What is a transportation supervisor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Curt Macysyn

A transportation supervisor oversees the transportation operations of an organization. This includes managing drivers, scheduling routes, and ensuring compliance with safety regulations. These supervisors coordinate the maintenance of vehicles and equipment, tracking inventory and expenses. A transportation supervisor must have strong communication skills to effectively coordinate with other departments and ensure timely deliveries. They may also be involved in hiring and training new drivers.

What general advice would you give to a transportation supervisor?

Curt Macysyn

Executive Director, NSTA

NSTA expects a quick recovery in the student transportation field, but like other sectors, we expect that procedures and protocols will have to adapt to a post-COVID19 environment. What that likely means is that more emphasis will be placed on the cleaning and sanitizing of vehicles as we move forward. Also, the industry has a heavy reliance on employee and driver training in order to maintain its stellar safety track record. With that, much of the training and professional development have transitioned to online platforms, and if that set-up proves consistently viable

ScoreTransportation SupervisorUS Average

Salary

4.1

Avg. Salary $52,769

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

7.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.95%

Asian 6.57%

Black or African American 12.53%

Hispanic or Latino 18.62%

Unknown 4.82%

White 56.52%

Gender

female 23.29%

male 76.71%

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

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.9

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.7

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a transportation supervisor?

Pros

High level of responsibility
Opportunity for leadership and decision-making
Competitive salary and benefits
Ability to see the results of your work and make improvements
Potential for advancement within a company

Cons

High level of work stress and pressure
Long hours, including nights and weekends
Responsibility for constant communication with drivers and clients
Exposure to liability
Can be physically demanding at times

Key steps to become a transportation supervisor

Explore transportation supervisor education requirements

Most common transportation supervisor degrees

Bachelor's

48.0 %

Associate

22.8 %

High School Diploma

15.9 %

Start to develop specific transportation supervisor skills

Skills	Percentages
DOT	19.84%
Customer Service	13.28%
CDL	9.15%
OSHA	6.61%
Safety Regulations	4.92%

Complete relevant transportation supervisor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New transportation supervisors 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 transportation supervisor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real transportation supervisor resumes.

Gain additional transportation supervisor certifications

Transportation supervisor certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific transportation supervisor certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for transportation supervisors include Commercial Driver License (CDL) and OSHA Safety Certificate .

More About Certifications

Research transportation supervisor duties and responsibilities

Manage relationships with outside FTL and LTL carriers to secure the best transportation rates for warehouse customer's.
Direct employees in identifying and correcting any unsafe conditions, eliminate avoidable accidents and improve department performance manage KPI's.
Create and lead a team of internal and external partners to move land invoices from paper transmission to electronic EDI transmission.
Charge with managing contracts for non-emergency and emergency transportation of Medicaid and Medicare members.

Prepare your transportation supervisor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your transportation supervisor 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 transportation supervisor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable transportation supervisor resume templates

Build a professional transportation supervisor 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 transportation supervisor resume.