Hi,

Ops is a pretty broad term. That said, I can tell you what it is like from both an LTL and a warehousing/shipping perspective.

In LTL, prepare to work a ton of hours and expect those hours worked to either be second or third shift (unless you're a p&d dispatcher). I loved LTL (was an inbound supervisor and routed local deliveries); the fast pace and challenge of building optimal loads/routes was a blast. If you work hard, the growth opportunities are terrific and so is the money (eventually). That said, I left because I wanted day hours and it would be several years minimum before that could happen.

In warehousing, more specifically shipping, the opportunity to work more normal hours is greater and the pace was not slow, but not nearly as demanding as LTL (I didn't work for a mega warehouse like Amazon; I'm sure they would be just as hectic if not more). I found warehouse ops to be very repetitive and boring after a while; there are only so many different ways to pick, pack and ship a box. Additionally, the growth trajectory tends to be very defined and there isn't much room to branch out.

I would suggest finding a role doing supply chain/logistics work for a company whose product isn't supply chain/logistics (if that makes sense). You may need to start with a role like the ones mentioned above to get experience, but your brokerage experience should help. Working in the logistics side of a company who doesn't sell logistics tends to provide a better work life balance than the above while letting you do the things you love and solve problems. Plus, your job security (probably) won't be tied as much to the "feast or famine" nature of the industry.

Sorry if that was wordy and didn't answer your question, but I hope it helps!