The best Logistics jobs can pay up to $326,500 per year. Logistics encompasses a number of different jobs, with common titles including logistics engineer, analyst, manager, and coordinator. For the most part, these jobs relate to the packing, transportation, and storage of inventory, including both merchandise delivery to retail locations and raw materials delivery to production facilities. Logistics managers oversee aspects of the supply chain while analysts evaluate the quickest and most cost-efficient methods of delivery. Logistics engineers solve problems specific to macro-scale logistics projects.
To begin working in logistics, you should first earn a degree in logistics. This will give you a baseline of the knowledge and skills required in the logistics field, and from there you can begin seeking entry-level positions in the industry. Since many employers promote and encourage transfers from within, it can be helpful to take entry-level positions related to logistics, and then apply for the position you want as it becomes available. Depending on your education level, you may find entry-level positions as a research analyst or process associate.
High Paying Logistics Jobs
Transportation Dispatcher
Salary range: $45,000-$326,500 per year
Truck dispatchers coordinate the transportation of goods by truck with drivers, suppliers, and customers. As a truck dispatcher, you work with vendors, clients, drivers, and other logistics personnel by phone, email, or in person. Truck dispatchers use computer systems to track delivery trucks as they are en route, ensuring that the goods arrive on-time and undamaged. If there are any issues along the way, such as severe weather or a vehicle maintenance problem, the truck dispatcher is responsible for informing the receiving company. In such instances, the dispatcher may also be required to make arrangements for repair or send a new truck to make the delivery.
Director of Logistics
Salary range: $105,000-$150,000 per year
A director of logistics oversees the transportation operations associated with the shipping and receiving of parts and products. In this management role, you direct the distribution of goods out of a company’s facilities as well as the reception of products and raw materials into their facilities. Your job duties include implementing and utilizing computer software systems to make sure all transportation operations are electronically tracked. An essential aspect of this career is to focus on reducing the costs associated with transportation and improve the efficiency of the process. Job candidates typically have leadership and analytical skills as well as prior experience in a similar role.
Transportation Director
Salary range: $77,000-$127,000 per year
A transportation director is in charge of transportation logistics. They typically set up the distribution routes and oversee the delivery of goods or products. They do this by utilizing trucking or other transportation routes. A transportation director may also work for a municipal department, helping arrange public transit such as bus, ferry, or train routes. If they work for a school, job duties involve overseeing bus routes for students.
Civil Transportation Engineer
Salary range: $79,500-$123,000 per year
The duties of a civil transportation engineer include the construction and maintenance of various transport systems and infrastructure design for roads, railways, airports, and canals. Responsibilities include reading and making edits to proposals drafted by other engineers, analyzing engineering data and schematics using CAD software, and recommending driving policies. You develop budgets and schedules for projects, manage a design team in some cases, work on all project phases including creating proposals and reviewing final work, while also mentoring junior staff and ensuring all projects meet quality standards and client requirements.
Service Delivery Manager
Salary range: $58,500-$120,000 per year
Service delivery managers respond to client concerns and oversee project management for a business team. As a service delivery manager, your job duties include handling recovery exercises, documenting recovery processes, writing reports for clients, recommending solutions, and improving project efficiency. Your job involves checking in with your team to make sure they meet project benchmarks so that products and services are delivered to clients on time. Once service is set up on the client side, your role as a service delivery manager shifts to providing ongoing support for customers as they utilize your business product.
Delivery Lead
Salary range: $40,000-$115,500 per year
A delivery lead is responsible for keeping multiple projects on track for a company and ensuring they are completed on time and according to specifications. As a delivery lead, you collaborate with the designers, developers, and clients to determine the scope and timeline of the project. Once the guidelines have been established, you monitor staff and ensure everyone finishes their job duties and moves towards completion. A delivery lead is slightly different from a project manager; project managers typically focus on one program at a time, while delivery leads work on multiple projects at the same time.
Distribution Engineer
Salary range: $80,000-$104,000 per year
A distribution engineer is a type of electrical engineer responsible for the development, installation, testing, and proper usage of electrical power equipment. As a distribution engineer, your job duties include building power distribution systems, performing safety inspections of electrical equipment, and monitoring and documenting the performance of electrical systems. The qualifications to begin a career as a distribution engineer include a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering plus several years of experience working with a variety of electrical power systems and equipment. To succeed in this job, you need to have a mechanical aptitude and strong critical thinking skills.
Logistics Engineer
Salary range: $65,500-$99,000 per year
A logistics engineer optimizes supply chain distribution processes for efficiency and profitability. As a logistics engineer, your job duties include analyzing distribution systems, developing improvements using the principles of engineering, and implementing streamlined methods of distributing goods and services across the supply chain. Because your work impacts every aspect of supply chain logistics, you are involved in inventory, order processing, planning warehouse layouts, and packaging products. Logistics engineers also collaborate with colleagues in each section of the supply chain or logistics department to conduct their work.
Logistics Management Specialist
Salary range: $58,500-$98,500 per year
A logistics management specialist is in charge of the logistics of operations for an organization. As a logistics management specialist, you develop logistical plans, ensure they stay on track, and analyze the results. Typical job duties range from coordinating shipments, to managing inventory levels, to maintaining a budget. As a manager, you are required to oversee other workers in your department. The career requires prior customer service and management experience. Additional qualifications include knowledge of the industry and excellent communication skills. You usually need at least a bachelor’s degree in logistics or supply chain management.
Transportation Engineer
Salary range: $72,000-$98,500 per year
Transportation engineers plan, design, and implement transportation systems. Transportation engineers consider traffic, population, and other factors to determine the need for a new form of transportation, such as train lines, buses, subways, or new roads, in a specific area or region. They identify methods for incorporating the new form of transportation to reduce local traffic, meet the needs of the community, and fit into the designated budget. Transportation engineers are vital parts of the team that designs public transportation paths and creates highways, bridges, and other structures that enable transportation. Similar job titles include construction engineer, transportation planner, port engineer, and traffic engineer.
Transportation Specialist
Salary range: $69,000-$94,500 per year
A transportation specialist coordinates the transportation of people, products, or materials. This job is available in a wide variety of industries. The job duties of a specialist who works in people-oriented sectors may be required to coordinate line schedules with passengers and drivers. Those that work with the materials or products often coordinate a multitude of routes across many different transportation companies or carriers. A transportation specialist may also perform basic mechanical checks, have customer service duties, or assess efficiency.
Logistics Manager
Salary range: $60,500-$90,500 per year
A logistics manager plays a vital role in managing product flow for a company. As a logistics manager, you will oversee the sourcing and ordering of your company's products, ensuring they arrive on time where needed. You will also forecast the needs for various products and try to walk the line between not meeting demand and having too much of a product, maintaining a balance that is most profitable.
Logistics Planner
Salary range: $49,000-$87,000 per year
A logistics planner coordinates all aspects of a company's shipping operations and transport needs. These strategic experts most often find jobs in the manufacturing and freight industries, but may also work on individual projects. As a logistics planner, your duties include determining the scope and requirements of a project or operation, communicating with vendors to assess delivery details, and managing employees. You also analyze distribution processes to make improvements and prepare logistics reports for senior decision-makers. The career typically requires a bachelor’s degree in logistics, supply chain management, or a related field and on-the-job training. Additional qualifications include excellent problem-solving, organizational, and interpersonal skills, along with project management experience.
Fleet Manager
Salary range: $50,000-$85,000 per year
As a fleet manager, you are in charge of maximizing efficiency and profitability by managing the vehicles used by your company and the drivers who operate them. You may be asked to research and select vehicles for lease or purchase, keep careful records on vehicle use and maintenance, log driver routes and schedule their work, and resell unwanted vehicles that no longer meet company needs. Your responsibilities as a fleet manager include all fleet logistics and monitoring all aspects of costs and profits, from vehicle wear to fuel costs.
Logistics Operations Manager
Salary range: $58,500-$84,000 per year
A logistics operations manager works for a company that regularly ships items. As a logistics operations manager, you manage a team of shippers, receivers, drivers, and other employees. Your responsibilities include organizing all transportation needs for the organization’s product. Your duties include collaborating with freight companies to plan deliveries and shipments. You coordinate product inventory and storage within warehouses and other logistics sites to optimize efficient inventory movement. Utilizing logistics software, you must use analytical skills to optimize schedules for shipments and deliveries and maximize cost-effectiveness. You work closely with commercial shippers to make deals for a lower shipping cost.
Logistician
Salary range: $50,000-$78,000 per year
Logisticians direct inventory, purchasing, transportation and shipping, delivery, and warehousing operations. They oversee the flow of people, supplies, and goods, for example, military munitions and consumer products. To optimize the efficiency of the supply chain, logisticians may use advanced software systems as they work to understand and satisfy customer needs and present analytics and performance data to management.
Transportation Supervisor
Salary range: $49,000-$77,500 per year
A transportation supervisor oversees the logistics and operations of an organization with a heavy reliance on vehicle use, such as delivery companies, schools, manufacturers, and transit authorities. As a transportation supervisor, your job duties include scheduling driver assignments, managing transportation and maintenance budgets, documenting all transportation activities in a database, and making sure all vehicles are in proper working order. Your responsibilities also include documenting employee performance and ensuring that employees adhere to safety standards on roadways and during the loading and unloading of cargo.
Transportation Consultant
Salary range: $48,500-$77,000 per year
A transportation consultant can refer to consultants in several fields, including those who provide planning advice for transportation systems, such as city bus networks or school bus systems. It may also refer to logistics specialists, who advise freight transportation clients as well as delivery drivers. As a transportation consultant focused on public transportation networks, your duties and responsibilities include performing research to understand the current capacity of a transportation network, collecting and analyzing data, and coming up with solutions on how to improve systems or build out new features, such as improved bus routes or light rail lines. Some transportation consultants also teach at colleges or universities.
Transportation Analyst
Salary range: $52,000-$75,500 per year
A transportation analyst helps companies find timely, efficient, and cost-effective ways to transport goods. Your job duties as a transportation analyst include researching procurement and shipping options, analyzing financial data, creating cost estimates, negotiating transportation contracts, and overseeing procurement projects. The qualifications you need for a career as a transportation analyst include a bachelor’s degree in logistics, industrial engineering, business, or a similar field, along with experience in supply chain planning and logistics. You need excellent organizational skills and interpersonal skills.
Logistics Analyst
Salary range: $46,000-$73,000 per year
A logistics analyst monitors the logistical functions of an organization. It’s your job to analyze these logistics, including the supply chain, to develop more efficient production and distribution systems. Your main duties are to collect and analyze data related to inventory levels, transportation delivery schedules, budget constraints, and product quality. The career requires at least a bachelor’s degree, typically in business management or operations engineering. Other qualifications are strong analytical skills, prior management experience, and knowledge of the specific industry. Most logisticians work in manufacturing.
Transportation Planner
Salary range: $65,500-$69,500 per year
A transportation planner develops plans for a city’s public transit system. As a transportation planner, you work alongside urban planners, engineers, and other professionals to create a comprehensive plan that benefits all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, and those using powered transportation. Your primary job duties involve analyzing data, assessing the proposed land use area, reviewing local policies, and creating detailed proposals. Most transportation planners work on projects for cities and government agencies.
Driver Manager
Salary range: $49,000-$64,000 per year
A driver manager, also known as a fleet manager, monitors the tracking, scheduling, and maintenance of a fleet of company trucks or cars. As a driver manager, your job duties include overseeing the vehicles to confirm they’re in safe and working order, recruiting, mentoring, and training drivers, and monitoring the fleet to ensure deliveries are on time. You also keep track of the wear and tear on the vehicles, such as the number of miles since the last servicing. Qualifications for this career in the trucking industry typically include 12-36 months of Class A driving experience. You should have some mechanical aptitude as well as leadership and organizational skills, and be customer-service oriented.
Dispatch Manager
Salary range: $42,500-$63,000 per year
A dispatch manager works at a warehouse or a call center to ensure that the supply chain workflow of a company operates as efficiently as possible. As a dispatch manager, your job duties include training new employees, delegating tasks, coordinating the daily workload, documenting productivity, overseeing incoming and outgoing shipments, and reporting to senior management. The qualifications for a career as a dispatch manager are a bachelor’s degree in business management or logistics and experience in workflow organization or supply chain logistics. You need an organized, technical mindset and strong communication and leadership skills.
Logistics Administrator
Salary range: $57,000-$59,500 per year
A logistics administrator is a supply chain specialist who works to ensure the efficient distribution of goods. As a logistics administrator, your job duties include overseeing shipping procedures, managing the flow of orders for a company or shipping provider, and communicating with logistics staff, including drivers, packers, and warehouse workers. The career typically requires a bachelor’s degree in business administration, logistics, or a related field and management experience. Additional qualifications include strong organizational, recordkeeping, and interpersonal skills.
Field Service Coordinator
Salary range: $40,000-$59,000 per year
A field service coordinator organizes the activities of technical service technicians that are working on site. As a field service coordinator, your job duties include dispatching personnel to the customer’s job site, communicating with clients, and providing guidance to the field service techs. The qualifications to become a field service coordinator include an associate degree in a field related to the type of technical services being provided and industry experience.