Shipper-receiver: pay in Quebec and Greater Montreal
A shipper-receiver runs the dock of a warehouse, distribution centre or plant: building shipments, preparing the transport paperwork, handing the goods to the carrier and checking what comes in. Around Montreal the work sits in Montreal, Laval, the Montérégie and the Laurentides. This page covers the duties, the shifts, the training required and wages by region.
- Quebec median
- $22/h
- Range
- $17.31 – $30/h
- Montreal
- $20.50/h
Guichet-Emplois (Job Bank), edition 2025 · CNP 14400
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Shipper-receiver pay, region by region
| Region | Low | Median | High | vs Quebec | Offered in postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All of Quebec | $17.31 | $22 | $30 | — | — |
| Montérégie | $16.10 | $21.50 | $30.10 | −2% | $22 (82) |
| Montréal | $17.82 | $20.50 | $28 | −7% | $22 (65) |
| Laval | $17 | $21.63 | $29.27 | −2% | $20.50 (27) |
| Lanaudière | No data of its own: Job Bank shows the Quebec figures | $21.33 (26) | |||
| Laurentides | No data of its own: Job Bank shows the Quebec figures | $21 (36) | |||
The table reads NOC 14400, “Shippers and receivers”. It puts under the same figures the shipper-receiver, the shipper, the receiver, the shipping agent, the import goods clerk and the supply chain assistant. It excludes storekeepers and parts clerks (NOC 14401), material handlers (NOC 75101), purchasing and inventory control clerks (NOC 14403).
Low, median and high wages published by Job Bank (NOC 14400), and pay offered in Greater Montreal job postings (6 months, February to August 2026); in brackets, the number of hourly postings — under ten, no median is shown.
Quebec median by file edition: 2023: $19.41/h · 2024: $20.50/h · 2025: $22/h.
What the job postings say
Of 252 postings on Job Bank in Greater Montreal (6 months, February to August 2026), 2% mention a night shift, 3% an evening shift and 3% weekends.
The dock follows the carriers' clock, not the building's. Courier and LTL carriers pick up late in the afternoon, so the shipper-receiver usually finishes after production does: a trailer does not leave until the paperwork is done. Receiving starts early instead, when drivers arrive with their night behind them. In a plant running several shifts, someone covers evenings so the day's output ships the next morning, and weekends cover rush shipments and off-hours appointments. Here the last truck of the day sets the shift, and that is worth settling before the interview.
What a shipper-receiver does
- Build shipments: gather the orders, pack, label, weigh and wrap the pallets
- Choose the shipping mode and book the move with a carrier, a broker or a courier
- Draw up the transport paperwork and make sure every lot shows the consignee's name and its destination, as Quebec's bill of lading regulation requires
- Enter the declared weight on the bill of lading, sign it for the shipper and keep the copy the carrier hands back
- Book truck appointments and share the dock doors between receiving and shipping
- Supervise loading and unloading, count the packages at the door and check that the load is blocked
- Check received goods against the purchase order and the bill of lading, and note shortages and damage at the moment of delivery
- Open a claim with the carrier when a pallet is missing or arrives damaged, within the deadline set out on the bill of lading
- Prepare the paperwork for dangerous goods shipped and verify the safety marks on the packages
- Record inbound and outbound moves in the site's system and file the signed bills of lading
Requirements, cards and certifications
- Secondary school completion — the usual entry requirement the National Occupational Classification lists for NOC 14400
- A dangerous goods training certificate once you offer regulated products for transport: Part 6 of the federal Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations has the employer issue it, valid 36 months by road and 24 months by air
- WHMIS training (SIMDUT in French) where the site handles hazardous products, under the Quebec regulation the CNESST enforces
- Reading and writing transport documents: bill of lading, packing slip, packing list, courier waybill
- Comfort with the warehouse management system, the carrier portals and the pallet scale
- Forklift training meeting section 256.3 of the Règlement sur la santé et la sécurité du travail, Quebec's health and safety regulation, once the role includes loading trailers
- Functional written French or English, depending on where your shipments go
- A steady phone manner: a late truck is settled by calling, while the dock door stays tied up
Training
No vocational diploma is required to start. The National Occupational Classification lists secondary school completion as the usual entry requirement for NOC 14400, and adds that forklift certification and a driver's licence may be asked for. The training that actually counts on a dock comes from the employer: WHMIS, and above all the dangerous goods training certificate that Part 6 of the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations has both employer and employee sign, valid 36 months for road transport. That certificate names the establishment, so it does not follow you to the next employer. To move toward coordination, Inforoute FPT lists the DEC Gestion des opérations et de la chaîne logistique (410.A1), a 2,445-hour college diploma in operations and supply chain management offered at Cégep André-Laurendeau in LaSalle and Collège Lionel-Groulx in Sainte-Thérèse.
Career path
Experienced shipper-receivers become dock leads, then shipping supervisors. Those drawn to the transport side move into dispatch, brokerage or logistics coordination, where they negotiate rates and transit times instead of absorbing them. Customs work is another route: it runs through customs brokerage, a trade distinct from the dock.
Frequently asked questions
What does a shipper-receiver do?
A shipper-receiver builds shipments, prepares the transport paperwork, supervises trailer loading and checks incoming goods. They book the truck, set the dock appointment, weigh and label the pallets, then record the move in the system. When a package is short on arrival, they are the one who opens the claim with the carrier.
What is the difference between a shipper-receiver and a receptionist?
A shipper-receiver takes in goods on a dock; a receptionist takes in visitors and calls at a front desk. The two titles look alike and search engines mix them up, but they are separate occupations. The National Occupational Classification files the receiver in NOC 14400, alongside shippers. This page is about the dock, not the front desk.
How much does a shipper-receiver make in Quebec?
The table above gives it region by region: the Quebec median, then Montreal, Laval, the Montérégie and the Laurentides, drawn from Job Bank. It reads NOC 14400, which puts shipping and receiving under the same figures. An evening role on a courier dock and a day role in a plant do not sit at the same point on that scale.
Shipper-receiver or warehouse clerk: which is which?
The shipper-receiver answers for the dock and the carriers: bills of lading, truck appointments, loading, claims. The warehouse clerk answers for the stock and the system: receipts in the system, locations, cycle counts. The National Occupational Classification still pools both in NOC 14400. What really differs is which side of the building the person spends the day on.
What is a bill of lading and who signs it?
A bill of lading is the written contract for a road shipment carried for payment. In Quebec, the Règlement sur les exigences applicables aux connaissements has the carrier issue it, requires a unique numeric code on it, and requires signatures from both the carrier and the shipper — in practice, the clerk on the dock. Each side keeps a signed copy.
Do you need training to ship dangerous goods in Canada?
Yes. The Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations require anyone who handles, offers for transport or transports these products to have the training set out in Part 6, or to work under the direct supervision of someone who does. The employer issues the certificate, the employee signs it, and it runs 36 months for road transport. It names the site, so it does not travel with the person.
What training do you need to become a shipper-receiver?
Secondary school completion, the usual entry requirement the National Occupational Classification lists for NOC 14400. No vocational diploma is needed to start. The rest is learned on the dock: transport documents, the carrier portal, the claims procedure. WHMIS and the dangerous goods certificate always come from the employer, never from a previous one.
Can you become a shipper-receiver with no experience?
Yes, usually by starting as a material handler or order picker and moving to the dock when a spot opens. What gets checked at hiring is not seniority but accuracy: the bill of lading conditions make the shipper answerable for declared weights, and the clerk is the one entering them. A methodical candidate picks the rest up quickly.
Do shipper-receivers work evening shifts?
Often. Courier and LTL carriers pick up late in the afternoon, and the trailer does not leave until the paperwork is finished. In a plant running several shifts, someone covers evenings so the day's output ships the next morning. Receiving, by contrast, starts early. Shift availability is worth settling before the interview.
What do you do when a pallet is missing or damaged on arrival?
Note it on the bill of lading at delivery, in front of the driver, before you sign. The minimum conditions attached to Quebec's bill of lading regulation give 60 days after delivery to serve written notice of claim on the carrier, and 9 months from the shipping date to file the final claim together with proof that the freight charges were paid.
What is “commis à l'expédition et à la réception” in English?
Shipper-receiver, or shipping and receiving clerk in more formal postings. Job Bank renders NOC 14400 as “shippers and receivers”. On bilingual Montreal docks you will also hear dock clerk and shipping clerk, and the connaissement is simply the bill of lading — the Quebec regulated form is printed in both languages.
Is a shipper-receiver the same as a dispatcher?
No. The shipper-receiver works the dock of one site: packing, paperwork, loading, checking receipts. A dispatcher works the fleet side, assigning drivers and routes, and the National Occupational Classification places dispatchers in a separate occupation, NOC 14404, with their own wage table. Small operations do hand both jobs to one person.
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