Transportation Manager

About This Role

This leadership role is responsible for developing transportation strategies, managing freight costs, strengthening carrier relationships, and ensuring reliable, cost-effective delivery of raw materials and finished goods across a national distribution network. It suits an experienced Transportation Manager with extensive domestic transportation experience, strong analytical and negotiation skills, and a customer-focused leadership style.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute transportation strategies that improve service levels, control costs, and support business growth
• Oversee domestic freight operations, including truckload, LTL, parcel, intermodal, expedited, and dedicated transportation
• Manage carrier, broker, and third-party logistics relationships, including rate negotiations, contracts, and service agreements
• Monitor freight spending, budgets, carrier performance, and service metrics to identify opportunities for cost savings and operational improvement
• Partner with logistics planners and cross-functional teams to coordinate inbound and outbound transportation activities
• Collaborate with Sales, Customer Service, Manufacturing, Procurement, Planning, and Warehousing to meet customer commitments and resolve transportation challenges
• Lead root-cause analysis and corrective actions related to service disruptions, delivery issues, and freight claims
• Support domestic transportation planning for imported materials and products, working closely with international logistics partners
• Ensure compliance with applicable DOT, FMCSA, transportation, and safety regulations
• Promote teamwork, accountability, continuous improvement, and professional development across transportation operations

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive transportation leadership experience in manufacturing, distribution, converting, or supply chain operations
• Extensive experience managing domestic transportation modes, including truckload, LTL, parcel, intermodal, and dedicated transportation
• Proven success negotiating freight rates and carrier agreements and managing third-party transportation providers
• Demonstrated ability to use data and performance metrics to reduce costs, improve service, and drive operational efficiency
• Experience supporting customer-facing supply chain operations where timely, reliable delivery is critical
• Strong leadership, communication, problem-solving, and cross-functional collaboration skills
• High school diploma or GED required; equivalent experience and a demonstrated record of transportation leadership and results are highly valued in lieu of a degree

Nice to have:

• Working knowledge of international shipping, ocean freight, and import logistics