Transportation Careers - Job Titles and Descriptions

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Transportation Careers - Job Titles and Descriptions

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BY ALISON DOYLE

 

Updated June 14, 2018

Transportation is a broad field that includes job titles ranging from aircraft pilot to yardmaster. Transportation careers includes jobs in industries that transport passengers and cargo via plane, rail, bus, boat, transit system, and other modes of private and public transportation. Transportation jobs might also involve scenic and sightseeing transportation.

The transportation and material moving sector also includes positions that support the industry. For example, travel and tour agencies that book transportation and logistics staff that coordinate transportation are part of the transportation industry. So are mechanical support personnel such as automotive mechanics, automotive service technicians, maintenance workers, and repair workers.

Read below for an extensive list of transportation job titles. Use this list when searching for a job in transportation. You might also use this list to encourage your employer to change the title of your position to fit your responsibilities.

Common Transportation Job Titles

Below is a list of some of the most common (and most in-demand) job titles from the transportation industry, as well as a description of each. For more information about each job title, check out the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Truck Driver
A truck driver transports goods from one place to another. Often, they move products from a manufacturing plant to a retail or distribution center. They need to have mechanical knowledge and be able to maneuver their vehicle.

They also need to be able to complete their drive within a given amount of time. Truck drivers spend lots of time away from home, and are often alone in the truck. They have to be comfortable with the irregular schedule and the physical demands of the job.

CDL Driver





Delivery Drivers





Delivery Helper





Truck Driver





Truck Driver Supervisor



Public Transportation / Bus Driver
Bus drivers might work for a school system, a private client, or the public (if they drive a city bus). They are in charge of following a given route, picking up and dropping off clients, and arriving at places at a given time. Unlike truck drivers, bus drivers regularly interact with passengers, so they need strong customer service skills.

Bus Driver





Public Transportation Inspector





Route Driver





Route Supervisor





Scheduler





Streetcar Operator





Subway Operator





Van Driver

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Taxi Drivers, Chauffeurs, and Drivers
Taxi drivers and chauffeurs transport people to and from their destinations. They have to be good drivers and know their way around the area in which they are driving. They often have to go through some form of training, but there are rarely education requirements. Taxi driver and chauffeur jobs require strong customer service skills.

Cab Driver





Chauffeur





Courier





Dispatcher





Driver





Driver / Sales Representative





Driver / Sales Workers





Fleet Coordinator





Fleet Manager





Shuttle Car Operator





Taxi Driver



Material Mover
Material movers and hand laborers move materials such as freight or stock. They might retrieve or unload trucks carrying materials. They may pack or wrap products as well, or even clean transportation equipment. While there are typically no formal education requirements, material movers often receive some training, and need physical stamina and strength.

Expeditor





Fork Lift Operator





Logistician





Materials Control Manager





Materials Handler





Materials Handling Supervisor





Materials Planner





Package Handler





Packaging Engineer





Production Scheduler





Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors



Distribution / Warehousing Operations
Most cargo transportation depends upon the seamless operations of large distribution centers and warehouses. These busy hubs require both white- and blue-collar workers to ensure that freight is handled within established transportation schedules.

Distribution Center Manager





Distribution Director





Distribution Manager





Equipment Director





Estimating Manager





Estimator





Inventory Control Analyst





Inventory Control Clerk





Inventory Control Manager





Inventory Control Supervisor





Operations Manager





Operations Security





Shipping and Receiving Clerk





Shipping and Receiving Supervisor





Top Distribution Executive





Top Inventory Control Executive



Traffic, Transportation, and Travel Logistics

Traffic and Transportation Logistics Analysts and related personnel coordinate all details of the transportation of people or of cargo between their points of departure and destination.

Import/Export Clerk





Import/Export Manager





Import/Export Supervisor





Logistics Analyst





Logistics Coordinator





Logistics Manager





Logistics Specialist





Traffic Clerk





Traffic Director





Traffic Manager





Traffic / Rate Analyst





Traffic Supervisor





Transportation Analyst





Transportation Attendant





Transportation Broker





Transportation Director





Transportation Inspector





Transportation Manager





Transportation Planner





Transportation Supervisor





Travel Coordinator





Travel Manager



Water Transportation Worker
Water transportation workers perform a variety of tasks. They operate and/or maintain vessels that transport people or cargo across bodies of water. There are many specific job titles within the broader category of “water transportation worker,” including merchant mariner, captain (or master), mate (or deck officer), pilot, sailor, ship engineer, marine oiler, and more.

While there are no education requirements for entry-level oilers and sailors, upper-level positions (such as engineers and officers) typically require specific certificates.

Captain





Crew





Deck Officer





Deckhand





Marine Cargo Inspector





Marine Oiler





Marine Operator





Merchant Mariners





Motorboat Operator





Pilot





Sailor





Water Transportation Operator



Air Transportation Workers

As of 2016, there were approximately 5,136 public airports and 13,863 private airports in the United States. 2017 occupational employment statistics estimated this industry employed 36,940 aircraft mechanics and service technicians, 75,120 pilots and flight engineers, 9,260 cargo and freight agents, and 83,320 reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks.

Air Traffic Controllers





Aircraft Pilot





Airport Operations Crew Member





Flight Attendant





Flight Engineer





Flight Instructor





Gate Operations Staff





Helicopter Pilot



Railroad Transportation Workers

There were about 105,500 railroad workers in the U.S. workforce in 2016. These positions typically require a high school diploma and extensive on-the-job training.

Conductor





Engineer





Locomotive Engineer





Rail Car Repairer





Rail Yard Engineer





Railroad Brake Operator





Railroad Conductor





Railroad Yard Worker





Train Crew Member





Train Operator





Yardmaster



Wages and Salary

The median annual wage for transportation and material moving occupations was $31,600 in May 2017, which is below the median for all occupations of $37,690. On the higher end of the salary range, the median annual wage for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers was $42,480 in May 2017 and the median annual wage for airline and commercial pilots was $111,930 in May 2017.

 https://www.thebalancecareers.com/transportation-job-titles-2061509