Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

Workers in these occupations move people and goods.

Overall employment in transportation and material moving occupations is projected to grow 6 percent over the next ten years, about as fast as the average for all occupations; this increase is expected to result in about 861,800 new jobs over the decade. In addition to new jobs from growth, opportunities arise from the need to replace workers who leave their occupations permanently. More than 1.9 million openings each year, on average, are projected to come from growth and replacement needs.

The median annual wage for transportation and material moving occupations is $36,860, below the median for all occupations of $45,760.

Air Traffic Controllers

Air traffic controllers coordinate the movement of aircraft to maintain safe distances between them.

Airline and Commercial Pilots

Airline and commercial pilots fly and navigate airplanes, helicopters, and other aircraft.

Delivery Truck Drivers and Driver/Sales Workers

Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers pick up, transport, and drop off packages and small shipments within a local region or urban area. Delivery truck drivers usually transport merchandise from a distribution center to businesses and households.

Flight Attendants

Flight attendants provide routine services and respond to emergencies to ensure the safety and comfort of airline passengers.

Hand Laborers and Material Movers

Hand laborers and material movers manually move freight, stock, or other materials. Some of these workers feed or remove material to or from machines, clean vehicles, pick up unwanted household goods, and pack materials for moving.

Heavy and Tractor-trailer Truck Drivers

Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers transport goods from one location to another. Most tractor-trailer drivers are long-haul drivers and operate trucks with a total weight exceeding 26,000 pounds for the vehicle, passengers, and cargo.

Material Moving Machine Operators

Material moving machine operators use equipment to transport objects. For example, some operators move goods around factories and storage areas or onto container ships. Others move construction materials around building sites.

Passenger Vehicle Drivers

Passenger vehicle drivers transport people, sometimes across state and national borders. Some drive regular routes, while others’ destinations vary daily. They operate a range of vehicles, from small cars with limited seating to 60-foot articulated buses that can carry more than 100 passengers.

Railroad Workers

Railroad workers ensure that passenger and freight trains run on time and travel safely. Some workers drive trains, some coordinate the activities of the trains, and others operate signals and switches in the rail yard.

Water Transportation Workers

Water transportation workers operate and maintain vessels that take cargo and people over water. The vessels travel to and from foreign ports across the ocean and to domestic ports along the coasts, across the Great Lakes, and along the country’s many inland waterways.

Additional Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors

Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors supervise and coordinate the activities of ground crews in the loading, unloading, securing, and staging of aircraft cargo or baggage.

Aircraft Service Attendants and Transportation Workers (all other)

All transportation workers not listed separately.

Airfield Operations Specialists

Airfield Operations Specialists ensure the safe takeoff and landing of commercial and military aircraft.

Ambulance Drivers and Attendants (Except Emergency Medical Technicians)

Ambulance Drivers and Attendants (Except Emergency Medical Technicians) drive ambulance or assist ambulance driver in transporting sick, injured, or convalescent persons.

Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants

Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants service automobiles, buses, trucks, boats, and other automotive or marine vehicles with fuel, lubricants, and accessories.

Bridge and Lock Tenders

Bridge and Lock Tenders operate and tend bridges, canal locks, and lighthouses to permit marine passage on inland waterways, near shores, and at danger points in waterway passages.

First-line Supervisors of Transportation and Material-moving Workers (Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors)

First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators directly supervise and coordinate activities of transportation and material-moving machine and vehicle operators and helpers.

Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators

Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators operate steam, gas, electric motor, or internal combustion engine-driven compressors.

Material Moving Workers (all other)

All material moving workers not listed separately.

Motor Vehicle Operators (all other)

All motor vehicle operators not listed separately.

Parking Attendants

Parking Attendants park vehicles or issue tickets for customers in a parking lot or garage.

Passenger Attendants

Passenger Attendants provide services to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard ships, buses, and trains or within the station or terminal.

Pump Operators

Pump Operators (Except Wellhead Pumpers) tend, control, or operate power-driven, stationary, or portable pumps and manifold systems to transfer gases, oil, other liquids, slurries, or powdered materials to and from various vessels and processes.

Rail Transportation Workers (all other)

All rail transportation workers not listed separately.

Subway and Streetcar Operators

Subway and Streetcar Operators operate and tend bridges, canal locks, and lighthouses to permit marine passage on inland waterways, near shores, and at danger points in waterway passages.

Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders

Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders use material-moving equipment to load and unload chemicals and bulk solids, such as coal, sand, and grain, into or from tank cars, trucks, or ships.

Traffic Technicians

Traffic Technicians work under the direction of a traffic engineer to conduct field studies determining volume and speed of traffic, effectiveness of signals, adequacy of lighting, and other factors that influence traffic conditions.

Transportation Inspectors

Transportation Inspectors inspect equipment or goods in connection with the safe transport of cargo or people.

Wellhead Pumpers

Wellhead Pumpers operate power pumps and auxiliary equipment to produce and maintain the flow of oil or gas from wells in oilfields.

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