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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators?
Task-level automation exposure for First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators: 22 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
44%
weighted task index
22 of 22 tasks scored
Median Salary
$62,840 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — 53-1040 group row
Employment Level
Very High
633,400 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projection
Not projected
BLS's 2025–35 matrix has no equivalent code for this occupation — mostly military branches, which it does not project.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 44%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 12%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 45%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 9%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 29/100
Moderate
O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.
Constituent Task Mix
22 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 37%
8 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 24%
6 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 39%
8 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Constituent Tasks
#8584 · Core · 22% automatable
Enforce safety rules and regulations.
physical manipulation — Material handling direction is on-floor supervision
Direct material handling or moving activities.
#8593 · Core · 62% automatable
Interpret transportation or tariff regulations, shipping orders, safety regulations, or company policies and procedures for workers.
information retrieval — AI explains policies; human handles live questions
Explain regulations, policies, or procedures.
#8588 · Core · 30% automatable
Resolve worker problems or collaborate with employees to assist in problem resolution.
interpersonal — Personnel problems need live judgment and trust
Resolve personnel problems.
#8586 · Core · 42% automatable
Confer with customers, supervisors, contractors, or other personnel to exchange information or to resolve problems.
decision support — AI suggests fixes; human resolves in operations
Resolve issues affecting transportation operations.
#8585 · Core · 60% automatable
Plan work assignments and equipment allocations to meet transportation, operations or production goals.
decision support — Operational planning drafted; execution accountability human
Plan work operations.
#8603 · Core · 26% automatable
Examine, measure, or weigh cargo or materials to determine specific handling requirements.
physical manipulation — Hands-on dimensional measurement of material
Measure product or material dimensions. Weigh materials to ensure compliance with specifications.
#8594 · Core · 62% automatable
Explain and demonstrate work tasks to new workers or assign training tasks to experienced workers.
information retrieval — AI explains policies; human handles live questions
Explain regulations, policies, or procedures.
#8589 · Core · 80% automatable
Review orders, production schedules, blueprints, or shipping or receiving notices to determine work sequences and material shipping dates, types, volumes, or destinations.
information retrieval — Parse work orders into procedures reliably
Review work orders or schedules to determine operations or procedures.
#8605 · Core · 5% automatable
Drive vehicles or operate machines or equipment to complete work assignments or to assist workers.
physical manipulation — Hands-on vehicle and equipment operation
Operate vehicles or material-moving equipment.
#8599 · Core · 22% automatable
Inspect or test materials, stock, vehicles, equipment, or facilities to ensure that they are safe, free of defects, and consistent with specifications.
physical manipulation — Testing samples requires lab hands-on work
Test materials, solutions, or samples. Inspect motor vehicles. Inspect facilities to ensure compliance with safety, quality, or service standards.
#8592 · Core · 81% automatable
Maintain or verify records of time, materials, expenditures, or crew activities.
data analysis — Record production data into structured logs
Verify information or specifications. Record operational or production data.
#8597 · Core · 68% automatable
Requisition needed personnel, supplies, equipment, parts, or repair services.
decision support — Acquisition workflow aided; human commits resources
Acquire supplies or equipment.
#8591 · Core · 45% automatable
Recommend and implement measures to improve worker motivation, equipment performance, work methods, or customer services.
interpersonal — High-stakes personnel calls carry legal accountability
Recommend personnel decisions or human resources activities.
#8595 · Core · 77% automatable
Prepare, compile, and submit reports on work activities, operations, production, or work-related accidents.
data analysis — Record production data into structured logs
Record operational or production data. Prepare accident or incident reports.
#8601 · Core · 25% automatable
Dispatch personnel and vehicles in response to telephone or radio reports of emergencies.
interpersonal — Emergency direction is live, high-stakes human command
Direct emergency management activities.
#20455 · Core · 40% automatable
Monitor field work to ensure proper performance and use of materials.
visual inspection — AI can review footage; human inspects physical workplace
Monitor work environment to ensure safety or adherence to specifications.
#8596 · Core · 45% automatable
Recommend or implement personnel actions, such as employee selection, evaluation, rewards, or disciplinary actions.
interpersonal — High-stakes personnel calls carry legal accountability
Recommend personnel decisions or human resources activities.
#8602 · Supplemental · 37% automatable
Perform or schedule repairs or preventive maintenance of vehicles or other equipment.
data analysis — AI schedules maintenance; human coordinates execution
Arrange maintenance activities. Maintain vehicles in good working condition.
#8600 · Supplemental · 55% automatable
Compute or estimate cash, payroll, transportation, personnel, or storage requirements.
decision support — Broad resource determination needs organizational judgment
Determine resource needs.
#23693 · Core · 4% automatable
Assist workers in tasks, such as loading vehicles.
physical manipulation — Physical lifting and loading of shipments
Load shipments, belongings, or materials.
#23694 · Core · 24% automatable
Direct workers in transportation or related services, such as pumping, moving, storing, or loading or unloading of materials.
situated mobility — Transport direction needs real-time operational control
Direct passenger or freight transport activities. Direct material handling or moving activities.
#23695 · Core · 68% automatable
Plan and establish schedules.
data analysis — AI plans transport schedules; human handles disruptions
Schedule product or material transportation.
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How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
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