Transportation Load Planner; Carrier Operations

Ashley Furniture Industries•Sunnyvale, TX

About The Position

THE CARRIER LOAD PLANNER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGING THE END-TO-END LOAD TENDERING PROCESS, ENSURING TIMELY CARRIER ACCEPTANCE, OPTIMIZING CAPACITY, AND SUPPORTING COST-EFFECTIVE TRANSPORTATION SOLUTIONS. THIS ROLE PLAYS A CRITICAL PART IN MAINTAINING SERVICE LEVELS BY PROACTIVELY MANAGING CARRIER RELATIONSHIPS, NEGOTIATING RATES, AND RESOLVING TENDERING ISSUES.

Requirements

ASSOCIATE'S OR BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT, LOGISTICS, BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, OR RELATED FIELD PREFERRED
HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA OR EQUIVALENT REQUIRED
2-4 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING, FREIGHT BROKERAGE, CARRIER MANAGEMENT, OR LOGISTICS OPERATIONS
PROVEN EXPERIENCE WITH LOAD TENDERING PROCESSES AND CARRIER PROCUREMENT
HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE NEGOTIATING FREIGHT RATES AND MANAGING CARRIER RELATIONSHIPS
EXPERIENCE WORKING IN A HIGH-VOLUME, FAST-PACED TRANSPORTATION OR DISTRIBUTION ENVIRONMENT
FAMILIARITY WITH TMS (TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS) AND LOAD PLANNING SOFTWARE

Responsibilities

MANAGE THE FULL LIFECYCLE OF LOAD TENDERING FROM INITIAL OFFER THROUGH CARRIER ACCEPTANCE
MONITOR AND FOLLOW UP ON PENDING (NOT ACCEPTED) LOADS, ENSURING TIMELY RESPONSES FROM CARRIERS
TRACK AND MANAGE REJECTED LOADS, INCLUDING DOCUMENTING REASONS AND IDENTIFYING TRENDS
ADDRESS LOAD TIMEOUTS (AUTO-REJECTIONS) BY REVIEWING ROOT CAUSES AND ADJUSTING TENDER STRATEGIES
ESCALATE UNACCEPTED LOADS TO INTERNAL TEAMS AND EXTERNAL BROKER BOARDS AS NEEDED TO SECURE COVERAGE
MAINTAIN AND UPDATE CARRIER CAPACITY BY REGION IN COORDINATION WITH CARRIERS AND ROUTING TEAMS
MAKE REAL-TIME ADJUSTMENTS TO CAPACITY TO ENSURE COVERAGE AND MINIMIZE DISRUPTIONS
COLLABORATE CLOSELY WITH LOAD PLANNERS AND ROUTING TEAMS TO ALIGN CAPACITY WITH DEMAND
NEGOTIATE TRANSPORTATION RATES DAILY WITH CARRIERS, BOTH DIRECTLY AND THROUGH PLATFORMS (E.G., EMERGE)
IDENTIFY COST-SAVING OPPORTUNITIES, INCLUDING STRATEGIC NEGOTIATION TACTICS TO REDUCE RATES
BALANCE COST EFFICIENCY WITH SERVICE RELIABILITY AND CARRIER PERFORMANCE
PROACTIVELY IDENTIFY LOADS AT RISK OF NON-ACCEPTANCE AND ESCALATE APPROPRIATELY
WORK CROSS-FUNCTIONALLY TO RESOLVE COVERAGE GAPS AND SERVICE CHALLENGES
LEVERAGE BROKER NETWORKS WHEN PRIMARY CARRIER OPTIONS ARE UNAVAILABLE
FULLY OWN THE LOAD PLANNING PROCESS UNTIL CARRIER ACCEPTANCE
ENSURE SMOOTH HANDOFF TO CARRIER OPERATIONS ONCE LOADS ARE SECURED
CONTINUOUSLY EVALUATE AND IMPROVE TENDERING STRATEGIES AND WORKFLOWS