1Pay
$62,890
Middle-of-the-pack pay
2025 national median. Near the middle of ChooseField careers for pay.
Transportation and Logistics · Career brief
First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators
Is it a good career to pursue?
The 30-second read
First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators at a glance
Six signals to look at before you spend time on the full guide.
2Demand
3%
Slow projected growth
Projected employment growth for 2025–2035. Near the middle of ChooseField careers for growth.
3Openings
54,900
Exceptional hiring volume
Average openings per year in 2025–2035, including replacement hiring. Top 10% for openings among careers on ChooseField.
4Route in
Verify specialty route
The specialty-specific route needs verification
Specialty requirements need verification. Prior-experience requirements vary or need verification.
5The work
Persuasive / leading
Influence, decisions, and results matter
Enforce safety rules and regulations.
6The catch
Know this first
What could make this a poor fit
Unknown: review standing, lifting, repetitive movement, and posture with a practitioner. No overall physical-demand rating is assigned.
ChooseField take
The standout national signal is opening volume; it ranks in the top quarter of ChooseField careers. It makes the most sense if persuasive or leadership-oriented work appeals to you and you are comfortable with specialty-specific requirements that need verification. Main tradeoff: Unknown: review standing, lifting, repetitive movement, and posture with a practitioner. No overall physical-demand rating is assigned.
National labor-market measures: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. Work-profile signals: O*NET. See sources and caveats.
Compare First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators with another field
Explore rankings in Transportation and Logistics
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Want the evidence behind the snapshot?
Market and path
Pay, outlook, and the route in
The labor-market benchmark for First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators covers the broader BLS group First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors (53-1047). It does not isolate this specialty.
National median pay (2025)
$62,890
A midpoint for workers nationwide, not a starting salary.
2025–2035 outlook
3%employment growth54,900openings per year
Openings include replacement hiring, not only newly created jobs.
Typical entry route
specialty-specific preparation that needs verification with programs and employers; the broader BLS occupation's education category is not a verified route for this specialty
BLS reports the usual education, related experience, and on-the-job training, not a guaranteed minimum for every employer.
2025 employment
621,500
Estimated workers in this occupation across the United States.
Source: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 occupational projections ↗ · First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors (53-1047).
Actual responsibilities
What you would be trusted to own
Selected O*NET task statements, not a list of traits that applies to almost every career.
- Enforce safety rules and regulations.
- 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.
Work profile
What the work emphasizes
O*NET importance scores. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.
- Getting Information4.7
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.4
- Developing and Building Teams4.4
- Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others4.4
- Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates4.3
Interest profile
Career interests
O*NET interest scores describe work someone may enjoy, not personality requirements. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.
Relative mix of the interest scores below, not percentages of your workday.
- Enterprising5.2
- Conventional4.8
- Realistic4.8
- Social2.6
- Investigative1.8
- Artistic1.0
Preparation
What the training must make you competent at
Subject matter
Mathematics
Production and Processing
Personnel and Human Resources
Public Safety and Security
Software and tools named in job postings
Warehouse management system WMS
Before choosing the major or training
Run a cheaper test first
- Plan a realistic route or delivery problem with time, cost, safety, and disruption constraints, then revise it when one assumption changes.
- Ask an early-career worker which beginner task consumes the most time, what makes new hires quit, and what school or training failed to simulate.
The fuller career guide
How the evidence fits together
Pay and demand: reading the benchmark
The pay and outlook figures describe the broader BLS group, First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors. They are not separate estimates for First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators, and the group's education category does not establish this specialty's qualification route.
Median pay is the middle wage across workers, not a starting offer. Projected openings include replacements as well as growth; neither measure predicts an individual worker's job security.
Before choosing a program
O*NET lists Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking among this occupation's skills. Ask a program to show the assignments, supervised practice, and assessment that develop these skills. Compare those examples with local job descriptions. Examples of tools used in the occupation include Warehouse management system WMS; check which ones employers near you actually require.
Common questions
Questions people ask about this career
Can I enter this occupation without related work experience?
A specialty-specific experience requirement is not established here. Compare entry-level vacancies, licensing rules, and employer expectations before choosing a route.
What should I check before paying for training?
Get the full prerequisite and completion timeline, total cost, placement arrangements, and any licensing eligibility in writing. Ask local employers whether they hire graduates from the route you are considering and whether paid training is available.
Adjacent options
Compare before committing
The useful question is not whether one field wins overall, but what changes when you choose a nearby path. Explore the full career guides for First-Line Supervisors of Helpers, Laborers, and Material Movers, Hand, Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors, Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers, Dredge Operators.
First-Line Supervisors of Helpers, Laborers, and Material Movers, Hand
- Median pay
- $62,890
- Growth
- 3%
Specialty requirements need verification
Compare side by side →Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors
- Median pay
- $58,170
- Growth
- 9.2%
High school diploma or equivalent + related experience
Compare side by side →Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers
- Median pay
- $61,770
- Growth
- 4.3%
High school diploma or equivalent
Compare side by side →Dredge Operators
- Median pay
- $49,640
- Growth
- 0.7%
High school diploma or equivalent
Compare side by side →Sources
- BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 occupational projections and worker characteristics: pay, employment, openings, education, experience, and training for occupation 53-1047.
- O*NET 53-1043.00 occupation summary: tasks, knowledge, work context, and technologies.