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Army MOS · Logistics

88H Cargo Specialist

Current service use not established

This code is listed in the directory. Inclusion alone does not confirm current service use.

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Overview

A cargo specialist transfers passengers and cargo to and from air, land, and water transport. The specialist uses manual and mechanical methods and may supervise these transfer operations.

Minimum ASVAB: GM 88

ASVAB policy: Not policy-reviewed · coverage unknown · as of 2026-10-19

Program scope has not been reviewed.

Policy applicability and coverage of the program's score routes have not been reviewed. Shown-route arithmetic is not an eligibility decision.

Source: smartbook-611-21-ch10c-fy2025 (source date 2025-12). Policy applicability has not been established.

See if you would hit this score: free ASVAB practice test

Core Skills

  • Air, land, and water passenger transfers
  • Supervision of manual and mechanical cargo transfers

Civilian Career Paths

Career associations are editorial assessments of the cited evidence, not an official crosswalk unless the evidence explicitly says so. O*NET supplies civilian occupation information, not proof of a military match. Related experience does not confer civilian qualifications. Tasks and tools below describe civilian work, not military training.

Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks

Transferring cargo to and from transport provides a practical foundation for civilian shipping and receiving work.

How to prepare: Practice comparing a sample shipment with its manifest and recording discrepancies in Microsoft Excel.

What the civilian work involves
  • Examine shipment contents and compare with records, such as manifests, invoices, or orders, to verify accuracy.
  • Prepare documents, such as work orders, bills of lading, or shipping orders, to route materials.
  • Record shipment data, such as weight, charges, space availability, damages, or discrepancies, for reporting, accounting, or recordkeeping purposes.
Civilian tools and software (examples)
  • Microsoft Excel
  • SAP software

First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators

For specialists who supervised cargo transfers, directing manual and mechanical transfer operations aligns with supervising material-moving crews.

How to prepare: Build a sample shift plan assigning workers and equipment to cargo-transfer tasks.

What the civilian work involves
  • Enforce safety rules and regulations.
  • Interpret transportation or tariff regulations, shipping orders, safety regulations, or company policies and procedures for workers.
  • Plan work assignments and equipment allocations to meet transportation, operations or production goals.
Civilian tools and software (examples)
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Warehouse management system WMS

Notes & Sources

Evidence for this guidance (3 documents)
  1. Army COOL MOC feed: 88H Cargo Specialist

    [1] data/authority/army-codes.json entry 88H (OSD COOL feed, fetched 2026-07-25); DB rank enlisted, authority codeType enlisted

    Supports: Air, land, and water passenger transfers, Supervision of manual and mechanical cargo transfers, Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks (O*NET 43-5071.00), First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators (O*NET 53-1043.00)

  2. O*NET: Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks

    [2] O*NET 30.3 occupational data

    Supports: Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks (O*NET 43-5071.00)

  3. O*NET: First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators

    [3] O*NET 30.3 occupational data

    Supports: First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators (O*NET 53-1043.00)

Defense contractor jobs for 88H

Predecessor codes

Historical codes with documented links to 88H. Each history page explains the change.

57HCargo Specialist

Descriptions may be summarized for clarity. Verify all information with your branch career counselor or official military documentation before making career decisions.

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