Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
SOC Code: 11-3071
Transportation, storage, and distribution managers carries a 53% AI exposure score (High automation risk), with a median annual wage of $102,010 and +6.1% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 216,700 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 53% AI exposure, Transportation, storage, and distribution managers sits 16 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 90% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
63/100
Transportation, storage, and distribution managers, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage A $102,010
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth A- +6.1%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) F 53% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Transportation, storage, and distribution managers in the High band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry with non-declining BLS pace
Transportation, storage, and distribution managers keeps an HS / some college bar (333 of 832) and sits in Average (378 of 832). Lower formal gates with a non-shrinking employment line - skill and AI desks matter more than credentials here.
Where Transportation, storage, and distribution managers sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Transportation, storage, and distribution managers sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
53% Higher than most higher than 90% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Transportation, storage, and distribution managers vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Transportation, storage, and distribution managers's High automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score in the 40–70% range indicates meaningful automation pressure on specific task categories, but the role as a whole still requires human judgment for coordination, exception handling, or client interaction.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 11-3071) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Transportation, storage, and distribution managers be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Transportation, storage, and distribution managers. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Supervise the activities of workers engaged in receiving, storing, testing, and shipping products or materials.
- 2. Plan, develop, or implement warehouse safety and security programs and activities.
- 3. Inspect physical conditions of warehouses, vehicle fleets, or equipment and order testing, maintenance, repairs, or replacements.
- 4. Plan, organize, or manage the work of subordinate staff to ensure that the work is accomplished in a manner consistent with organizational requirements.
- 5. Determine appropriate equipment and staffing levels to load, unload, move, or store materials.
- 6. Manage activities related to strategic or tactical purchasing, material requirements planning, controlling inventory, warehousing, or receiving.
- 7. Collaborate with other departments to integrate logistics with business systems or processes, such as customer sales, order management, accounting, or shipping.
- 8. Select transportation routes to maximize economy by combining shipments or consolidating warehousing and distribution.
- 9. Define performance metrics for measurement, comparison, or evaluation of supply chain factors, such as product cost or quality.
- 10. Implement new or improved supply chain processes to improve efficiency or performance.
Key Skills Required
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Monitoring
- Coordination
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Time Management
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Complex Problem Solving
Knowledge Areas
- Transportation
- Administration and Management
- English Language
- Economics and Accounting
- Customer and Personal Service
- Production and Processing
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Mathematics
- Computers and Electronics
- Sales and Marketing
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Transportation, storage, and distribution managers?
Transportation, storage, and distribution managers has an AI exposure score of 53%, indicating a high level of automation risk. Some tasks in this role can be augmented or partially automated by AI, but core responsibilities require human judgment.
What is the job outlook for Transportation, storage, and distribution managers?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Transportation, storage, and distribution managers is projected to grow by 6.1% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 216,700 workers.
What skills are needed for Transportation, storage, and distribution managers?
Key skills for Transportation, storage, and distribution managers include Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, and others. Typical entry-level education is High school diploma or equivalent.
How much do Transportation, storage, and distribution managers earn?
The median annual wage for Transportation, storage, and distribution managers is $102,010, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Transportation, storage, and distribution managers?
The typical entry-level education for Transportation, storage, and distribution managers is High school diploma or equivalent. Employers generally expect 5 years or more of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves None. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Transportation, storage, and distribution managers?
Transportation, storage, and distribution managers roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
High automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. A moderate share of tasks may be augmented by AI tools.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Transportation, storage, and distribution managers: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (53% here).
- Baggage porters and bellhops · AI exposure 53%
- Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels · AI exposure 53%
- Financial risk specialists · AI exposure 53%
- Food science technicians · AI exposure 53%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+6.1% here).
- Aerospace engineers · growth +6.1%
- Fast food and counter workers · growth +6.1%
- Psychiatrists · growth +6.1%
- Entertainers and performers, sports and related workers, all other · growth +6.0%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 14 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Transportation, storage, and distribution managers' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Transportation, storage, and distribution managers side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).