Career profile for Transportation Supervisor

What does a Transportation Supervisor do?

Transportation Supervisors directly supervise and coordinate activities of material-moving machine and vehicle operators and helpers.

What kind of tasks does a Transportation Supervisor perform regularly?

Transportation Supervisors are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

Enforce safety rules and regulations.
Plan work assignments and equipment allocations to meet transportation, operations or production goals.
Review orders, production schedules, blueprints, or shipping or receiving notices to determine work sequences and material shipping dates, types, volumes, or destinations.
Inspect or test materials, stock, vehicles, equipment, or facilities to ensure that they are safe, free of defects, and consistent with specifications.
Monitor field work to ensure proper performance and use of materials.
Confer with customers, supervisors, contractors, or other personnel to exchange information or to resolve problems.
Dispatch personnel and vehicles in response to telephone or radio reports of emergencies.
Drive vehicles or operate machines or equipment to complete work assignments or to assist workers.
Interpret transportation or tariff regulations, shipping orders, safety regulations, or company policies and procedures for workers.
Maintain or verify records of time, materials, expenditures, or crew activities.
Prepare, compile, and submit reports on work activities, operations, production, or work-related accidents.
Resolve worker problems or collaborate with employees to assist in problem resolution.
Perform or schedule repairs or preventive maintenance of vehicles or other equipment.
Recommend or implement personnel actions, such as employee selection, evaluation, rewards, or disciplinary actions.
Explain and demonstrate work tasks to new workers or assign training tasks to experienced workers.
Requisition needed personnel, supplies, equipment, parts, or repair services.
Recommend and implement measures to improve worker motivation, equipment performance, work methods, or customer services.

The above responsibilities are specific to Transportation Supervisors. More generally, Transportation Supervisors are involved in several broader types of activities:

Activities	Importance	Details
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates		Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems		Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Getting Information		Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Scheduling Work and Activities		Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards		Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates

Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

Making Decisions and Solving Problems

Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Getting Information

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Scheduling Work and Activities

Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards

Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

What is a Transportation Supervisor salary?

The median salary for a Transportation Supervisor is $54,870, and the average salary is $58,300. Both the median and average roughly describe the middle of the Transportation Supervisor salary range, but the average is more easily affected by extremely high or low salaries.

Many Transportation Supervisors earn significantly more or less than the average, due to several factors. About 10% of Transportation Supervisors earn less than $34,210 per year, 25% earn less than $41,370, 75% earn less than $70,630, and 90% earn less than $87,480.

Between the years of 2020 and 2030, the number of Transportation Supervisors is expected to change by 5.8%, and there should be roughly 61,500 open positions for Transportation Supervisors every year.

Median annual salary: $54,870
Typical salary range: $34,210 - $87,480
Projected growth (2020 - 2030): 5.8%

What personality traits are common among Transportation Supervisors?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a Transportation Supervisor are usually higher in their Enterprising, Conventional, and Realistic interests.

Transportation Supervisors typically have very strong Enterprising interests. Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Also, Transportation Supervisors typically have strong Conventional interests. Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Lastly, Transportation Supervisors typically have moderate Realistic interests. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a Transportation Supervisor tend to value Support, Independence, and Relationships.

Most importantly, Transportation Supervisors very strongly value Support. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

Second, Transportation Supervisors strongly value Independence. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

Lastly, Transportation Supervisors strongly value Relationships. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Transportation Supervisors must consistently demonstrate qualities such as leadership, dependability, and stress tolerance.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Transportation Supervisors, ranked by importance:

Demands	Importance	Details
Leadership		Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
Dependability		Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Stress Tolerance		Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
Cooperation		Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Attention to Detail		Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

Leadership

Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.

Dependability

Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

Stress Tolerance

Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.

Cooperation

Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.

Attention to Detail

Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

What education and training do Transportation Supervisors need?

Working as a Transportation Supervisor usually requires a high school diploma.

Transportation Supervisors need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with this occupation.

Educational degrees among Transportation Supervisors

7.0% did not complete high school or secondary school
35.6% completed high school or secondary school
29.6% completed some college coursework
10.8% earned a Associate's degree
13.5% earned a Bachelor's degree
2.9% earned a Master's degree
0.5% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Transportation Supervisors

Transportation Supervisors may benefit from understanding of specialized subject areas, such as transportation, customer and personal service, or administration and management knowledge.

The list below shows several areas in which most Transportation Supervisors might want to build proficiency, ranked by importance.

Knowledge areas	Importance	Details
Transportation		Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Customer and Personal Service		Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Administration and Management		Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Personnel and Human Resources		Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
Administrative		Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

Transportation

Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

Customer and Personal Service

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Administration and Management

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Personnel and Human Resources

Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

Administrative

Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

Important Abilities needed by Transportation Supervisors

Transportation Supervisors must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Transportation Supervisors need abilities such as oral comprehension, oral expression, and written comprehension in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Transportation Supervisors, ranked by their relative importance.

Abilities	Importance	Details
Oral Comprehension		The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression		The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Written Comprehension		The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Problem Sensitivity		The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Deductive Reasoning		The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Oral Comprehension

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Oral Expression

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Written Comprehension

The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Problem Sensitivity

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

Deductive Reasoning

The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Critical Skills needed by Transportation Supervisors

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Transportation Supervisors frequently use skills like active listening, coordination, and time management to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Transportation Supervisors, ranked by their relative importance.

Skills	Importance	Details
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.
Coordination		Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
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.

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.

Coordination

Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

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.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this information, please send a message.

Career profile Transportation Supervisor

Transportation Supervisor

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