Have you been searching for the latest logistics salary trends? I didn’t think so. But if you were, I had the same feeling as many other recruiters and employers. Logistics is a competitive job market with a broad spectrum of services and business sectors. Commodities such as wood, coal, crude oil, and many more are transported around the globe via ships, trains and planes — often on tight schedules.

Introduction

Logistics jobs are some of the most in demand right now. Many companies need help to ship their products, coordinate deliveries and manage inventory. A logistics job is a practical career choice but they can also be very rewarding professionally and intellectually. This guide on logistics salary is packed with information that should help you in your search for a logistics job.

25 of the Highest Paying Logistics Jobs in 2022

The best Logistics jobs can pay up to $130,000 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

• Director of LogisticsSalary range: $87,000-$130,000 per yearA 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.
• Delivery LeadSalary range: $40,000-$124,000 per yearA 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.
• Transportation DirectorSalary range: $46,500-$121,000 per yearA 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.
• Distribution EngineerSalary range: $81,500-$110,500 per yearA 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 EngineerSalary range: $63,500-$96,000 per yearA 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 SpecialistSalary range: $41,500-$88,000 per yearA 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.
• Logistics Operations ManagerSalary range: $55,000-$84,000 per yearA 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.
• Transportation ConsultantSalary range: $38,500-$82,000 per yearA 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.
• Logistics ManagerSalary range: $47,000-$80,000 per yearA 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.
• LogisticianSalary range: $47,000-$78,000 per yearLogisticians 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.
• Fleet ManagerSalary range: $50,000-$75,000 per yearAs 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.
• Weights and Measures InspectorSalary range: $25,000-$65,000 per yearA weights and measures inspector is responsible for inspecting the weight of packages or other consumer goods on a tractor-trailer or other hauling vehicle. As a weights and measures inspector, your job duties are to take random samples of cargo and check the weight and measurements of the packages on their way to a store or other location. You may be required to issue citations for defective hauling apparatus and incorrectly measured commodities. You must have equipment skills to measure the weights of large vehicles and their loads.
• Transportation AnalystSalary range: $44,000-$65,000 per yearA 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.
• Transportation PlannerSalary range: $43,000-$62,000 per yearA 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.
• Logistics PlannerSalary range: $39,500-$60,500 per yearA 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.
• Dispatch ManagerSalary range: $40,000-$60,000 per yearA 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.
• Driver ManagerSalary range: $39,000-$54,500 per yearA 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.
• International Logistics CoordinatorSalary range: $40,000-$53,500 per yearThe job duties of an international logistics coordinator involve working to plan shipments, monitor their progress, and prepare any necessary documents and regulatory requirements. Your responsibilities in this career include fostering working relationships with clients and shipping providers. You may have to contact clients to find out their needs and offer solutions for the timely and cost-effective shipment of cargo by air, rail, truck, or over the ocean. You also advise clients about how to prepare their shipment and what documentation they need.
• Fleet CoordinatorSalary range: $35,500-$52,000 per yearA fleet is a group of company vehicles. As a fleet coordinator, you are in charge of overseeing vehicle activities. Your duties include dispatching fleet drivers to deliver loads, planning driving schedules, and updating driving routes. The fleet coordinator reports to the fleet manager, who may require you to prepare monthly reports about vehicle maintenance. You may work for truck driving or logistics companies. Fleet coordinators must be vigilant and enforce departmental rules about travel. A career as a fleet coordinator requires no formal qualifications, but previous job experience in the transportation industry and strong communication skills can help set you ahead of other candidates.
• Field Service CoordinatorSalary range: $40,000-$50,500 per yearA 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.
• Intermodal DispatcherSalary range: $37,500-$50,000 per yearThe responsibilities of an intermodal dispatcher are to coordinate the schedule of a shipping company or a group of drivers and to ensure that data related to deliveries and shipments of freight are entered into a log. Under the supervision of other logistics officers, they assign shipments and deliveries to drivers, inform them when routes or duties change, and communicate with shipping depots or centers to ensure that deliveries are made on time. An intermodal dispatcher also performs administrative duties, such as ensuring that drivers have the proper licensing and certifications.
• Logistics CoordinatorSalary range: $35,000-$48,500 per yearA logistics coordinator regulates the supply chain for product-based companies, such as importers. As a logistics coordinator, your responsibilities and duties include overseeing the delivery of products, ensuring documentation is accurate, managing customs requirements, and communicating with clients and customers regarding deliveries and timelines. You must be able to comply with all safety requirements and laws to protect clients’ investments. You are also responsible for troubleshooting any problems that arise and handling customer complaints. You work with the distribution manager to keep them up to date on product shipments and transport needs.
• Transportation SpecialistSalary range: $29,000-$48,500 per yearA 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.
• Transportation CoordinatorSalary range: $34,500-$47,000 per yearA transportation coordinator ensures that an organization’s transportation needs run efficiently. As a transportation coordinator, it is your job to make sure that delivery is on time and products are delivered safely. Your primary duties involve creating logistics schedules, managing product storage and transportation, and making sure the department follows all protocol and regulations. This career requires experience in the transportation, storage, and distribution industries. Additional qualifications include strong communication skills and the ability to work in a fast-paced environment. The majority of positions are available in the warehousing industry.
• Transportation DispatcherSalary range: $32,500-$45,500 per yearA transportation dispatcher schedules drivers for pickups and deliveries along particular routes. Trucking companies, charter bus companies, and school districts need transportation dispatchers to manage the daily logistics of large fleets of drivers. A transportation dispatcher is the point of contact for drivers and clients or vendors, coordinating to balance customer needs with drivers’ health and safety. Transportation dispatchers maintain up-to-date records, review driver logs to check for errors or violations, and monitor drivers’ hours.

Conclusion

These positions can also be high paying, relying on the actual company8€s pay scale to determine the salaries of its employees. While these specific jobs are widely available, salaries can vary depending on the location and volume of work. Individuals who hold a logistics manager position earn an average annual salary of approximately $100K per year.