Dispatch Manager

SUMMARY OF JOB PURPOSE:

The Transportation Manager plans, coordinates, and improves the safe and efficient transportation of finished products to customers and project sites. This position oversees drivers, fleet utilization, delivery scheduling, regulatory compliance, transportation costs, and third-party carriers. The Transportation Manager works closely with Sales, Production, Yard Operations, Customer Service, and Plant Management to ensure deliveries are completed safely, on time, and within budget.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Plan and coordinate daily and weekly delivery schedules.
• Match available trucks, trailers, drivers, and outside carriers with delivery requirements.
• Coordinate with Production and Yard Operations to confirm products are ready before dispatch.
• Monitor deliveries and address delays, breakdowns, site restrictions, and schedule changes.
• Provide drivers with accurate delivery instructions, jobsite information, permits, and documentation.
• Communicate delivery changes and service issues promptly to customers and internal teams.
• Balance company fleet utilization with outside carrier capacity.
• Ensure compliance with DOT, FMCSA, state, and company transportation requirements.
• Maintain driver qualification files, vehicle records, permits, registrations, and required documentation.
• Monitor hours of service, electronic logs, vehicle inspections, load securement, and driver performance.
• Lead transportation safety meetings and driver training.
• Investigate accidents and delivery-related incidents; implement and track corrective actions.
• Coordinate preventive maintenance, inspections, and repairs for trucks and trailers.
• Monitor fleet availability and minimize equipment downtime.
• Maintain records for maintenance costs, fuel usage, mileage, and equipment condition.
• Recommend vehicle replacement or capital investment based on operating costs and fleet needs.
• Monitor transportation cost per mile, hour, delivery, and as a percentage of sales.
• Review overtime, fuel usage, empty miles, detention time, and third-party freight costs.
• Approve and verify freight invoices and supporting delivery documentation.
• Improve routing, backhauls, load utilization, and delivery efficiency.
• Prepare transportation budgets, forecasts, and monthly performance reports.
• Supervise, coach, and evaluate drivers, dispatchers, and transportation employees.
• Recruit, onboard, train, and develop transportation personnel.
• Establish expectations for safety, attendance, equipment care, service, and performance.
• Coordinate jobsite access, unloading conditions, delivery windows, and special equipment needs.
• Resolve delivery complaints and implement appropriate corrective actions.
• Coordinate oversized or overweight loads, permits, routing, and pilot vehicles.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

SECONDARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Monitor on-time delivery, preventable accidents, fleet utilization, fuel efficiency, empty miles, equipment downtime, and customer delivery complaints.
• Develop cross-training and succession plans for key transportation positions.
• Lead continuous-improvement projects related to safety, service, and transportation cost.

JOB SCOPE:

• Manages day-to-day transportation operations and responds to changing production schedules, customer requirements, equipment availability, and jobsite conditions.
• Makes operating decisions that affect safety, customer service, fleet utilization, freight cost, and company performance.

INTERPERSONAL CONTACTS:

• Collaborates with drivers, dispatchers, Sales, Production, Yard Operations, Customer Service, Plant Management, customers, contractors, regulatory agencies, vendors, and third-party carriers.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES:

The requirements below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and ability required to perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Working knowledge of DOT, FMCSA, hours-of-service, vehicle inspection, and load-securement requirements.
• Experience managing commercial drivers, fleet maintenance, and third-party carriers.
• Strong scheduling, communication, problem-solving, leadership, and organizational skills.
• Ability to manage changing priorities in a fast-paced operating environment.
• Ability to analyze transportation costs and develop budgets, forecasts, and performance reports.
• Ability to communicate professionally with employees, customers, contractors, and regulatory agencies.
• Proficiency with transportation-management systems, electronic logging systems, GPS tracking, Microsoft Excel, and related business software.
• Valid driver's license with an acceptable driving record; commercial driver's license preferred but not required.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE:

• High school diploma or equivalent required; associate or bachelor's degree in transportation, logistics, supply chain, business, or a related field preferred.
• Five or more years of transportation, dispatch, fleet, or logistics experience preferred.
• Three or more years of supervisory or management experience preferred.
• Experience in manufacturing, construction materials, precast concrete, heavy haul, or building products strongly preferred.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS/WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical Activity

Over 2/3 of the time:

• Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word; those activities where detailed or important spoken instructions must be conveyed to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.

• Communicating: Expressing or exchanging ideas and information accurately, in written or diagram form.

• Hearing:  Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction, and having the ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and making fine discriminations in sound.

• Repetitive motions: Making substantial movements (motions) of the wrist, hands, and/or fingers such as moving a mouse and typing.

Up to 2/3 of the time:

• Balancing: Maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling when walking, standing or crouching on narrow, slippery or erratically moving surfaces. (This factor is important if the amount and kind of balancing the amount and kind of balancing exceeds that needed for ordinary locomotion and maintenance of body equilibrium,)

• Stooping: Positions self to access files or lift items off the floor.
• Kneeling/Crouching: Position self to file documents and open lower drawers as well as to lift boxes and other items.
• Standing /Sit: Remaining upright in a stationary position, particularly for sustained periods.
• Walking: Moving about to accomplish tasks, particularity for long distances or moving from one work site to another. 

Less than 1/3 of the time:

• Climbing: Ascending or descending ladders, stairs, scaffolding, ramps, poles and the like, using feet and legs and/or hands and arms.
• Crawling : Moving about to positon self
• Reaching: Grabbing things from a distance above or from the side.
• Pushing: Using upper extremities to press against something with steady force in order to thrust forward downward or outward.
• Pulling: Using upper extremities to exert force in order to draw, drag, haul or tug objects in a sustained motion.
• Lifting: Raining objects from a lower to a higher position or move objects horizontally from position to position.

Physical Requirements

• Sedentary work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, or otherwise moving objects, including the human body.

Visual Acuity

• The worker is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading; visual inspection involving small defects, small parts and/or operation of machines (including inspection); using measurement devices; and/or assembly or fabrication of parts at distances close to the eyes.

Vision Requirements:

Up to 2/3 of time, the worker is required to have:

• The worker is required to have peripheral vision (ability to observe an area that can be seen up and down or to the left and right while eyes are fixed on a given point)

• The worker is required to have depth perception (three-dimensional vison, ability to judge distance and spatial relationships.)

• The worker is required to have the ability to adjust visual focus (ability to adjust the eye to bring an object into sharp focus)

Less than to 1/3 of the time the worker is subject to:

• The worker is required to have close vision (clear vision at 20 inches or less)
• The worker is required to have distance vision (clear vison at 20 feet or more )
• The worker is required to have color vision (ability to identify and distinguish colors)

Weather Conditions

Up to 2/3 of the time:

• The worker is subject to inside environmental conditions: Protection from weather conditions but not necessarily from temperature changes.

• The worker is subject to outside environmental conditions: No effective protection from weather.

• The worker is subject to both environmental conditions: activities occur inside and outside.

• The worker is subject to extreme cold: Temperatures typically below 32 degrees for periods of more than one hour (Consideration should be given to the effect of other environmental conditions such as wind and humidity.)

•  The worker is subject to extreme heat: Temperatures above 100 degrees for periods of more than one hour.(Consideration should be given to the effect of other environmental conditions such as wind and humidity.)

• The worker is subject to noise: There is sufficient noise to cause the worker to shout in order to be heard above the ambient noise level.

•  The worker is subject to hazards: Includes a variety of physical conditions such as proximity to moving mechanical parts, moving vehicles electrical current working on scaffolding and high places exposure to high heat or exposure to chemical.
• None: The worker is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions (as in typical office or administrative work)

Less than 1/3 of the time:

• The worker is subject to vibration: Exposure to oscillating movements of the extremities or whole body.

• The worker is subject to oils: There is air and/or skin exposure to oils and other cutting fluids.

Noise Levels

Up to 2/3 of the time:

• Loud noise (examples: metal can be manufacturing department large earth-moving equipment)
• Very loud noise (example: jack hammer work, front row at rock concert)

Less than 1/3 of the time:

• Moderate noise (examples: business office with computers and printers, light traffic)

Supervision Received: 

General Direction: The incumbent exercises wide latitude in determining objectives and approaches to critical assignments. Generally, the incumbent is in charge of an area of work, and typically formulates policy for this area but does not necessarily have final authority for approving policy.

Personal Protective Equipment is required when in the Plant, Yard or Construction Areas:

• Hard Hat

• Safety Glasses
• Steel-toed Boots
• Hearing Protection
• Reflective Vest