About This Career

Directly supervises and coordinates activities of material-moving machine and vehicle operators and helpers.

This career is part of the Transportation, Distribution and Logistics cluster Transportation Operations pathway.

A person in this career:

• Enforces safety rules and regulations.
• Interprets transportation or tariff regulations, shipping orders, safety regulations, or company policies and procedures for workers.
• Resolves worker problems or collaborates with employees to assist in problem resolution.
• Confers with customers, supervisors, contractors, or other personnel to exchange information or to resolve problems.
• Plans work assignments and equipment allocations to meet transportation, operations or production goals.
• Examines, measures, or weighs cargo or materials to determine specific handling requirements.
• Explains and demonstrates work tasks to new workers or assigns training tasks to experienced workers.
• Reviews orders, production schedules, blueprints, or shipping or receiving notices to determine work sequences and material shipping dates, types, volumes, or destinations.
• Drives vehicles or operates machines or equipment to complete work assignments or to assist workers.
• Inspects or tests materials, stock, vehicles, equipment, or facilities to ensure that they are safe, free of defects, and consistent with specifications.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 10 lbs., sometimes up to 20 lbs. You might do a lot of walking or standing, or you might sit but use your arms and legs to control machines, equipment or tools.
• Conditions are very hot (above 90 F) or very cold (under 32 F)
• Sound and noise levels are loud and distracting
• Work in this occupation requires being outside most of the time
• Work in this occupation involves standing more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves walking or running more than one-third of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Seeing clearly at a distance
• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person

Work Hours and Travel

• Rotating shift work
• Weekend work