What Do Transportation Supervisor Do?

Occupation Description Directly supervise and coordinate activities of transportation and material-moving machine and vehicle operators and helpers.

Life As a Transportation Supervisor: What Do They Do?

• Interpret transportation or tariff regulations, shipping orders, safety regulations, or company policies and procedures for workers.
• Assist workers in tasks such as coupling railroad cars or loading vehicles.
• Plan and establish transportation routes.
• Confer with customers, supervisors, contractors, or other personnel to exchange information or to resolve problems.
• Recommend or implement personnel actions, such as employee selection, evaluation, rewards, or disciplinary actions.
• Monitor field work to ensure proper performance and use of materials.

What a Transportation Supervisor Should Know

Transportation Supervisors state the following job skills are important in their day-to-day work.

Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Time Management: Managing one’s own time and the time of others.

Management of Personnel Resources: Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Other Transportation Supervisor Job Titles

• Supervisor
• Oil Dispatcher
• Track Supervisor
• Dock Operations Supervisor
• Sanitary Landfill Supervisor

Transportation Supervisor Employment Estimates

In 2016, there was an estimated number of 204,200 jobs in the United States for Transportation Supervisor. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 6.6% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 13,500 new jobs for Transportation Supervisor by 2026. There will be an estimated 22,600 positions for Transportation Supervisor per year.

The states with the most job growth for Transportation Supervisor are Utah, Nevada, and North Dakota. Watch out if you plan on working in Maine, Delaware, or Alaska. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

What Tools do Transportation Supervisors Use?

Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Transportation Supervisors may use on a daily basis:

• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Office
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Outlook
• Web browser software
• Microsoft Access
• SAP
• Scheduling software
• Enterprise resource planning ERP software
• Mapping software
• General ledger software
• Bill of lading software
• JDA Manugistics

How do I Become a Transportation Supervisor?

Education needed to be a Transportation Supervisor:

How many years of work experience do I need?

You May Also Be Interested In…

Those interested in being a Transportation Supervisor may also be interested in:

• Coaches and Scouts
• First-Line Supervisors of Animal Husbandry and Animal Care Workers

Those who work as a Transportation Supervisor sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:

• Traffic Technicians
• First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers

References:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics
• College Factual
• O*NET Online

Image Credit: Hic85 via Public Domain

More about our data sources and methodologies.