First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$62,890

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$50,070 – $78,160

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

623,640

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

+3%

Growing slower than all jobs (0% to under 3.5%)

Openings a year (projected)

54,900

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS

BLS publishes one wage and employment figure for first-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors combined (code 53-1047). The pay and employment figures above are for that whole group, not for first-line supervisors of material-moving machine and vehicle operators alone. So is the projection.

• All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
• Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
• Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of material-moving machine and vehicle operators and helpers.

Main tasks

• 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.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

High school diploma or equivalent

Work experience in a related job: less than 5 years

O*NET Job Zone 3

Medium preparation

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 1 programme to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

• First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers

  $79,860 median · +4.1% projected

• First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers

  $74,450 median · +1.8% projected

• First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers

  $79,920 median · +5% projected

• First-Line Supervisors of Passenger Attendants

  $62,890 median · +3% projected

• First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers

  $59,320 median · +3.8% projected

• First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers

  $69,500 median · +0.1% projected