Transport Planner
Impact: Optimising transport routes and schedules to deliver goods efficiently and cost-effectively across the supply chain
Plan and optimise transport routes and schedules for a road haulage, distribution, or delivery operation, ensuring efficient use of vehicles and drivers while meeting customer delivery windows. Build daily transport plans; allocate loads to vehicles; manage driver schedules; optimise routes using transport planning software; and report on transport efficiency KPIs. Develop expertise in a specific transport planning domain such as multi-drop delivery, trunking, or specialist transport.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Moderate
- Team vs solo
- 50% Team / 50% Solo
- Client facing
- Sometimes
- Impact visibility
- Moderate
- Travel
- Minimal
- Schedule flexibility
- Structured
- Remote work
- Hybrid
- Typical work hours
- 38-50 hours/week
- Stress level
- High
At a glance
- Median salary
- $40,000
- Entry-level
- $24,000 - $34,000
- Senior
- $62,000+
- Growth by 2033
- 4% (transport optimisation growing; AI tools augmenting rather than replacing planners)
- Demand
- Stable
- Freelance potential
- Low
- Salary growth potential
- High -- 80-160% growth from transport planner to transport manager or logistics director
- Typical student debt
- $0 - $15,000
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Transport planning software (Paragon
- Descartes Routing)
- Route optimisation
- Driver hours management
- Load planning
- Transport KPI management
- Drivers' hours regulations
Soft skills
- Analytical thinking
- Problem-solving
- Communication
- Attention to detail
- Time management
Technical complexity: Moderate
How to get there
- Minimum education
- Certificate or Vocational Training
- Licensing
- No
- Years to mid-career
- 2-4 years
- Years to senior
- 5-10 years
- Career switching
- Moderate
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
- Logistics Coordinator
- HGV Driver
Where you can go from here
- Transport Manager
- Logistics Director
Typical progression
- Transport Planner
- Senior Planner
- Transport Manager
- Logistics Director
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 30% -- AI-powered route optimisation is growing but complex planning requires human judgment
- AI disruption risk
- Moderate
- Demand trend
- Stable
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 7/10
- Meaning
- 7/10
- Work-life balance
- 6.5/10
- Prestige
- 6/10
- Social perception
- Moderate