- The core task: supervise the activities of workers engaged in receiving, storing, testing, and shipping products or materials. It heads the task list in the next section.
- Typical entry education: high school diploma or equivalent. On-the-job training: none.
- Related work experience at entry: 5 years or more. On-the-job training: none.
- One certification applies: CLTD. CLTD is from Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM).
- Median pay for transportation, storage and distribution managers: $107,230. The 10th to 90th percentiles run $65,120 to $194,900.
- Projected change through 2035: 6.1%. Annual openings: about 18,300.
Transportation managers, in the Handbook’s description, oversee the drivers and staff of an organization’s transportation department and the resources that keep deliveries safe and on time. Some plan and maintain a whole transportation network or a territory; the fleet they answer for might be delivery trucks, a rail or bus system, or school buses.
Regulation is a large part of the job. The Handbook’s example is a transportation manager reviewing driver logs to make sure they are accurate and follow the laws set by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Fleet manager is one of the titles O*NET lists in the same occupation, and this page covers both.
The tasks O*NET rates most important for transportation, storage, and distribution managers:
- Supervise the activities of workers engaged in receiving, storing, testing, and shipping products or materials.
- Plan, develop, or implement warehouse safety and security programs and activities.
- Inspect physical conditions of warehouses, vehicle fleets, or equipment and order testing, maintenance, repairs, or replacements.
- Plan, organize, or manage the work of subordinate staff to ensure that the work is accomplished in a manner consistent with organizational requirements.
- Collaborate with other departments to integrate logistics with business systems or processes, such as customer sales, order management, accounting, or shipping.
- Analyze all aspects of corporate logistics to determine the most cost-effective or efficient means of transporting products or supplies.
Job titles in the same O*NET occupation: Distribution Center Manager, Distribution Manager, Fleet Manager, Global Transportation Manager, Logistics Director, Logistics Operations Manager, Shipping Manager, Supply Chain Logistics Manager, Transportation Manager and Warehouse Supervisor. Source: O*NET
OnLine, 11-3071.00, read 2026-09-23.
Transportation managers oversee the drivers and staff of an organization’s transportation department, according to the Handbook, and monitor the workers and resources that keep deliveries safe and efficient. Some also plan, develop and maintain a transportation network and may be assigned a territory.
The fleet can be almost anything with wheels: the Handbook’s examples are a fleet of delivery trucks, a transportation system that includes rail, bus and paratransit, or a school bus system. The manager answers for keeping it running, which O*NET’s occupation tasks describe as inspecting vehicle fleets and equipment and ordering testing, maintenance, repairs or replacements.
Compliance is constant. Reviewing driver logs for accuracy and adherence to Department of Transportation rules is the Handbook’s example of the monitoring these managers do.
Main Responsibilities
- Oversee drivers and transportation staff
- Plan and maintain a transportation network or territory
- Inspect vehicles and equipment and order maintenance, repairs or replacements
- Review driver logs against Department of Transportation rules
- Prepare and manage the transportation budget
- Resolve delivery and transportation problems with clients
Who They Work With
Drivers and dispatch staff, and other departments such as sales and accounting, which the Handbook names as examples of the departments these managers collaborate with.
Where And When They Work
Offices and terminals, with travel across the network. Most work full time and some more than forty hours; schedules can include nights, weekends and holidays, and some managers are on call for emergencies, according to the Handbook.
The biggest employers of transportation, storage and distribution managers, by the Handbook's count:
transportation and warehousing (30%), wholesale trade (15%), manufacturing (13%), government, excluding state and local education and hospitals (8%) and management of companies and enterprises (7%).
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers, What They Do and Work Environment. Employer shares are of the occupation's jobs in 2025, from Employment Projections data, and include the self-employed. Read 2026-09-23.
BLS counts transportation and fleet managers inside transportation, storage and distribution managers, the same occupation behind our supply chain manager pages, so the occupation-wide figures here are shared with them. The trucking figure below is this page’s own.
That is the same figure our supply chain manager career page shows, because it is the same occupation in BLS data.
Among transportation, storage and distribution managers working in truck transportation, the second-largest industry for this occupation, the median is
$98,800 a year across 17,860 jobs, with the 10th to 90th percentile running
$64,630 to $160,810.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific
estimates. The figure is for transportation, storage and distribution managers working in that
industry, not for the job title alone. Read 2026-09-23.
Across all industries, the median for transportation, storage and distribution managers is $107,230 a year. The middle half
earns $82,440 to $146,770, and the full range runs from $65,120 at the 10th percentile to $194,900 at the 90th, across
221,180 jobs. The supply chain manager salary page breaks that down by state, metro area,
industry and employer type.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, national. Read 2026-09-23.
Like warehouse managers, most transportation managers are promoted into the job after years in related work, which BLS lists as typical for entry. The Handbook notes that some managers need a driver’s license or a commercial driver’s license to travel between facilities or help with transportation operations. A bachelor’s in supply chain management, logistics or business is the degree some employers prefer.
What BLS Says Entry Takes
Typical entry requirements for Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers, BLS Employment Projections | Typical entry education | High school diploma or equivalent |
|---|
| Related work experience | 5 years or more |
|---|
| On-the-job training | None |
|---|
Several years of related work experience, which the Handbook says the occupation typically needs to enter. Some managers need a driver’s license or a commercial driver’s license to travel between facilities or assist with transportation operations, and some employers require or prefer certifications.
Majors
Business, transportation or engineering, according to the Handbook, which notes that some colleges offer bachelor’s programs in supply chain management and logistics.
Degree Levels That Lead In
CLTD covers transportation management, logistics networks and global logistics, the core of this job.
Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM)
CLTD: Certified in Logistics, Transportation and Distribution
Logistics specifically: logistics strategy, demand and capacity, customer and order management, warehouse and fulfillment center management, inventory, transportation, global logistics, reverse logistics and risk, and network design.
- Who It Is For
- People whose work is the movement and storage of goods: transportation, warehousing and fulfillment, order management and logistics network design, where the make, deliver and return steps of the supply chain meet.
- Eligibility
- None. ASCM sets no education or experience requirement; anyone can buy an authorization to test.
- Exam
- One exam of 150 questions (130 scored, 20 unscored pretest) in 3.5 hours, scored from 200 to 350, with 300 or more passing. It is taken at a Pearson VUE center or online. The content runs across nine modules.
- Cost
- ASCM lists the exam at $1,100 for members with its certification upgrade and $1,530 for everyone else.
- Renewal
- Stays valid while you earn 75 professional development points every five years. Holders aged 62 or older can convert a current certification to a lifetime designation, which ends the five-year maintenance cycle.
Source: ASCM, CLTD page, exam details, FAQs and exam handbook, read 2026-09-23.
ASCM membership is optional, though members pay less. You buy an authorization to test, which expires six months after purchase (12 months when bought in a bundle), and ASCM recommends about 100 hours of study per exam. A candidate who fails must wait 14 full days before retaking the same exam.
Sources: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, How to Become One; titles from
O*NET OnLine and the Handbook.
- Supply Chain Manager. The same BLS occupation; supply chain managers own the wider network transportation serves.
- Warehouse Manager. The same BLS occupation at the building end of the network.
- Freight Broker. Brokers arrange loads with the carriers transportation managers run.
The qualities the Handbook names as important for transportation, storage and distribution managers:
- Leadership. Directing drivers and staff across locations.
- Organization. Tracking vehicles, routes, logs and maintenance.
- Problem-solving. Handling breakdowns, delays and client complaints.
- Communication. Working with the people they supervise, other departments and clients.
O*NET lists the software the occupation uses and flags the technologies employers name most often in their job postings. For
transportation, storage, and distribution managers, the ones it marks as in demand are Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft Excel.
Source: O*NET OnLine, 11-3071.00, Software Skills. "In demand" and "hot" are
O*NET's own flags, based on how often employers name the technology in job postings. Read 2026-09-23.
BLS projects employment of transportation, storage and distribution managers to grow 6.1% over 2025 to 2035,
from 228,100 to 242,100 jobs. That is faster than the 3.5% projected for all occupations.
BLS expects about 18,300 openings a year. Of those, 4,900 (27%)
replace people leaving the labor force, 12,000 (66%) replace people
moving to other occupations, and 1,400 (8%) are new jobs. The
supply chain manager salary page sets out what BLS says is driving demand.
Sources: BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35;
EP Table 1.10. New jobs is total openings minus
separations. Read 2026-09-23.
What Degree Do You Need To Be A Transportation Manager?
BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry education for transportation, storage and distribution managers.
How Long Does It Take To Become A Transportation Manager?
BLS lists 5 years or more of related work experience as typical for entry, on top of a high school diploma. It is a job people are promoted into.
How Much Does A Transportation Manager Make?
BLS counts transportation and fleet managers inside transportation, storage and distribution managers, the same occupation behind our supply chain manager pages, so the occupation-wide figures here are shared with them. The trucking figure below is this page’s own. The median for transportation, storage and distribution managers is $107,230 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with the 10th to 90th percentile running $65,120 to $194,900.
Is Transportation Manager A Good Career?
On the federal numbers: a median of $107,230, and BLS projects the occupation to grow 6.1% from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 18,300 openings a year.
What Does A Fleet Manager Do?
O*NET lists fleet manager among the titles in the same occupation as transportation managers. The work is keeping vehicles and drivers productive and compliant: inspecting fleets, ordering maintenance and repairs, and reviewing driver logs.
Do Transportation Managers Need A CDL?
Some do. The Handbook says some of these managers need a driver’s license or a commercial driver’s license to travel between facilities or help with transportation operations.
Is Transportation Management The Same As Logistics Management?
BLS counts both in the same occupation. Transportation managers focus on the fleet and its drivers; logistics and supply chain managers own the wider strategy for sourcing, storing and moving goods.
Pay for transportation, storage and distribution managers by state, metro area and industry.
Runs the flow of goods from suppliers to customers: purchasing, inventory, warehousing and transportation under one set of targets.
Runs a warehouse or distribution center: inbound and outbound shipments, inventory, staff, safety and the building itself.
Programs read from each school’s own page, with tuition where the school states it.
