Airline dispatcher vs transportation manager

The differences between airline dispatchers and transportation managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a transportation manager has an average salary of $77,378, which is higher than the $45,071 average annual salary of an airline dispatcher.

The top three skills for an airline dispatcher include FAA, and . The most important skills for a transportation manager are customer service, DOT, and supply chain.

Airline dispatcher vs transportation manager overview

	Airline Dispatcher	Transportation Manager
Yearly salary	$45,071	$77,378
Hourly rate	$21.67	$37.20
Growth rate	1%	28%
Number of jobs	4,408	25,248
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	38	45
Years of experience	-	4

Airline dispatcher vs transportation manager salary

Airline dispatchers and transportation managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Airline Dispatcher	Transportation Manager
Average salary	$45,071	$77,378
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $78,000	Between $53,000 And $111,000
Highest paying City	-	Newark, NJ
Highest paying state	-	Virginia
Best paying company	-	Accenture
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between airline dispatcher and transportation manager education

There are a few differences between an airline dispatcher and a transportation manager in terms of educational background:

	Airline Dispatcher	Transportation Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Aviation	Business
Most common college	SUNY Farmingdale	Stanford University

Airline dispatcher vs transportation manager demographics

Here are the differences between airline dispatchers' and transportation managers' demographics:

	Airline Dispatcher	Transportation Manager
Average age	38	45
Gender ratio	Male, 77.8% Female, 22.2%	Male, 80.3% Female, 19.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.9% Unknown, 7.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 4.9% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 6.1% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	7%	5%

Differences between airline dispatcher and transportation manager duties and responsibilities

Airline dispatcher example responsibilities.

Manage dot hrs for drivers as far as what tasks can be done in a certain amount of time.
Dispatch aircraft in accordance with FAA regulations and company define policies.
General terminal maintenance including minor electrical, mechanical, and plumbing repairs.
General terminal maintenance including minor electrical, mechanical, and plumbing repairs.

Transportation manager example responsibilities.

Manage OTR driver core to ensure internal and external customer demands achieve.
Manage eSECURE program acting as TSA on military installation.
Manage RFQ project for the selection of a third party warehouse.
Manage employees to complete daily inventory of products so proper FIFO procedures are apply.
Manage employee's attendance and timekeeping by use of kronos systems on a daily basis.
Manage all aspects of a staff of over 100 CDL drivers , 5 supervisors and 2 administrative assistant.

Airline dispatcher vs transportation manager skills

Common airline dispatcher skills

FAA, 100%

Common transportation manager skills

Customer Service, 15%
DOT, 12%
Supply Chain, 9%
OSHA, 4%
Customer Satisfaction, 4%
On-Time Delivery, 4%

Airline Dispatcher vs. similar jobs

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Airline Dispatcher vs Transportation Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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