The increasing globalisation of business means that a graduate career in transport is more exciting than ever before: there are more opportunities, greater variety, and the rewards can be great too.

Working as a transport and logistics manager can be extremely complex and pressurised. To succeed, you’ll need a unique combination of knowledge, skills and personal qualities.

Transport and logistics today

The transport and logistics sector has undergone revolutionary change in recent decades. As well as growing exponentially, it has seen a number of business changes, including the reinvention of distribution channels, privatisation and consolidation.

Some parts of the sector are facing increased competition: Royal Mail has lost its 350-year monopoly on the delivery of personal and business post, for example.

Graduate jobs in transport and logistics

Managers in this field have to make difficult decisions in a complex environment, deciding, after weighing up factors such as speed, cost and flexibility, the most effective mode of transport to use in any given situation.

The work can be stressful but also highly rewarding, because graduates can make a major contribution to the performance of companies in terms of efficiency and the bottom line.

Graduate-job descriptions

• Air transport manager
• Logistics / distribution manager
• Materials handler / freight forwarder
• Postal operations manager
• Road transport engineer
• Shipping / maritime operations manager
• Transport manager
• Warehouse manager

Trans-shipment

Working in transportation, logistics and supply can also be intellectually challenging. Deciding, for instance, whether to use air freight, sea transport, rail or road is not simply a matter of cost.

One of the key issues can be the avoidance of trans-shipment and the ease with which transport modes are linked.

In transport, more so than in many other sectors, time is definitely money. Delays in a shipment reaching a scheduled destination can mean hefty financial penalties. This is one of the daily challenges that transport managers face.

Outsourcing

Outsourcing – asking another company or third party to do a certain aspect of the work – is another big issue in the sector. For example, some companies now offer logistics services in the form of purchasing, freight forwarding, order picking and transport.

The contracts for the outsourced parts of the business need careful management, and in some cases there are specific outsourcing managers.

Environmental impact

Another key issue that transport managers always have to consider is the effect that their business activity is having on the environment. They must ensure that they are complying with the latest regulations and legislation.

Skills for transport and logistics

A practical and efficient mind, the ability to think clearly under pressure, and some excellent motivational skills are some of the qualities needed by graduates for a successful career in transport.

Graduates who work in transport come from a wide range of disciplines, but are often fascinated by the logistics of how you move things from A to B. It is this genuine enthusiasm for the work that will lead to a successful career.