Transportation/Logistics

Industry Overview

The transportation industry is enormous, encompassing everything from municipal bus, subway, and commuter-train systems that get folks to and from work and school to the container ships that transport goods from port to port all around the globe; from the rail and trucking networks that move those containers across states, countries, and continents to the airliners we use to fly to destinations near and far for work and pleasure, to the express shipping companies "for when it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight."

This is a big industry, employing millions: In addition to the package deliverer, truck driver, and airline attendant—the ambassadors of the industry—there's a beehive of behind-the-scenes workers bustling to load containers, fuel airplanes, coordinate the logistics of thousands of railroad cars, and chart the best routes for truck drivers to take across America.

Transportation may not be sexy, but it pervades nearly every area of our lives. Without the transportation industry, economies, global and domestic, would disintegrate.

Opportunities in the industry can be classified geographically, as local, regional, national, or international. In many career paths, you'll need to pay your dues in a local job before moving up to a regional transportation outfit, and you'll have to work at a regional one before moving to a national one. And if you go into freight transportation, be aware that this sector has been consolidating, as companies seek to become global players by merging into giant, full-service transportation integrators, combining ships, trains, boats, and rail. Regardless of your specific interests, InternZoo lists positions across various transportation areas.