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Transportation managers are accountable for directing and overseeing transportation-related operations within an organization. They manage staff that performs transportation tasks such as dispatching, routing, and tracking. They ensure that they adhere to policies, procedures, and safety rules. Besides that, the manager directs the evaluation of customer or shipper complaints to aid their resolution. Additionally, they work with staff members to develop and implement strategies, revenue goals, and customer service objectives. Furthermore, they organize repairs and routine maintenance of vehicles. Also, they perform regular safety audits and arrange training sessions for employees.


To become a transportation manager, you need a bachelor's degree in logistics, business management, supply chain management, or a related field. You must have at least two years of experience in a similar industry. Essential skills include organization, problem-solving, leadership, conflict resolution, and critical thinking skills. You must be conversant with logistics software. Annually, transportation managers take home an average of $69,089. This falls between $45,000 and $106,000.

What Does a Transportation Manager Do

There are certain skills that many transportation managers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed customer service skills, organizational skills and communication skills.

Learn more about what a Transportation Manager does

How To Become a Transportation Manager

If you're interested in becoming a transportation manager, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 57.0% of transportation managers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 8.0% of transportation managers have master's degrees. Even though most transportation managers have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Transportation Manager

Transportation Manager Job Description

A transportation manager is responsible for the oversight of day-to-day transportation activities. Their duties include tracking vehicles and ensuring they are maintained and fixed as necessary, troubleshooting customers' shipment issues, and managing a team of transportation staff members.

Learn more about Transportation Manager Job Description

Career Path For a Transportation Manager

As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a transportation manager can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as logistics manager, progress to a title such as senior logistics manager and then eventually end up with the title senior logistics manager.

Transportation Manager

Average Salary for a Transportation Manager

Transportation Managers in America make an average salary of $77,378 per year or $37 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $111,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $53,000 per year.
Average Transportation Manager Salary
$77,378 Yearly
$37.20 hourly

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Roles and Types of Transportation Manager

The role of a transportation manager includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general transportation manager responsibilities:

  • Manages the daily work and safety of delivery supervisors, routing personnel
  • Manage the north american rail fleet including the contracting for rail transportation, rail car storage,
  • Accountabilities - 25% manage carrier relationships

There are several types of transportation manager, including:

Manager

Role:

Responsible for overseeing the entire operation, the manager has a lot of responsibility on his/her or her shoulders. When we say the entire operation, we mean planning, directing, and leading the organization.


Managers should expect to work a little more than a normal 40-hour week. Since they're in charge, they're expected to be available. That's why managers end up typically working 50 hours a week, sometimes you may get away with only working 45 hours, though.


The education requirements for managers vary depending on who you work for. You might be required to have a bachelor's degree, but you might also get away with an associate degree. Now, there are some management positions that require a master's degree but, again, it really all depends on where you take your management career.

  • Average Salary: $58,651
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Warehouse Manager

Role:

This one is pretty self-explanatory. A Warehouse Manager oversees operations in a warehouse. He/She or she is responsible for organizing the reception, storage, and dispatch of goods stored in the warehouse. The warehouse manager is the one who keeps contact with transporters, suppliers, and customers, and they are the ones who make sure space is used efficiently, and the equipment is handled correctly.


They create schedules and assign tasks for the warehouse staff, and monitor the stock and inventories. They maintain records of the traffic of goods, and they train, motivate, and supervise the tram. Keeping appropriate working conditions and seeing to all necessary safety measures are also their responsibilities.


Managing a warehouse well is a complex task that requires great administrative and organizational skills and unwavering attention to detail. Warehouse managers usually work with warehouse management software, so IT skills are a must. But they have to deal with a team of people as well, so communication and leadership skills are also non-negotiable. However, the number-one priority should be the safety of the staff because a warehouse is no playground, and people can get seriously hurt. You get the idea: a warehouse manager who cracks under pressure will not hold the position for long.

  • Average Salary: $62,189
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Logistics Manager

Role:

As a Logistics Manager, you will earn around $71,155 per year on average. With a job growth rate of 6%, you also have the chance to explore other options or careers related to being a Logistics Manager. You can be an Operations Manager, a Vice President, or a Supply Chain Vice President.


If you become a Logistics Manager, you will coordinate, purchase, and distribute products in a supply chain. You are a supply specialist who will be supervising employees and resolving issues and complaints made by customers and employees. You will also collaborate and negotiate with suppliers, consumers, manufacturers, and retailers.


Your job is not an easy one, so there is a set of skills you need to have. Of course, you need to have good communication skills for effective and efficient communication, leadership skills so that you can lead other people to success, and management skills since you are managing people and products at the same time.

  • Average Salary: $74,702
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most Transportation Manager Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active transportation manager jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where transportation managers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Transportation Manager Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California1,908$80,293
2Texas1,202$72,730
3Florida1,013$66,634
4New York934$89,541
5Illinois884$76,830
6Pennsylvania740$87,419
7Georgia713$76,802
8Ohio672$77,675
9Michigan579$73,480
10New Jersey560$94,174
11Virginia556$98,942
12North Carolina533$94,670
13Maryland508$81,859
14Washington456$69,890
15Massachusetts428$84,367
16Indiana419$79,553
17Missouri369$71,070
18Colorado360$64,563
19Minnesota346$77,814
20Tennessee338$68,139
21Wisconsin292$78,718
22Kentucky213$73,652
23South Carolina213$74,477
24Oregon197$72,959
25Iowa194$70,377
26Arkansas167$77,274
27Utah157$60,406
28Louisiana146$71,115
29Kansas140$81,533
30Mississippi136$77,502
31Nevada123$77,621
32Oklahoma97$68,790
33Nebraska91$70,639
34Montana88$60,981
35West Virginia82$78,574
36New Hampshire81$81,004
37Idaho80$70,736
38Maine60$78,050
39Delaware59$87,851
40New Mexico53$77,371
41North Dakota53$58,859
42Rhode Island45$85,216
43Hawaii36$52,228
44South Dakota30$65,149
45Wyoming23$62,055
46Vermont19$78,033
47Connecticut0$86,756
48Alabama0$76,897
49Arizona0$67,016
50Alaska0$48,508

Transportation Manager Education

Transportation Manager Majors

46.0 %

Transportation Manager Degrees

Bachelors

57.0 %

Associate

18.6 %

High School Diploma

10.6 %

Top Colleges for Transportation Managers

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Maine Maritime Academy

Castine, ME • Private

In-State Tuition

$13,478

Enrollment

979

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

7. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

8. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

10. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

Top Skills For a Transportation Manager

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 15.4% of transportation managers listed customer service on their resume, but soft skills such as customer service skills and organizational skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Transportation Manager Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Transportation Manager templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Transportation Manager resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Transportation Manager diversity

Transportation Manager Gender Distribution

Male
Male
80%
Female
Female
20%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among transportation managers, 19.7% of them are women, while 80.3% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among transportation managers is White, which makes up 59.5% of all transportation managers.

  • The most common foreign language among transportation managers is Spanish at 41.1%.

Online Courses For Transportation Manager That You May Like

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Learn about hazard identification and assessment, PRPs, Critical Control Points, and the requirements in ISO 22000:2018...

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Best States For a Transportation Manager

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a transportation manager. The best states for people in this position are Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey, and New York. Transportation managers make the most in Virginia with an average salary of $98,942. Whereas in North Carolina and New Jersey, they would average $94,670 and $94,174, respectively. While transportation managers would only make an average of $89,541 in New York, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. New Jersey

Total Transportation Manager Jobs: 560
Highest 10% Earn:
$143,000
Location Quotient:
1.23

2. Virginia

Total Transportation Manager Jobs: 556
Highest 10% Earn:
$153,000
Location Quotient:
1.03

3. Pennsylvania

Total Transportation Manager Jobs: 740
Highest 10% Earn:
$134,000
Location Quotient:
1.11
Full List Of Best States For Transportation Managers

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Top Transportation Manager Employers

Most Common Employers For Transportation Manager

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Walmart$106,857$51.3747
2Werner Enterprises$92,538$44.4929
3The Home Depot$88,182$42.4024
4PepsiCo$84,685$40.7125
5Pavestone$84,398$40.5822
6McLane$82,863$39.8439
7Stericycle$80,576$38.7424
8US Foods$79,486$38.2135
9UPS$74,269$35.7131
10J.B. Hunt Transport Services$73,673$35.4224

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