A normal transportation profession requires you to be systematic, objective, and straightforward, as you will be required to follow certain regulations and procedures to complete your tasks. If you enjoy working with tools, machines, and instruments to repair equipment, transportation employment may interest you.
You may also be required to offer others instructions and plan, coordinate, and decide how you and others work. Transportation jobs typically need self-direction and independence. While it is customary to start in an entry-level role, as you acquire experience, you may be able to develop your career and become a supervisor, driver trainer, safety officer, or truck dispatcher.
One of the most common queries posed by job seekers in the transportation industry is which job pays best as an employee rather than as a self-employed professional. That is, what are the many zones or positions that a driver of various vehicles and cargoes can cover? What is their obligation, if they are capable of meeting the company’s needs, and, most importantly, when is it paid?
We’d like to list some of the most prevalent jobs and their average incomes. It’s vital to note that these charges are typical and, depending on your experience and the size of the hiring organization, there might be a lot of variation among professionals. It goes without saying that the season has an impact, as does the one we are currently experiencing.
Is Transportation a Good Career Choice?
Transportation is unquestionably a growing business with several job opportunities. There are various pros and disadvantages to consider in any industry. What one person views as a drawback, another may see as a benefit.
With so many different types of jobs available in this field, you’re bound to find one where the benefits exceed the drawbacks.
Do you like to travel and want to see the world? Consider pursuing a career as a ship captain or airline pilot. Do you enjoy driving but wish to return home each night? Alternatively, you may work at a warehouse and operate a forklift. With so many different types of jobs accessible in the transportation industry, it’s clear that a career in transportation is a good decision.
What Are The Best Paying Jobs in Transportation?
Commercial Pilot
A pilot’s salary is among the highest in the transportation industry. Pilots can earn up to $87,912 per year. They are in charge of transporting planes from one airport to another and are professionals in all elements of aviation management, including keeping planes safe in inclement weather.
Being a pilot typically requires many years of schooling and professional experience. Candidates with a physics or engineering bachelor’s degree may have an easier time getting work. Pilots perform long shifts on a regular basis, including nights, weekends, and even overnight stints.
Tractor-Trailer Truck Driver
National average salary: $73,322 per year
Driving a tractor-trailer truck entails long hours and intense concentration. To deliver products, supplies, and raw materials inside the country and abroad, these truck drivers design routes, secure certificates, and inspect their trucks. They also make sure their loads and equipment follow safety rules, and they strive to keep their driving records clean.
Tractor-trailer truck drivers use CB, citizens’ bands, radios, onboard computers, and other devices to plan journeys and communicate with dispatchers or other truck drivers. Truck drivers are frequently hired by employment service agencies, manufacturing and distribution organizations, and moving and transportation companies to move goods and materials.
Bus Driver
Bus drivers are one of the best-paying jobs in transportation, with an average annual salary of $60,816. A bus driver’s primary responsibility is to safely transport passengers between sites. They frequently work on several different bus routes in or around a single city or metropolis. Because of their contact with the public on a regular basis, bus drivers frequently have excellent customer service skills.
Water Transportation Workers
Median National Salary: $59,250
Non-military vessels are operated and maintained by water transportation professionals. Not only does the work entail operating ships, but it also entails ensuring the safety of passengers and cargo. They may work on big deep-sea cargo ships carrying manufactured products, bulk carriers delivering iron ore, coal, and other heavy commodities, and tankers transporting gasoline and other liquids.
Captains, mates, pilots, sailors, ship engineers, marine boilers, and motorboat operators are among the several classes.
Owner-operator driver
National average salary: $112,908 per
You may be responsible for providing your truck or vehicle to do regional and highway trips as an owner-operator truck driver. These events may occur overnight, necessitating the use of a sleeper cab on your truck. A power takeoff (PTO) is a device that allows your vehicle to draw power from another source, such as the running engine. Your pay may vary depending on the location and sort of item you transport, with local and regional shifts, cross-border jobs, and day and evening deliveries all options.
Van Driver
National average salary: $83,756 per year
By driving automobiles, vans, and light trucks, a van driver can pick up and transport newspapers, bread and dairy products, as well as packages and gifts. They may load and unload cargo as well as provide customer service by setting routes and delivering items or selling products along the way while accepting and processing payments.
They may be in charge of assembling, installing or putting up the things they supply, as well as scanning and sorting the freight or cargo. A van driver’s responsibility includes planning delivery travel schedules and inspecting their vehicle before and after their trip, just like other transportation jobs.
HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) Drivers
HGV drivers can make up to $77,714 per year on average. They are among the highest-paying jobs in the transportation industry. In a lorry or truck, a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) or truck driver can convey freight, food supplies, or construction materials all throughout the country.
Long-distance driving, which may entail an overnight stay in the vehicle, is a specialty of these professionals. Driving jobs are available locally, nationally, and internationally.
Logistic Analyst
A logistic analyst is primarily chosen by persons who want to work in the transportation industry’s office. They are handsomely compensated, earning $84,927 each year. A career as a logistic analyst is one of the highest-paying positions in the transportation industry.
The movement of merchandise from one site to another is planned by logistics professionals. It’s a sophisticated career that frequently calls for advanced analytical and problem-solving abilities. With a rising number of people and commodities moving around, this is a booming area. The job may also necessitate the use of new technology, necessitating a high level of computer literacy.