Top 12 Transportation Clerk Skills to Put on Your Resume

In the fast-moving world of logistics and transportation, a Transportation Clerk keeps the gears from grinding. Accurate records, steady coordination, and clean communication make the difference between friction and flow. If you want your resume to pop in a busy stack, showcase a mix of technical fluency, sharp organization, and practical problem-solving that proves you can handle complexity without losing speed.

Transportation Clerk Skills

1. Excel
2. QuickBooks
3. SAP
4. Oracle Transportation Management
5. Data Entry
6. GPS Tracking
7. Freight Billing
8. DOT Regulations
9. Scheduling
10. EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)
11. Inventory Management
12. Customer Service

1. Excel

Excel is a spreadsheet tool for organizing, analyzing, and storing data. For a Transportation Clerk, it’s the Swiss Army knife for schedules, shipment tracking, cost analysis, and tidy reporting.

Why It's Important

Excel helps centralize logistics data, speed up routine tasks, and cut down on errors. Better tracking. Cleaner reports. Faster decisions.

How to Improve Excel Skills

Level up by focusing on features that shrink busywork and boost clarity:

1. Advanced Formulas: Get comfortable with VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, INDEX, MATCH, SUMIFS, and date math for lead times and cutoffs.

2. PivotTables: Summarize orders, carriers, costs, and on-time rates without drowning in rows.

3. Data Validation: Lock down fields with lists and rules to keep entries consistent.

4. Conditional Formatting: Spotlight exceptions—late loads, cost spikes, missing PODs—at a glance.

5. Macros/VBA: Automate repetitive work like import-cleanup-export workflows.

6. Dashboards: Build quick-read KPI views for OTIF, dwell, claims, and carrier performance.

7. Shortcuts: Keyboard fluency pays dividends every single day.

Practice with real data, document your templates, and keep iterating—small improvements stack up fast.

How to Display Excel Skills on Your Resume

2. QuickBooks

QuickBooks is accounting software for managing invoices, expenses, payables, and basic reporting—useful for transportation operations that need tight control over billing and costs.

Why It's Important

It streamlines invoicing, expense capture, and reconciliation, helping keep cash flow predictable and records clean.

How to Improve QuickBooks Skills

1. Use the right edition: Choose the version that fits multi-user access, approvals, and reporting needs.

2. Lean on automations: Bank feeds, rules, and recurring invoices cut manual entry.

3. Customize invoices: Include lane details, PRO numbers, accessorials, and delivery timestamps.

4. Tag costs precisely: Track fuel, tolls, accessorials, and maintenance by job, route, or customer.

5. Build targeted reports: Create memorized reports for aging, margin by lane, and unbilled charges.

6. Integrate with ops tools: Sync with your TMS or dispatch system to reduce duplicate entry.

Strong chart-of-accounts design plus disciplined coding rules make everything else easier.

How to Display QuickBooks Skills on Your Resume

3. SAP

SAP is enterprise software that connects finance, logistics, procurement, and transportation into one system. Modules like TM and MM touch daily movement and inventory details.

Why It's Important

It standardizes processes, improves visibility across orders and freight, and reduces handoff errors that cause delays.

How to Improve SAP Skills

1. Master navigation and data accuracy: Fast, consistent entries prevent downstream churn.

2. Focus on SAP TM basics: Planning, tendering, execution, freight settlement, and event tracking.

3. Learn MM essentials: Goods movements, stock status, and vendor alignment.

4. Use reports and variants: Save filters and layouts for daily tasks to shave minutes every run.

5. Document processes: Clear SOPs help teams stay aligned and reduce ticket volume.

6. Stay current: New releases can change fields, flows, and validations—review notes and adapt.

How to Display SAP Skills on Your Resume

4. Oracle Transportation Management

Oracle Transportation Management (OTM) centralizes planning, execution, and settlement for shipments, across modes and carriers.

Why It's Important

It cuts cost and chaos by unifying orders, tenders, tracking, charges, and compliance into one living system.

How to Improve Oracle Transportation Management Skills

1. Learn the core objects: Orders, shipments, agents, rate records, and service providers.

2. Automate routine work: Use agents and rules for tendering, alerts, and status updates.

3. Clean up master data: Accurate carriers, locations, calendars, and rates make planning smarter.

4. Build dashboards: Surface exceptions—late tenders, failed events, missing documents—fast.

5. Share feedback: Create a loop with planners, AP, and carriers to refine flows.

6. Tap the user community: Peer insight shortens the learning curve and prevents rework.

How to Display Oracle Transportation Management Skills on Your Resume

5. Data Entry

Data entry means capturing, updating, and maintaining shipment, schedule, and billing information with precision and speed.

Why It's Important

Correct data drives the entire chain: planning, tracking, billing, compliance. Bad inputs ripple into delays and disputes.

How to Improve Data Entry Skills

1. Standardize inputs: Clear field rules, dropdowns, and templates reduce variance.

2. Automate: Use imports, EDI/API feeds, and macros to avoid retyping.

3. Use validation: Enforce formats for dates, references, and codes to catch errors early.

4. Accelerate: Learn shortcuts, batch actions, and clipboard workflows.

5. Audit regularly: Spot-check critical fields and reconcile against source docs.

6. Optimize ergonomics: Reduce fatigue—proper setup, breaks, and sane screen layouts.

How to Display Data Entry Skills on Your Resume

6. GPS Tracking

GPS tracking uses satellite and network signals to see where vehicles are, now—not hours later.

Why It's Important

Live locations help plan routes, tighten ETAs, protect cargo, and keep customers in the loop.

How to Improve GPS Tracking Skills

1. Upgrade devices: Use reliable units with strong reception and timely pings.

2. Ensure connectivity: Multi-network support reduces dead zones.

3. Choose solid software: Alerts, geofences, breadcrumb trails, and analytics matter.

4. Maintain regularly: Update firmware, check power, verify mounts and antennas.

5. Train the team: Interpret data correctly and act on alerts quickly.

6. Integrate with core systems: Tie GPS into TMS/ERP for status updates and proofing.

How to Display GPS Tracking Skills on Your Resume

7. Freight Billing

Freight billing covers the preparation and processing of charges for transportation services, including linehaul and accessorials.

Why It's Important

Accurate bills speed payments, cut disputes, and clarify margins by lane, mode, and customer.

How to Improve Freight Billing Skills

1. Automate: Use rating engines and standardized charge codes to reduce manual math.

2. Set SOPs: Clear steps for documentation, approvals, and exceptions.

3. Audit: Reconcile shipments to contracts and verify accessorial triggers.

4. Train continuously: Keep up with tariff changes and customer-specific rules.

5. Communicate fast: Resolve discrepancies with carriers and customers quickly, in writing.

6. Optimize routing: Better modes and routes lower billed costs right at the source.

7. Go digital: Electronic BOLs, PODs, and rate confirmations speed throughput.

How to Display Freight Billing Skills on Your Resume

8. DOT Regulations

DOT regulations set the safety and compliance framework for moving goods, vehicles, and drivers. Clerks touch documentation, hours-of-service records, hazmat details, and equipment status.

Why It's Important

Compliance protects people, avoids fines, and keeps freight moving without surprise shutdowns.

How to Improve DOT Regulations Skills

1. Study the core rules: Hours-of-service, vehicle inspections, driver files, hazmat documentation.

2. Keep a compliance calendar: Renewals, training, inspections—no deadlines missed.

3. Digitize records: Centralize logs, permits, BOLs, MSDS/SDS, and inspection reports.

4. Run internal audits: Sample files monthly; fix gaps before they become citations.

5. Train and refresh: Short, frequent training beats one big annual session.

6. Close the loop with ops: Flag exceptions early—defect reports, HOS risks, missing docs.

How to Display DOT Regulations Skills on Your Resume

9. Scheduling

Scheduling aligns routes, equipment, drivers, docks, and time windows so deliveries hit their marks.

Why It's Important

Good schedules shorten dwell, reduce miles, protect SLAs, and calm the chaos phones create.

How to Improve Scheduling Skills

1. Use smart tools: Route optimization, time-window constraints, and live traffic data.

2. Communicate early: Confirm appointments, send changes proactively, set clear cutoffs.

3. Prioritize: Apply urgency vs. importance to decide sequencing under pressure.

4. Buffer intelligently: Add slack where delays are common—ports, tight docks, peak lanes.

5. Collect feedback: Ask drivers and customers where friction shows up and fix it.

6. Review metrics: On-time percent, reschedules, dwell—adjust plans based on data.

How to Display Scheduling Skills on Your Resume

10. EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)

EDI is a standardized way to exchange documents—load tenders, invoices, shipment status—system to system.

Why It's Important

It reduces manual entry, speeds processing, and slashes errors between shippers, carriers, and brokers.

How to Improve EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) Skills

1. Standardize formats: Use consistent mappings for ANSI X12 or EDIFACT documents.

2. Integrate tightly: Connect EDI with your TMS and accounting so data flows once.

3. Monitor transactions: Set alerts for acks, rejections, and missing updates.

4. Harden security: Use secure transport (AS2/SFTP), rotate credentials, audit access.

5. Document maps: Keep translation rules and partner specs versioned and shareable.

6. Blend with APIs where sensible: Some partners prefer APIs—support both cleanly.

How to Display EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) Skills on Your Resume

11. Inventory Management

Inventory management tracks what’s on hand, what’s committed, and what’s inbound so orders can move without surprises.

Why It's Important

Good control reduces stockouts, overstock, and scramble runs. Lower costs, smoother turns.

How to Improve Inventory Management Skills

1. Adopt real-time systems: Use tools that show current counts, not yesterday’s snapshot.

2. Barcode/RFID: Scan everything. Faster counts, fewer mistakes.

3. Cycle counts: Short, frequent checks beat rare, giant reconciliations.

4. Tighten receiving: Verify quantities and condition on arrival; capture discrepancies immediately.

5. Forecast intelligently: Use history, seasonality, and lead times to plan.

6. Strengthen supplier ties: Share forecasts, confirm dates, escalate misses quickly.

7. Improve slotting: Place fast movers close; reduce travel and touches.

How to Display Inventory Management Skills on Your Resume

12. Customer Service

Customer service is the steady drumbeat of updates, solutions, and calm guidance for shippers, receivers, and partners.

Why It's Important

Clear communication lowers anxiety, resolves issues before they swell, and builds trust that lasts longer than a single load.

How to Improve Customer Service Skills

1. Communicate proactively: Share ETAs, delays, and resolutions without being asked.

2. Tight processes: Track tickets, document outcomes, and confirm closures.

3. Anticipate issues: Weather, capacity, tight windows—offer options early.

4. Train regularly: Practice tough conversations and playbooks for common problems.

5. Personalize: Learn each customer’s quirks—preferred formats, cutoffs, and escalation paths.

How to Display Customer Service Skills on Your Resume