Be ready to work odd hours

PHOTO | FILE Moses Wahome who works at the cargo ground handling section at Signon Group.

What you need to know:

  • Mr Wahome, who is an economist by training, says he moved to the cargo handling job out of interest for the processes involved.
  • If you are interested in this career, you must take cargo handling courses offered by IATA.

Moses Wahome heads the cargo ground handling section at Signon Group, which describes itself as “a cargo logistics services company”. Mr Wahome’s team, therefore, handles a core function.

He explains: “When a plane lands and before the consignee or importer gets his goods, they are lodged with us for some time before they can clear with customs. So we act on behalf of the airlines to hold the cargo until it is cleared through customs before it is handed over to the importer. We operate a transit shed.”

Mr Wahome, who is an economist by training, says he moved to the cargo handling job out of interest for the processes involved. His job is about managing processes, which rely mostly on one’s organisational and management abilities.

“When an importer receives the cargo without any delays and it is all in good order and has not been compromised, I go home a happy man,” he declares.

For this reason, he explains, anybody in this line of work must be very careful and keen to ensure that the cargo is handled with utmost care so that it is not tampered with or damaged.

Yet he admits that sometimes things can go wrong, and this requires quickness in solving problems. “Sometimes cargo does get mixed up, misplaced, or lost en route. You have to figure things out very fast,” Mr Wahome says.

Such situations also call for calmness. You must be able to remain clear-headed to solve such problems.

Improvements in technology have made Mr Wahome’s work easier, though. It is now much easier than before, he says, for example to get information about a flight and the cargo it is carrying. This has made the handling processes more efficient.

“Usually, the consignee wants information about their cargo frequently. They will be consistently asking questions like where the cargo has reached, when it is coming in, and the like. Now it is very easy to update them with such information,” Mr Wahome says.

But as much as IT has improved his delivery, the volatility and dynamism of the industry remain. Therefore, a cargo handler has to consistently be in step with developments in the industry because the nature of the job itself — handling cargo from different corners of the world and thus serving equally diverse clients — makes it a global service. Best practices must be upheld at all times.

Besides, his operations require him to comply with requirements and regulations by many regulatory bodies such as customs and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) rules. This means that Mr Wahome has to be conversant with the rules that govern the industry of baggage handling.

The biggest challenge today is that of security. “Unlike before, today we have to take the cargo through a lot of checks,” he explains. This calls for accuracy, efficiency, and speed, which are important in order to minimise the turnaround time (the time during which the aircraft must remain parked at the gate).

And because aircraft operate day and night, a cargo handler will often be on duty at odd hours.

If you are interested in this career, you must take cargo handling courses offered by IATA. The course teaches operational regulations, safety, special cargo, strategic management, packaging, routing, and financing. 

Mr Wahome says that because the airline industry is expanding, there are more opportunities in cargo handling jobs, not just in Kenya but also in other parts of the world.