Transportation Manager

Transportation Manager

Company: Southland Trucking Incorporated
Location: Amite, Louisiana
Position Type: Full-Time
Supervises: Trucking Coordinator / Logistics Assistant; day-to-day direction of approximately ten CDL flatbed drivers

Position Summary

The Transportation Manager leads Southland's trucking operation and is accountable for its safety, service, and financial results. This is a senior management position that drives the performance and growth of the fleet and works directly with executive leadership. The Trucking Coordinator, who handles load entry, billing, and paperwork, reports to this role.

The Transportation Manager owns dispatch, driver monitoring and performance, accurate and timely invoicing, the fleet's profit and loss (P&L), DOT/FMCSA compliance, and fleet efficiency, and sets the direction for how the operation improves. Technology is central to how this work gets done. The role relies every day on ShipTrak, Southland's in-house platform for loads, dispatch, customer requests, and billing, and on Motive (ELD, GPS, dashcams, DVIRs, fuel and safety data), and works with Southland's application team to keep our systems running smoothly. They are also responsible for meeting the reasonable expectations of Project Managers with a high customer service score.

The ideal candidate is a proven operations leader who can set direction, hold people accountable, and still step in on a call with a driver at 5 a.m. or 10 p.m. Programming is not required, but comfort with technology is. highly preferred.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Operational Leadership

• Drive the overall performance of the trucking operation, including safety, on-time service, utilization, and profitability.
• Set operating goals and KPIs with executive leadership and hold the team accountable to them.
• Build and improve the processes, policies, and controls that allow the operation to grow.
• Identify growth opportunities, including new lanes, customers, backhauls, and brokerage capacity.
• Recommend equipment, staffing, and technology investments to executive leadership with a clear business case.
• Partner with Southland facilities and executive leadership to align transportation with production and delivery needs.

Fleet Operations and Dispatch

• Lead daily planning, dispatch, and driver scheduling to maximize utilization and on-time delivery.
• Build local and regional routes around delivery windows, production schedules, and customer requirements.
• Use ShipTrak and Motive to track loads, manage exceptions, and keep customers updated in real time.
• Respond promptly to customer shipping requests and keep load status current so customers can see where their freight is.
• Reduce deadhead miles and idle time; find and book backhauls and brokered loads when company trucks are available.
• Coordinate with Southland production, sales, and yard teams so freight is ready when trucks arrive.

Driver Monitoring and Team Leadership

• Monitor driver activity daily in Motive, including location, hours of service, idle time, speeding, harsh braking, and dashcam events.
• Review driver performance regularly; coach drivers, recognize strong performers, and document corrective actions.
• Lead and develop the Trucking Coordinator and the driver team.
• Lead recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and training of drivers, including training on Motive and company applications.
• Manage attendance, performance, and disciplinary actions in partnership with Human Resources.
• Conduct regular safety meetings and maintain open, respectful communication with drivers.

Invoicing and P&L

• Own the fleet's P&L, tracking revenue, fuel, maintenance, driver pay, tolls, insurance, and brokerage costs against budget.
• Develop the annual trucking budget with executive leadership and manage the operation to it.
• Monitor revenue per mile, cost per mile, and margin by load, lane, and customer; take action on loads and lanes that are not profitable.
• Ensure every delivered load is invoiced accurately and promptly; review the Coordinator's billing, resolve billing disputes, and follow up on unbilled or unpaid loads.
• Price loads and backhauls to protect margin.
• Serve as the first escalation point for customer service issues.
• Present weekly KPIs and monthly P&L and invoicing results to executive leadership.

Safety and DOT/FMCSA Compliance

• Own the safety and compliance program, including driver qualification files, HOS and ELD logs, the drug and alcohol program, inspections, and maintenance records.
• Track CSA/SMS scores and keep the company audit-ready at all times.
• Lead first-level accident and incident response, investigation, and reporting.

Technology and Systems

• Use ShipTrak as the daily system of record for loads, dispatch, and billing, and give the application team clear feedback on what is working and what needs to change.
• Own the fleet's use of Motive, including dispatches, user setup, alerts, DVIRs, IFTA, and fuel reporting.
• Use reports and dashboards to track utilization, on-time performance, hours of service, and safety events.
• Use AI tools to save time on routine work such as summaries, customer communications, and reports.
• When a system or data issue comes up, identify it and work it through to resolution with Southland's application team.
• Drive adoption of new tools and improvements and clearly explain what is needed to the application team.

Fleet and Maintenance

• Own the preventive maintenance program, using telematics data (fault codes, mileage, engine hours) to schedule service and repairs.
• Manage shop and vendor relationships to minimize downtime and control repair costs.
• Track equipment utilization and lead equipment replacement planning with executive leadership.

Technology Expectations

This role depends on technology. You do not need to be a programmer, but you must be able to pick up new technology quickly and confidently.

• Required: Learns new devices, apps, and software quickly and without hand-holding.
• Motive: Daily user, or able to become comfortable within 60 days: ELD/HOS, GPS tracking, dashcam and safety events, DVIRs, IFTA, fuel, and reporting.
• ShipTrak: Southland's in-house load, dispatch, customer, and billing platform. Training is provided; you should be comfortable working in a web-based system all day.
• Systems and Integrations: Understands at a basic level how our systems share data (for example, between ShipTrak, Motive, production, and payroll), can tell when something is not working, and can explain it clearly to the application team. Development is handled by the application team.
• AI Tools: Comfortable using AI assistants to draft, summarize, and analyze information, and checks the results.
• Data and Reporting: Advanced Excel (pivot tables and lookups).
• TMS and Load Boards: Experience with a TMS or dispatch software is helpful; experience with load boards such as DAT or Truckstop.
• Microsoft 365: Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, Excel, and Word.
• Preferred: Basic familiarity with databases and how they work. No software development is required.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Transportation, Business Administration, or a related field preferred.
• Equivalent trucking operations and management experience may be considered in place of a degree.

Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in trucking operations, dispatch, or fleet management; flatbed experience preferred.
• Minimum of 3 years of management experience leading drivers or operations staff.
• Experience with freight invoicing and with responsibility for a budget or P&L.
• Hands-on experience with Motive or a comparable telematics/ELD platform (Samsara, Geotab, Omnitracs).
• Experience using technology to improve how work gets done.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Working knowledge of DOT/FMCSA regulations, including hours of service, driver qualification, drug and alcohol testing, CSA, and flatbed cargo securement.
• Proven ability to lead teams, set clear expectations, and hold people accountable.
• Understanding of trucking financials, including revenue per mile, cost per mile, margins, and invoicing.
• Strong analytical skills and comfort turning data into decisions.
• Picks up new technology quickly and confidently, and teaches it patiently to drivers and staff.
• Clear, direct communication with drivers, customers, and leadership.
• Sound decision-making under time pressure and the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• CDL-A is a plus but not required.

What Success Looks Like

• First 30 days: Knows every driver, customer lane, and system; working confidently in ShipTrak and Motive.
• First 90 days: Weekly KPI report in place covering utilization, on-time percentage, deadhead, cost per mile, driver safety events, and invoicing status.
• First 6 months: Loads invoiced promptly after delivery with no billing backlog; monthly fleet P&L reviewed with leadership; at least one manual process improved with the application team.
• First 12 months: Measurable reduction in deadhead miles and cost per mile; improved fleet margin; consistent DOT audit readiness; improved CSA and Motive safety scores; a growth plan for the operation presented to executive leadership.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to sit, stand, walk, bend, and reach as needed throughout the workday.
• Ability to climb onto equipment to inspect trucks and loads in yard, shop, and manufacturing environments.
• Availability outside normal business hours for dispatch issues, breakdowns, and incidents.
• Ability to travel locally to company facilities, customer sites, and training events as required.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Annual performance incentive opportunity
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Paid vacation and holidays
• Professional development and training opportunities
• Career growth opportunities