Service Jobs - Transportation

Transportation and Warehousing Services (revised fall 2024)

Jobs in transportation and warehousing jumped from 3.478 million in 1990 to 4.407 million in 2000, and still at 6.565 million jobs by 2024. Establishments hauling freight and moving passengers in modal transportation have 2.451 million of the jobs as part of air, rail, water, pipeline, truck, bus, taxi, and limousines services. Truck transportation firms have 1.567 million of these jobs, more than half of modal transportation employment.

In addition, sub sectors in transportation support services that include couriers and messenger services and warehouse and storage services have another 3.715 million jobs as part of the NAICS transportation sector. Support services defy easy description, but jobs provide services for port, terminal and harbor operations including airports and do loading, unloading, navigation, logistics, packing, crating, and towing, but very little transporting. Couriers and messengers have 1.083 million jobs; warehousing and storage alone have 1.808 million jobs. All three of these sub sectors continue to grow faster than modal transportation.

Only about 46 percent of driving occupations are in this, the transportation and warehousing sector. That is mostly because driving jobs are in many sectors especially wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing and construction. There are 4.353 million driving jobs in the whole economy, including bus drivers and chauffeurs. More than half of transit and school bus drivers work for schools as part of local government or education sectors, which is more than half of 555.8 thousand bus driver jobs. School bus driving classifies as major employment with over 371.3 thousand jobs throughout the country. It is secure work; too bad it has such low pay.

Add up all the jobs in the economy as airline pilots, locomotive engineers and boat, ship or barge captains but it comes to just over 163.8 thousand. Drivers outnumber pilots, railroad engineers and boat captains more than twenty-ficw to one. Unlike driving, slightly over 90 percent of the airline pilots, locomotive engineers and boat, ship and barge captains work in transportation where they make up 2.7 percent of staffing in the transportation industry. Drivers make up 30 percent of staffing in the transportation industry.

Almost of the 493.1 thousand jobs that require college degree skills are for bachelor’s degrees and 370 thousand of them are in management, finance and computer occupations rather than transportation occupations. Only airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers make the Bureau of Labor Statistics list of transportation occupations needing college degree skills. Air traffic controllers need an associates degree and long term on the jobs training. Otherwise high school skills with some on the job training are the necessary preparation for transportation occupations.

Public debate continues about our transportation system. We know that Congress planned and funded the Interstate highway system and continues to collect a federal gas tax to pay for maintenance and occasional expansion. States build roads with their own taxes and bonds. Rail advocates complain that trucks are subsidized by having free access to federal and Interstate highways without tolls. Truckers say they pay thousands in gas taxes so roads are just like business and not subsidized by truckers. We could argue on and on until we are all exhausted. Whatever side to take on transportation issues it is hard to image a freight system that would generate more driving jobs than the one we have. Discussion of automated truck driving that put 1.5 million jobs in jeopardy. We all want a job and America needs jobs so maybe that is part of the reason we drive so many trucks.

With 134.453 million service jobs, transportation and warehouse employment gives us 6.565 million jobs that have 4.2 percent of establishment employment. Transportation and warehouse employment continues to grow at approximately the national rate with a small increase in share of national employment since 1990. Expect more jobs in this sector but not too many, rather the number necessary to maintain its share.

We have reached the half way mark in the discussion of service sector jobs. Out of a 134.453 million jobs, 71.412 million of America’s service jobs are behind us. There are 63.041 million left to go. Jobs in trade are left, but also rental and leasing, administrative support services, repair and maintenance services, personal service, food and accommodation services and the “biggie” of all biggest, government.