If you’ve been in the market looking for a new career path, or are simply interested in all the transportation industry has to offer, then you’ve come to the right place. The transportation industry is broad and extensive, including job titles ranging from aircraft pilot to yardmaster.

Whether it’s planning travel, moving materials, or transporting people or goods, there are many different roles available for those interested in working in the transportation sector. To learn more, keep reading.

Here are some of the common transportation jobs in the industry:

  1. Education Requirements
  2. Wages & Salaries
  3. Truck Driver
  4. Public Transportation
  5. Material Specialist
  6. Distribution & Warehousing
  7. Travel Logistics

Education Requirements

When it comes to jobs within the transportation industry, specialists and technicians are typically not required to have a four year degree or additional education. On-the-job training and certification programs are available to high school graduates in many fields within the industry.

Transport industry jobs that often do not require additional courses tend to include drivers, movers, and logistics personnel. For more information about specific requirements per job title, check out the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook, or connect with a local logistics provider to learn more about their job offerings and opportunities.

Wages and Salary

Within the transportation industry, many specialists and technicians often work their way up in terms of wages and salaries. For all material moving occupations, the median annual wage for was around $32,440 in the most recent years.

However, on the high end of the salary range, for those who have more seniority in the industry, the median annual wage was closer to about $122,990. Your salary or wage will depend on your specific logistics company, your background, additional education or courses, along with your overall experience. The transportation industry can prove to be fulfilling, reliable, and rewarding for many individuals, and is designed for growth in terms of title, wages and much more.

Truck Driver

One of the most common positions within the transportation industry, a truck driver transports goods from one place to another. In most cases, these truck driving specialists, who must acquire a CDL license, will move products from a manufacturing plant to a retail or distribution center.

With the proper driving courses and experience, these truck drivers will need to be able to complete their drive within a given amount of time. Truck drivers spend much of their time out of their homes and are often alone in their cabs. In addition to an independent schedule, they must be physically fit to perform the job.

Here are some of the basic truck driver jobs:

  • CDL Driver
  • Delivery Drivers
  • Delivery Helper
  • Truck Driver
  • Truck Driver Supervisor

Learn more about Drive M&W’s driver requirements and benefits!

Public Transportation

Outside of product distribution and management, public transportation is another sector within the overall transportation industry. Bus drivers can often work for a variety of varying sectors within the public transportation system.

From buses for local school systems, a private client, or for the public city bus transit, bus drivers must follow a given route, picking up and dropping off specific clients at a given time. These drivers must also have the proper license requirements and must arrive at places at the given scheduled time. The interaction between a bus driver and a passenger is more frequent than for truck drivers, so bus drivers need strong customer service skills.

Here are some of the typical public transportation job titles:

  • Bus Driver
  • Public Transportation Inspector
  • Route Driver
  • Route Supervisor
  • Schedule Specialist
  • Streetcar Operator
  • Subway Operator
  • Van Driver

Material Specialist

Material specialists make up another sector within the transportation, distribution industry. With jobs designed to move materials such as freight or stock, a material specialist might retrieve or unload trucks carrying said materials.

These specialists are often also needed to pack or wrap products, as well as clean transportation equipment. Material specialists do not usually require formal education, but they need physical stamina and strength, as well as some training from the specific company that they work for.

Here are some of the titles a material specialist may have:

  • Expeditor Forklift Operator
  • LogisticianMaterials Control Manager
  • Materials Handler
  • Materials Supervisor
  • Packaging Engineer
  • Production Scheduler
  • Refuse & Recyclable Material Collectors

Distribution & Warehousing

One of the largest sectors within the transportation industry involves distributions and warehousing specialists. As most cargo imports and exports rely on the seamless operations of large distribution and warehousing centers, these busy industry hubs require workers to ensure that freight materials are handled with care and delivered on time. With a variety of job titles in this sector, you are typically not expected to have a formal education, but are highly encouraged to have worked in the industry prior.

Here are some of the jobs you can find within the distribution & warehousing sector:

  • Distribution Center Manager
  • Distribution Director
  • Equipment Director
  • Estimator
  • Inventory Control Analyst
  • Inventory Control Clerk
  • Inventory Control Supervisor
  • Operations Manager
  • Operations Security
  • Shipping and Receiving Clerk

Travel Logistics

When it comes to the seamless operations and effective distribution outlets, the travel logistics sector is very important. These professionals coordinate all details involved in the transport of people and goods between departure and destination.

Here are some of the roles within travel logistics:

  • Import & Export Clerk
  • Import & Export Manager
  • Logistics Analyst
  • Logistics Coordinator
  • Traffic Clerk
  • Traffic Director
  • Traffic Rate Analyst
  • Transportation Analyst
  • Transportation Attendant
  • Transportation Broker
  • Transportation Inspector
  • Transportation Planner
  • Travel Coordinator

Drive with Drive M&W

Drive M&W, like most trucking companies, offers flexible schedules to offer employees the option to select what work they can realistically be involved in. The truck driving industry can offer you the robust, independent, reliable job you’ve been looking for.

While no career is ever perfect, the trucking industry is built to support and uplift its truckers. With many advantages to an independent traveler, truck driving jobs in Nashville, TN have become a fulfilling profession for many. If any of the points above spoke to you, you could become a great truck driver.

If you’re ready to jumpstart your trucking career, connect with our team of recruiters or apply at Drive M&W today.