Logistics & Supply Chain
Leadership Compensation Report
What it really costs to hire and keep the leaders who move freight,
win revenue, and run the network.What it really costs to hire and keep the leaders who move freight, win revenue, and run the network.
What it really costs to hire and keep the leaders who move freight, win revenue, and run the network.
Compensation for senior transportation, logistics, and supply chain talent has reset. Three volatile years of freight markets, from capacity gluts to rate collapses to a tightening that caught many off guard, have raised the stakes. The leaders who can grow margin in a soft market and scale capacity in a tight one now command a premium, and they know it. This report distills what we see across our retained searches into clear benchmarks and the context behind them, so you can build offers that win the right person without overpaying for the wrong one.
PDF · 8 pages · Updated September 2026
Methodology
Figures are directional and reflect SearchPath's view of the market from active retained engagements, candidate conversations, and offers we see accepted and declined. This is a practitioner's field guide, not a statistical survey — use it to set expectations and pressure-test an offer, then calibrate to your specific role with us.
What's inside
- 2027 total-cash benchmarks across 30+ leadership roles — with pay-at-risk and demand for each
- How base, bonus, commission, and equity split by leadership tier
- The factors that command a premium — and how much they move comp
- Regional adjustments for gateways, inland hubs, and remote teams
- Sign-on, equity, retention, and severance norms for senior hires
- An offer-building playbook, a worked example, and a counter-offer guide