamp, plus a photo whenever the camera is used. No hardware, no installer.
Start on the Free plan: $0 for up to 3 users, 1 yard and 100 gate transactions a month, with 30 days of history. No card, and it never expires.
Start free in your browser → Get Vantage on the App Store → Free plan: up to 3 users, 1 yard, 100 gate transactions a month, no card.FAQ
What does a warehouse gate clerk do?
A gate clerk checks trucks in and out of a warehouse or distribution center yard. They record the trailer number, carrier, driver, seal number and times, confirm the load against the appointment or paperwork, send the driver to a door or parking spot, and keep the gate log that the dock and the office rely on.
What is the difference between a gate clerk and a security guard?
A security guard protects the site. A gate clerk keeps the record of every trailer that enters and leaves and directs trucks to doors and spots. Some sites combine the two jobs; if yours does, add the guard duties to the posting.
How much does a gate clerk make?
O*NET has no separate gate clerk occupation. The closest group, Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks (43-5071.00), had a median wage of $21.76 an hour in 2025. Local pay varies; check postings in your area.
Is this template free?
Yes. No email or signup. Copy the text, edit the parts in brackets, and post it.