Managers in Transportation

Nature of work

Managers in transportation operations plan, organize, direct, control and evaluate the operations of transportation companies such as railways, airlines, bus lines, municipal transit systems, shipping lines and trucking companies, under the direction of a general manager or other senior manager.

Managers in transportation freight traffic plan, organize, direct, control and evaluate companies or departments responsible for the transportation and movement of goods, under the direction of a general manager or other senior manager.

Transportation managers are employed by transportation, freight forwarding and shipping companies and by transportation departments of companies in retail and manufacturing sectors and utilities.

Job duties

Managers in transportation operations perform some or all of the following duties:

• Plan, organize, direct, control and evaluate the operations of a transportation company.
• Set operations policies and standards, including determination of safety procedures for the handling of dangerous goods, and ensure compliance with transport regulations.
• Oversee dispatch of vehicles, vessels or aircraft.
• Control the company or departmental budget, including acquisitions.
• Monitor company's or department's performance, prepare reports for senior management, and plan for changes to schedules and policies.
• Recruit personnel and oversee their training.

Managers in transportation freight traffic perform some or all of the following duties:

• Plan, organize, direct, control and evaluate the activities of companies or departments responsible for coordinating, arranging and monitoring the transportation and movement of goods.
• Arrange for shipping documentation and oversee the scheduling and dispatching of goods and the tracking and tracing of goods in transit.
• Set performance goals, oversee the setting of transportation service rates and monitor revenue.
• Develop plans and procedures for the transportation and storage of goods.
• Negotiate with carriers, warehouse operators and insurance company representatives for services and preferential rates.
• Control the departmental budget.
• Recruit personnel and oversee their training.

Sample job titles

• airline flight schedule design manager
• airline manager
• director of transportation
• distribution and warehousing manager
• freight forwarder
• moving company manager
• transportation logistics manager
• urban transit system manager
• water transport manager

Skills

To work in these jobs, you need good organizational and managerial skills. An ability to work under pressure is important. You must be decisive. You need to work well with others. Effective communication skills, both written and oral, are also important.

Job requirements

Managers in transportation operations

• A bachelor's degree in business administration or engineering is usually required.
• Certification as an operator of a particular mode of transportation, such as commercial pilot, vessel master or truck driver, is usually required.

Managers in transportation freight traffic

• Completion of high school is required.
• A college diploma or university degree in business or transportation administration may be required.

Other considerations

There is little or no mobility between managers in transportation operations and managers in transportation freight traffic or between transportation managers of land, sea and air transportation operations. Managers in transportation operations usually require several years of experience in transportation operations including supervisory experience. Extensive experience as a supervisor and operator in a particular transport mode, such as a pilot, train engineer, vessel master or truck driver, may substitute for formal education. Several years of clerical, operational or administrative experience related to freight traffic are required for Managers in transportation freight traffic.

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