Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors

Transportation, Distribution and LogisticsO*NET 53-1041.00United States

Supervise and coordinate the activities of ground crew in the loading, unloading, securing, and staging of aircraft cargo or baggage. May determine the quantity and orientation of cargo and compute aircraft center of gravity.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning
Median annual earnings
$58,076

50th percentile, United States

Projected change
+8.4%

2025 to 2035

Typical education
High school diploma or less

74.3% of the workforce

Employment
10.67K jobs

Growing to 11.57K by 2035

Explore this career by location

Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

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The work

What aircraft cargo handling supervisors do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

  • Determine the quantity and orientation of cargo, and compute an aircraft's center of gravity.
  • Direct ground crews in the loading, unloading, securing, or staging of aircraft cargo or baggage.
  • Train new employees in areas such as safety procedures or equipment operation.
  • Distribute cargo to maximize use of space.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile
$41,495
25th percentile
$49,643
50th percentile
$58,076
75th percentile
$78,430
90th percentile
$92,289

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $58,076 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+8.4%faster than average
202510,671 jobs
2035 projected11,566 jobs

895 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

High school diploma or less
74.3%
Bachelor's degree
18.5%
Some college
4.7%
Certificate
2.6%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

  • Warehousing
  • Agriculture
  • Facility Repair And Maintenance
  • Loading And Unloading
  • Logistics
  • Palletizing
  • Forklift Truck
  • General Mathematics
  • Housekeeping
  • Lifting Ability
  • Local Security Policy
  • Suspension (Vehicle)
  • Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Management of Personnel Resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Mathematics
Using mathematics to solve problems.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Systems Analysis
Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Persuasion
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Systems Evaluation
Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

  1. 01Training Supervisors2 postings
  2. 02Cargo Warehouse Agents1 postings
  3. 03Domestic Supervisors1 postings
  4. 04Ramp Supervisors1 postings

Top employers

  1. 01Deutsche Post DHL Group4 postings
  2. 02Airport Terminal Management1 postings

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