Transport Planner

Role Overview

We are looking for an experienced and highly organised Transport Planner to coordinate the efficient movement of our vehicle fleet and manage day-to-day transport operations.

The successful candidate will be responsible for planning and scheduling vehicle movements, allocating work to drivers, monitoring fleet activity and making operational adjustments throughout the day to ensure customer requirements are met efficiently.

This is a fast-paced role requiring strong geographical knowledge, commercial awareness, excellent communication skills and the ability to solve problems quickly while maintaining high levels of fleet utilisation.

Previous transport planning experience, relevant industry experience and good knowledge of the local area are essential.

Core Duties and Responsibilities

• Plan and schedule daily vehicle movements, ensuring work is allocated efficiently across the fleet.

• Allocate jobs to drivers based on location, vehicle availability, customer requirements and operational priorities.

• Manage and communicate with the driver team throughout the working day.

• Monitor vehicle movements and progress against the transport plan.

• Make adjustments to routes and schedules where required due to delays, breakdowns, additional work or changing customer requirements.

• Maximise vehicle utilisation while minimising unnecessary mileage, waiting time and empty running.

• Coordinate closely with sales representatives to ensure customer orders and delivery requirements are understood and achievable.

• Maintain regular communication with customers regarding deliveries, collections, timings and any changes to planned movements.

• Build and maintain strong working relationships with drivers, customers, sales representatives and operational teams.

• Monitor fleet availability and ensure vehicles are allocated appropriately to meet operational demand.

• Coordinate and manage vehicle six-weekly inspections, servicing requirements and MOT schedules.

• Ensure planned maintenance activities are incorporated into transport schedules to minimise disruption.

• Use the company's transport planning and fleet management systems accurately and efficiently.

• Maintain accurate transport records and ensure operational information is kept up to date.

• Monitor incoming emails and respond to transport-related enquiries promptly and professionally.

• Identify potential transport issues before they impact operations and take proactive action to resolve them.

• Respond quickly to operational problems including vehicle breakdowns, delays, driver availability issues and changes in customer requirements.

• Work closely with other departments to support the smooth running of daily operations.

• Maintain an understanding of transport costs and make commercially sensible decisions when planning vehicle movements.

• Continually review transport plans to identify opportunities to improve efficiency and fleet utilisation.

• Ensure transport activities are carried out in accordance with company procedures and applicable transport legislation.

Skills and Experience

Essential

• Previous experience within a Transport Planner, Transport Coordinator or similar logistics role.

• Relevant industry experience.

• Strong knowledge of the local geographical area and road network.

• Experience planning and scheduling multiple vehicle movements.

• Experience managing or coordinating drivers.

• Strong organisational and time-management skills.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.

• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to make quick operational decisions.

• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written.

• Commercial awareness and an understanding of the importance of vehicle utilisation and operational efficiency.

• Confident using transport planning systems and computer-based systems.

• Competent using email and standard Microsoft Office applications.

• Ability to work effectively within a fast-paced and changing environment.

• Proactive approach with the ability to anticipate potential problems and plan ahead.

• Strong attention to detail.

Desirable

• Experience within aggregates, construction materials, waste management, haulage or a similar transport-intensive industry.

• Knowledge of vehicle maintenance schedules, six-weekly inspections and MOT requirements.

• Understanding of operator licence requirements and transport compliance.

• Experience working with vehicle tracking or telematics systems.

Personal Attributes

The successful candidate will be:

• Highly organised and methodical.

• Calm under pressure.

• Confident making decisions.

• Commercially minded.

• Proactive rather than reactive.

• Able to think several steps ahead.

• Comfortable managing multiple tasks and changing priorities.

• A strong communicator who can build positive relationships with drivers, customers and colleagues.

• Flexible and willing to respond to the changing demands of daily transport operations.

• Focused on delivering excellent customer service while maintaining operational efficiency.