Radioactive materials shipping officerSalary, qualifications, career path and hiring demand, 2026 edition
A radioactive materials shipping officer is the person responsible for making a Class 7 consignment ready and compliant before it leaves site. The work is closer to consignor control than general freight planning: confirming the material description, package category, containers, labels and marks, transport index and criticality safety index where applicable, shipping papers, carrier details, radiation and contamination checks, emergency information, security controls and records. The role interfaces with radiation protection, DGSA, package engineering and freight teams but does not design the package or rewrite its approval basis. The officer must adhere to limits set by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and ensure compliance with all regulations during transit to protect the environment and public safety.
TRX models established US radioactive-material shipping officers at roughly $62,000–$78,000 base, with senior specialists at $75,000–$95,000. The broader BLS cargo-and-freight-agent median is $52,260, while logisticians sit at $82,320. GE HealthCare has used a $60,016–$90,024 range for logistics coordination requiring knowledge of DOT and IATA radioactive-material transport. In the UK, established specialist shipping officers model around £34,000–£43,000.
The role is gated by function-specific dangerous-goods competence, not an engineering licence. In the US, hazmat employees preparing or certifying shipments require training under 49 CFR 172 Subpart H. In Great Britain, Class 7 duties sit within CDG/ADR or RID arrangements with ONR as competent authority for civil road and rail transport. DGSA, IATA or IMDG competence may be required according to the organisation and mode.
The role at a glance
everything an employer will ask about in the first fifteen minutes of a screening call.
- Also called
- Class 7 shipping officer · radioactive materials consignor · radioactive materials shipping coordinator · hazmat shipping specialist · nuclear shipping officer · dangerous-goods shipping specialist
- Entry qualification
- Degree is not normally mandatory. Employers value freight/shipping experience, dangerous-goods training, nuclear-site procedures, and general information on radioactivity and evidence of accurate regulated consignments.
- Typical entry pay
- $52,000–$65,000 US TRX model · £29,000–£36,000 UK. Candidates with IATA, ADR/RID or prior Class 7 duties can enter above general shipping-administration bands.
- Senior pay
- $75,000–$95,000 US · £41,000–£52,000 UK, with lead consignor/compliance or team-management roles moving higher.
- Contract day rates
- £220–£320/day experienced shipping support · £320–£425/day senior campaign/compliance support · US approximately $30–$60/hr depending on material, mode and authority.
- Professional gate
- No PE/CEng requirement. The real gate is documented dangerous-goods competence for the functions performed; DGSA certification is a differentiator and may be organisationally required.
- Security
- Standard nuclear-site vetting may apply. High-consequence radioactive material, nuclear material or security-sensitive routes can add stricter vetting, need-to-know controls and protected movement information.
- Where the work sits
- Nuclear stations, waste facilities, fuel-cycle plants, laboratories, isotope suppliers, hospitals, specialist forwarders, decommissioning programmes and transport organisations.
- Travel
- Low to moderate. Most activity is site/office based, but loading points, dispatch areas, carrier depots, ports and audit/inspection activity can generate travel.
- Shift pattern
- Usually business hours; early departures, late carrier collections, isotope cut-offs, campaign loading and incident support can require extended or on-call coverage.
- TRX segments
- Nuclear transport · Operating fleet · Fuel cycle · Radioactive waste management · Decommissioning & dismantling · Nuclear medicine
six versions of the same job title
the role changes with material, package and transport mode, but its boundary is consistent: the officer verifies and releases the consignment against approved Class 7 arrangements rather than designing the package or managing the whole freight network.
Nuclear-site Class 7 consignor
Prepares and releases shipments from a licensed nuclear site. The officer checks package identity and condition, shipping description, labels, marks, TI/CSI, radiation/contamination results, carrier readiness, emergency information and the organisation’s consignor checklist before handover.
Radioactive waste shipping officer
Controls consignments of LLW, ILW or TRU waste to treatment, storage or disposal destinations. Waste acceptance records, package identifiers, activity data, manifest information, carrier interfaces and consignee acceptance are central.
Medical-isotope shipping officer
Handles frequent, time-critical Class 7 packages moving by road and air. Correct package category, IATA documentation, airport cut-offs, labels, customs and rapid exception management are especially important because product half-life leaves little recovery time.
Laboratory / source consignor
Ships sealed sources, samples, instruments or radioactive components from laboratories, universities and industrial users. Lower shipment frequency means procedural discipline matters because staff may not perform the task every day.
Fissile / high-consequence shipment officer
Supports more tightly controlled movements where CSI, security, approved package contents and sensitive movement information matter. Technical package or security specialists retain their own authority, while the shipping officer ensures the consignment release matches their approved controls.
Multimodal international Class 7 officer
Coordinates the compliance handover between road, rail, air or sea rules and checks international shipping documentation, competent-authority approvals, customs/export documents and carrier acceptance.
What the week actually looks like
a composite day for a shipping officer at a nuclear site dispatching routine radioactive waste and preparing a higher-consequence Class 7 consignment.
What radioactive materials shipping officers are paid in 2026
There is no national wage series for “radioactive materials shipping officer.” The ladders below are TRX market models anchored to BLS cargo/freight agents and logisticians, plus live radioactive-material logistics and UK shipping roles. The role usually pays above generic shipping administration when it includes Class 7 sign-off, multimodal duties, nuclear-site responsibility or security-sensitive material.
How radioactive materials shipping compares to adjacent roles
The specialist line is a TRX model because radioactive shipping officers are not separately coded. General freight data anchor the lower end; logistician and radioactive-material roles provide a check for positions with more compliance and ownership.
| Occupation | Median | P10 | P90 | What moves the number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radioactive materials shipping officer | $75,000 | $52,000 | $108,000 | Class 7 sign-off, DGSA/IATA depth, fissile shipments, site authority and multimodal responsibility |
| Cargo and freight agents | $52,260 | — | — | Official BLS 2025 broader freight anchor |
| Logisticians | $82,320 | $50,890 | $133,160 | Official BLS May 2025 professional logistics anchor |
| GE HealthCare logistics coordinator | $60,016–$90,024 range | — | — | Radioactive-material DOT/IATA knowledge required in the advertised role |
The specialist line is a TRX model because radioactive shipping officers are not separately coded. General freight data anchor the lower end; logistician and radioactive-material roles provide a check for positions with more compliance and ownership.
Consignor sign-off authority
Personally validating and certifying regulated shipments carries more value than administrative support.
Multimodal Class 7 competence
ADR/RID plus IATA or IMDG experience gives employers flexibility across road, rail, air and sea.
Fissile / high-consequence shipment history
Security, CSI, package approvals and tighter controls increase responsibility and scarcity.
Three ways in
This role is accessible without an engineering degree. The strongest routes combine hands-on shipping administration with formal dangerous-goods competence and enough radiation-protection awareness to understand what must be verified before release.
Shipping / warehouse route
Nuclear-site waste / operations route
Freight / dangerous-goods specialist route
Are you actually ready to compete for a radioactive materials shipping officer role?
A CV should show what you were authorised to release. Name the Class 7 package types, transport modes, documents, marks/labels, TI/CSI checks, radiation/contamination survey interfaces, carrier handovers and systems you used. “Prepared dangerous-goods paperwork” is generic; “certified Class 7 road and air consignments under ADR/IATA with package-category and TI verification” is much stronger.
Free resume scoring on avua. Your score is yours; it is not shared with employers.The biggest CV gap is usually failing to show regulated shipment release authority and the exact Class 7 checks performed.
Illustrative TRX shortlisting pattern only.
The credentials that actually gate the work
The role is gated by function-specific dangerous-goods training, employer competence and shipment mode rather than professional engineering registration.
| Credential | Jurisdiction | Required for | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49 CFR hazmat training | US | Employees preparing or certifying hazmat shipments | Initial + recurrent | PHMSA requires awareness, function-specific, safety and security training; recurrent training is at least every 3 years. |
| ADR / RID Class 7 training | GB / Europe | Road / rail Class 7 consignor duties | Role-specific | GB CDG 2009 implements ADR/RID requirements with ONR transport oversight for Class 7. |
| DGSA qualification | GB / Europe | Adviser function / organisational compliance | Exam-based | Since 2022, consignors are within DGSA requirements unless an exemption applies. |
| IATA Dangerous Goods training | International / air | Preparing radioactive-material air consignments | Function-specific | Required competence depends on duties performed under the air-transport framework. |
| IMDG Code training | International / sea | Radioactive-material sea consignments | Function-specific | Used where shipping officers prepare or verify maritime dangerous-goods movements. |
| Radiation-protection / site training | Nuclear / isotope sites | Package survey interface and controlled-area work | Days–weeks | Does not make the officer the RPA/RPO; it enables safe work and correct release interfaces. |
| Security-awareness / in-depth security training | US / GB where applicable | High-consequence dangerous goods / security plan | Role-specific | Additional training applies where a security plan or protected movement is required. |
| Site vetting / clearance | Programme-specific | Nuclear facility access or sensitive material | Weeks–months | Requirement depends on site, material and information access. |
Training is tied to function. PHMSA explicitly treats people who prepare hazmat shipments as hazmat employees; in Great Britain, ONR inspections assess consignor duties, dangerous-goods safety advice, radiation protection, training and emergency arrangements.
What appears on a 2026 radioactive materials shipping officer shortlist
The shortlist is looking for someone who can release a shipment accurately, prove the checks and stop it when the evidence does not line up.
Named on the specification
- Class 7 shipping-paper preparation — proper shipping name, UN number, radionuclide, activity, physical/chemical form and required regulatory entries.
- Package category / TI / CSI verification — correct use of WHITE-I, YELLOW-II or YELLOW-III labels, transport index and criticality safety index where applicable.
- Marks, labels and carrier handover — package marks, Class 7 labels, vehicle or modal documentation, carrier identity and controlled transfer of custody.
- Radiation / contamination survey interface — understanding what survey evidence must be available before release and when to stop for RP review.
- Dangerous-goods modal compliance — 49 CFR, ADR/RID, IATA DGR or IMDG according to the shipping route.
- Records and release control — checklists, shipment files, training records, package certificates, emergency information, deviations and proof of dispatch.
What decides between two shortlisted candidates
- DGSA or equivalent adviser depth — ability to interpret requirements rather than only follow a checklist.
- Fissile / CSI-bearing shipments — more complex consignment checks and tighter security/technical interfaces.
- Air-freight radioactive-material experience — high documentation accuracy and time pressure under IATA controls.
- Regulatory inspection experience — evidence of preparing for or supporting ONR, PHMSA, FAA/DOT or internal compliance audits.
- Nuclear-site consignor authority — formal responsibility to release shipments from a licensed or high-hazard facility.
- Incident / non-compliance response — managing documentation errors, survey anomalies or carrier issues without allowing an unauthorised departure.
The 2026 demand map
Demand follows organisations that repeatedly act as consignor or consignee of radioactive material. In 2026 that includes nuclear decommissioning, waste disposal, laboratory and isotope supply chains, operating stations and specialist industrial users.
| Programme | Location | Phase in 2026 | Engineering demand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sellafield / NDA radioactive-material consignments | Cumbria, UK | Active operations and decommissioning | High — routine waste, fuel-cycle and equipment consignments require controlled shipping release |
| EDF AGR defuelling / spent-fuel movements | UK fleet → Sellafield | Active defuelling | High — package documentation, site dispatch and carrier handover remain critical |
| Nuclear Transport Solutions / DRS / PNTL | UK / international | Active nuclear transport operations | High — road, rail and sea movements need strong consignor and documentation interfaces |
| WIPP national TRU-waste transportation | US DOE sites → New Mexico | High-volume operations | Very high — 14,868 cumulative shipments received by 5 September 2026 |
| Los Alamos N3B → WIPP | New Mexico, US | Record FY2026 shipment programme | Very high — 82 TRU waste shipments completed by 14 September 2026 |
| Savannah River Site → WIPP | South Carolina → New Mexico | Remote-handled TRU shipments active in 2026 | High — new shipping packages and regulated shipment preparation |
| Medical-isotope supply chains | US / UK / Europe | Continuous production and distribution | Steady / high frequency — time-critical Class 7 road/air consignments |
| Research / industrial radioactive-source users | UK / US / Europe | Ongoing operational use | Steady — ONR’s 2026 inspection programme continues to cover universities, testing companies and specialist carriers/consignors |
Demand follows organisations that repeatedly act as consignor or consignee of radioactive material. In 2026 that includes nuclear decommissioning, waste disposal, laboratory and isotope supply chains, operating stations and specialist industrial users.
consignor work exists well beyond nuclear power stations.
Current ONR inspections cover logistics companies, universities, hospitals, testing businesses and industrial users because Class 7 duties follow the material, not the nuclear-power sector label. That gives shipping officers a broader employer base than spent-fuel specialists, including medical isotopes and radioactive-source users, while nuclear sites usually offer the more complex and better-paid consignments.
experienced release authority.
Many people can prepare a draft dangerous-goods form. Far fewer have been the competent person expected to recognise a wrong package category, missing survey, inconsistent activity entry or carrier issue and prevent dispatch. Employers value officers who can demonstrate that judgement because consignor failures are visible to regulators and difficult to excuse after the vehicle has left site.
Adjacent and onward roles
Radioactive shipping can deepen into Class 7 compliance or broaden into freight operations, nuclear logistics and technical transport.
Questions candidates genuinely ask recruiters
How much does a radioactive materials shipping officer earn in 2026?
TRX models established US radioactive materials shipping officers at about $62,000–$78,000 base and senior specialists at $75,000–$95,000. The BLS cargo-and-freight-agent median is $52,260, while logisticians sit at $82,320. A GE HealthCare logistics coordinator role requiring Department of Transportation (DOT) and International Air Transport Association (IATA) radioactive-material transport knowledge advertised $60,016–$90,024. In the UK, established specialist shipping officers model around £34,000–£43,000 against a general shipping-coordinator average near £30,416.
Do you need a degree to work as a radioactive materials shipping officer?
Usually not. A strong candidate can enter through shipping radioactive materials, stores, freight forwarding, nuclear waste operations or dangerous material administration and add Class 7 competence. Employers care about whether you can prepare and verify a regulated consignment accurately, understand the package, labeling and radiation-protection interfaces, and demonstrate adherence to regulatory requirements required for your shipping functions.
What is the difference between a shipping officer and a nuclear freight coordinator?
The radioactive materials shipping officer owns compliance and release of the individual consignment: material description, package/category, marks and labels, transport index (TI) and criticality safety index (CSI), survey evidence, shipping papers and carrier handover. The freight coordinator owns the wider movement: carrier booking, route, rail/port/air slots, customs, tracking and disruption management. One releases the shipment correctly in accordance with guidelines; the other gets it from origin to destination.
How often does a US radioactive-material shipper need hazmat training?
PHMSA requires hazmat employees to receive the training applicable to their functions, including general awareness, function-specific, safety and security-awareness training. Recurrent training under 49 CFR 172.704 is required at least once every three years. If the job function changes or relevant regulations change, additional function-specific instruction may be required before the normal cycle.
Does every UK shipping officer need to be a DGSA?
No. The department may need Dangerous Goods Safety Adviser (DGSA) arrangements even when the shipping officer is not personally the appointed adviser. UK guidance says businesses transporting hazardous material generally require a DGSA unless an exemption applies, and consignors have been within this requirement since the 2022 rule change. Holding DGSA competence is nevertheless a strong differentiator for senior Class 7 shipping officers.
What is the most valuable skill for a radioactive materials shipping officer?
The ability to stop a shipment for the right reason. Senior employers want evidence that you can recognise when the shipping description, package label, TI/CSI, radiation survey, package approval or carrier arrangement does not reconcile and escalate before release. Technical judgement at the dispatch point is more valuable than fast paperwork with weak verification.
We only recruit in nuclear. That is the whole point.
TRX can assess whether your background fits radioactive-material shipping, nuclear freight coordination, Class 7 compliance, waste consignments or the more technical nuclear materials transport route. If you come from chemicals, pharmaceuticals, medical isotopes, defence or dangerous-goods freight, we can identify which shipping evidence transfers directly into nuclear.