Transportation and Material Moving · Holland code ECR
First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators
Directly supervise and coordinate activities of material-moving machine and vehicle operators and helpers.
Also called: Driver Manager, Fleet Manager, Trainmaster, Warehouse Supervisor, Cargo Manager, DC Supervisor (Distribution Center Supervisor), Dock Supervisor, Shipping Manager.
O*NET 53-1043.00
At a glance
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
- 30% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 3 of 5
- Medium preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Enforce safety rules and regulations.
- Interpret transportation or tariff regulations, shipping orders, safety regulations, or company policies and procedures for workers.
- Resolve worker problems or collaborate with employees to assist in problem resolution.
- Confer with customers, supervisors, contractors, or other personnel to exchange information or to resolve problems.
- Plan work assignments and equipment allocations to meet transportation, operations or production goals.
- Examine, measure, or weigh cargo or materials to determine specific handling requirements.
- Explain and demonstrate work tasks to new workers or assign training tasks to experienced workers.
- Review orders, production schedules, blueprints, or shipping or receiving notices to determine work sequences and material shipping dates, types, volumes, or destinations.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Active Listening4.0 / 5
- Speaking3.9 / 5
- Reading Comprehension3.6 / 5
- Critical Thinking3.6 / 5
- Monitoring3.5 / 5
- Writing3.4 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Administration and Management4.3 / 5
- Customer and Personal Service4.2 / 5
- Mathematics4.1 / 5
- Production and Processing4.0 / 5
- English Language4.0 / 5
- Personnel and Human Resources3.9 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic63
- Investigative14
- Artistic0
- Social26
- Enterprising70
- Conventional63
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- road operations manager · DE Betriebsleiter im Straßentransport/Betriebsleiterin im Straßentransport · FR responsable d'exploitation transport routier
- move manager · DE Umzugsmanager/Umzugsmanagerin · FR chef de service déménagement
- motor vehicle assembly supervisor · DE Montageleiter Kraftfahrzeugbau/Montageleiterin Kraftfahrzeugbau · FR superviseur assemblage véhicules à moteur/superviseuse assemblage véhicules à moteur
- wood assembly supervisor · DE Industriemeister Holz/Industriemeisterin Holz · FR superviseur assemblage articles en bois/superviseuse assemblage articles en bois
- wood production supervisor · DE Produktionsleiter Holz/Produktionsleiterin Holz · FR superviseur en première transformation du bois/superviseuse en première transformation du bois
- machine operator supervisor · DE Maschinenfabrikaufsichtskraft · FR superviseur d’opérateurs sur machines/superviseuse d’opérateurs sur machines
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Purchasing managers and directors (1134)61,700 employed
- Directors in logistics, warehousing and transport (1140)30,300 employed
- Managers in logistics (1243)34,900 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Technicians and associate professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €50,992 |
| Austria | €46,986 |
| Germany | €44,473 |
| Netherlands | €42,448 |
| Ireland | €41,613 |
| Sweden | €41,155 |
| Italy | €34,882 |
| France | €34,816 |
| Spain | €29,757 |
| Portugal | €18,080 |
| Poland | €12,108 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Related careers
- First-Line Supervisors of Helpers, Laborers, and Material Movers, Hand
- First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers
- First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers
- First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers
- First-Line Supervisors of Passenger Attendants
- First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers
Is it a fit for you?
Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.
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