Transportation & Logistics

A Career to Consider

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:

Transportation and logistics is the second largest employment sector in the United States. Positions with local business through global corporations, as well as those within the federal government, are available for individuals with the right skills and credentials in transportation and logistics management.

Transportation and Warehousing (NAICS 48)

The Transportation and Warehousing sector includes industries providing transportation of:

• Passengers and cargo
• Warehousing and storage for goods
• Scenic and sightseeing transportation
• Support activities related to modes of transportation

Establishments in these industries use transportation equipment or transportation related facilities as a productive asset. The type of equipment depends on the mode of transportation. The modes of transportation are:

• Air
• Rail
• Water
• Road
• Pipeline

The Transportation and Warehousing sector distinguishes three basic types of activities:

• Subsectors for each mode of transportation
• Subsector for warehousing and storage
• Subsector for establishments providing support activities for transportation

In addition, there are subsectors for establishments that provide passenger transportation for:

• Scenic and sightseeing purposes
• Postal services
• Courier services

A separate subsector for support activities is established in the sector because, first, support activities for transportation are inherently multimodal, such as freight transportation arrangement, or have multimodal aspects. Secondly, there are production process similarities among the support activity industries.

Transportation 

When talking about industries that hold up an economy, quite often the focus is on those industries that naturally have a high profile. When scanning the business section of the newspaper you will invariably see an article on aerospace, software, or biotech to name a few. Rarely do we see major headlines regarding the goings-on of the underlying support industries. It reminds me of the common complaint among linemen in football, that all of the glory goes to the guys who actually get to touch the ball. We all know that a football team without any linemen can’t score any points, but it seems we often forget to give a little credit to the linemen of our economy, namely support industries. This month’s industry focus is going to take a look at a vital part of Washington’s economic infrastructure—Transportation (North American Industry Classification System—NAICS 48).  Rick Lockhart, Economic Analyst

Occupations in Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics listed by level of training :  

Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics :

• Planning
• Management and movement of:
• People
• Materials and goods by:
• Road
• Pipeline
• Air
• Rail
• Water

• Related professional and technical support services such as:
  
• Transportation
• Infrastructure planning and management
• Logistics services
• Mobile equipment
• Facility maintenance
  
  

Top 4 Transportation Industries in Spokane

Rail transportation

General freight trucking

Specialized freight trucking

Support activities for air transportation

 

Rail Transportation (NAICS 482)
Industries in the Rail Transportation subsector provide rail transportation of passengers and/or cargo using railroad rolling stock. The railroads in this subsector primarily either operate on networks, with physical facilities, labor force, and equipment spread over an extensive geographic area, or operate over a short distance on a local rail line. Scenic and sightseeing rail transportation and street railroads, commuter rail, and rapid transit are not included in this subsector but are included in Subsector 487, Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, and Subsector 485, Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation, respectively. Although these activities use railroad rolling stock, they are different from the activities included in rail transportation. Sightseeing and scenic railroads do not usually involve place-to-place transportation; the passenger's trip typically starts and ends at the same location. Commuter railroads operate in a manner more consistent with local and urban transit and are often part of integrated transit systems.

Transit and Ground Passenger Transport (NAICS 485)
Industries in the Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation subsector include a variety of passenger transportation activities, such as urban transit systems; chartered bus, school bus, and interurban bus transportation; and taxis. These activities are distinguished based primarily on such production process factors as vehicle types, routes, and schedules. In this subsector, the principal splits identify scheduled transportation as separate from nonscheduled transportation. The scheduled transportation industry groups are Urban Transit Systems, Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation, and School and Employee Bus Transportation. The nonscheduled industry groups are the Charter Bus Industry and Taxi and Limousine Service. The Other Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation Industry group includes both scheduled and nonscheduled transportation. Scenic and sightseeing ground transportation services are not included in this subsector but are included in Subsector 487, Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation. Sightseeing does not usually involve place-to-place transportation; the passenger's trip starts and ends at the same location.

Support Activities for Transportation (NAICS 488)
Industries in the Support Activities for Transportation subsector provide services which support transportation. These services may be provided to transportation carrier establishments or to the general public. This subsector includes a wide array of establishments, including air traffic control services, marine cargo handling, and motor vehicle towing. The Support Activities for Transportation subsector includes services to transportation but is separated by type of mode serviced. The Support Activities for Rail Transportation industry includes services to the rail industry (e.g., railroad switching and terminal establishments). Ship repair and maintenance not done in a shipyard are included in Other Support Activities for Water Transportation. An example would be a floating drydock services in a harbor. Excluded from this subsector are establishments primarily engaged in providing factory conversion and overhaul of transportation equipment, which are classified in Subsector 336, Transportation Equipment Manufacturing. Also, establishments primarily engaged in providing rental and leasing of transportation equipment without operator are classified in Subsector 532, Rental and Leasing Services.

Truck Transportation (NAICS 484)
Industries in the Truck Transportation subsector provide over-the-road transportation of cargo using motor vehicles, such as trucks and tractor trailers. The subsector is subdivided into general freight trucking and specialized freight trucking. This distinction reflects differences in equipment used, type of load carried, scheduling, terminal, and other networking services. General freight transportation establishments handle a wide variety of general commodities, generally palletized, and transported in a container or van trailer. Specialized freight transportation is the transportation of cargo that, because of size, weight, shape, or other inherent characteristics require specialized equipment for transportation. Each of these industry groups is further subdivided based on distance traveled. Local trucking establishments primarily carry goods within a single metropolitan area and its adjacent nonurban areas. Long distance trucking establishments carry goods between metropolitan areas. The Specialized Freight Trucking industry group includes a separate industry for Used Household and Office Goods Moving. The household and office goods movers are separated because of the substantial network of establishments that has developed to deal with local and long-distance moving and the associated storage. In this area, the same establishment provides both local and long-distance services, while other specialized freight establishments generally limit their services to either local or long-distance hauling.

Scheduled Air Transportation (NAICS 481110)
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in providing air transportation of passengers and/or cargo over regular routes and on regular schedules. Establishments in this industry operate flights even if partially loaded. Establishments primarily engaged in providing scheduled air transportation of mail on a contract basis are included in this industry. Illustrative Examples: Air commuter carriers, scheduled; Scheduled air cargo carriers (except air couriers); Scheduled air passenger carriers; Scheduled helicopter passenger carriers.

Nonscheduled Air Transportation (NAICS 481210)
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in (1) providing air transportation of passengers and/or cargo with no regular routes and regular schedules or (2) providing specialty flying services with no regular routes and regular schedules using general purpose aircraft. These establishments have more flexibility with respect to choice of airports, hours of operation, load factors, and similar operational characteristics. Illustrative Examples: Air taxi services; Aircraft charter services; Nonscheduled air freight transportation services; Nonscheduled air passenger transportation services.