Analyzing routes, costs, and logistics data to help transportation operations run faster and cheaper.
As a Transportation Analyst at the mid level, you analyze transportation data to support logistics decisions. You work with shipping data, carrier performance metrics, route information, and cost breakdowns to identify inefficiencies and recommend improvements. You're building the analytical skills and domain knowledge that transportation optimization requires.
Your day is data-driven. You might pull freight spend data from the TMS, analyze carrier on-time performance, model the cost impact of a route change, or create a report showing seasonal shipping patterns. You need solid Excel and SQL skills, and increasingly, experience with analytics platforms and visualization tools.
At the mid level, you're handling standard analysis independently — cost comparisons, performance dashboards, carrier scorecards — while learning the operational context that makes analysis actionable. Understanding why a route costs more (terrain, fuel, tolls, driver availability) matters as much as knowing that it does.
An honest look at who tends to thrive in this role — and who might find it challenging.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Engineering roles →Analyzing routes, costs, and logistics data to help transportation operations run faster and cheaper.
Median pay for a Transportation Analyst is about $85K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $38K to $161K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Writing, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, and Speaking.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 5.93% through 2034, with roughly 635,600 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Senior Transportation Analyst, Transportation Director, and Transportation Program Director.
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