How To Become A Terminal Operations Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a terminal operations manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Eric Olsen

Terminal operations managers oversee the logistics of a terminal or a node of distribution for goods. They can work at a busy shipping port, distribution center, or anywhere else with lots of cargo moving through. A terminal operations manager takes care of the logistics involved with distribution operations, for example, tracking shipments, making sure that deliveries are made on time and logging shipment information. They also oversee a whole team of field workers, make sure that they are following safety and government regulations, and manage their payroll. Terminal operations managers need to have excellent administrative and organizational skills as well as a knack for leadership.

Many terminal operations managers have bachelor's degrees in business or management. Some even go on to earn a master's degree.

However, it is possible to work as a terminal operations manager with only a high school diploma and many years of practical experience in logistics and operations. On average, terminal operations managers earn $70,537 a year.

What general advice would you give to a terminal operations manager?

Eric Olsen

Professor, Industrial Technology and Packaging, Orfalea College of Business

Times of change are also times of great opportunities. We are going to need new technical solutions to address problems we are just learning about. You have to lean into the issues. Don't be a technologist - be a problem solver. That is why we also emphasize soft skills like lean six sigma, teamwork, and change management.

ScoreTerminal Operations ManagerUS Average

Salary

3.4

Avg. Salary $43,157

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.6

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.47%

Asian 6.31%

Black or African American 6.12%

Hispanic or Latino 15.00%

Unknown 4.33%

White 67.77%

Gender

female 10.30%

male 89.70%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

9.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.2

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.6

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a terminal operations manager

Explore terminal operations manager education requirements

Most common terminal operations manager degrees

Bachelor's

66.2 %

Associate

17.7 %

Master's

6.9 %

Start to develop specific terminal operations manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Logistics	16.60%
Hazardous Materials	8.70%
FRA	7.58%
Direct Supervision	7.22%
Terminal Operations	7.15%

Complete relevant terminal operations manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New terminal operations managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a terminal operations manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real terminal operations manager resumes.

Research terminal operations manager duties and responsibilities

Manage every facet of day to day operations in this $500K/month Canadian LTL transportation service center.
Manage team of database administrators, database technicians and systems administrators responsible for maintaining all production, development and QA systems.
Educate and mentor associates as work hand in hand with talent acquisition, discipline, termination, payroll and scheduling.
Resolve significant issues relate to residential deliveries, LTL or TL pick-ups and deliveries on evenings, weekends and holidays.

Prepare your terminal operations manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your terminal operations manager resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a terminal operations manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable terminal operations manager resume templates

Build a professional terminal operations manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your terminal operations manager resume.

Apply for terminal operations manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a terminal operations manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do terminal operations managers rate their job?

-/5

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1 star

Terminal operations manager reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019

Pros

I love being able to mold my team and the distribution center to the culture of respect and accountability! Having senior and executive leadership support is a huge positive factor in making this happen!!

Cons

Long hours and calls outside of regular business hours are the norm!

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2019