Description
Plan, direct, and coordinate all operations of a transportation terminal, overseeing inbound and outbound freight, yard and dock activities, equipment, and personnel to meet service, safety, and cost objectives in accordance with company policies and applicable laws and regulations.
- • Supervise terminal staff engaged in gate, receiving, staging, loading, unloading, and dispatching freight.
- • Plan, develop, and implement terminal safety and security programs, including access control and hazardous materials procedures.
- • Inspect terminal, yard, docks, and mobile equipment; schedule testing, maintenance, repairs, or replacements.
- • Plan, organize, and manage the work of dispatchers, dockworkers, drivers, and supervisors to meet service standards.
- • Collaborate with sales, customer service, linehaul, and accounting to align terminal operations with business processes.
- • Analyze terminal workflows and routing to determine the most cost-effective and efficient movement of freight.
- • Resolve issues related to terminal operations, carrier performance, customer escalations, and service disruptions.
- • Develop and document standard and emergency operating procedures for gate operations, yard management, dock handling, and freight claims.
- • Monitor operations to ensure compliance with company policies, safety rules, labor agreements, environmental policies, and applicable regulations.
- • Analyze the financial impact of changes in routes, schedules, staffing, equipment allocation, or carrier selection.
- • Monitor freight in custody and terminal inventories of supplies and parts; investigate and reconcile discrepancies.
- • Establish and track terminal KPIs such as on-time performance, dock productivity, OS&D, dwell, and turn times.
- • Monitor import, export, and interline processes to ensure regulatory and legal compliance, as applicable.
- • Recommend schedule changes, cut-off times, linehaul departures, accessorials, or tariff updates.
- • Interview, select, onboard, and train dock, yard, dispatch, and supervisory personnel.
- • Advise sales and billing on accessorial charges, detention or demurrage, and rate applications.
- • Analyze expenditures and performance data to develop plans to increase profitability, utilization, and service quality.
- • Coordinate with network operations, maintenance, procurement, and other terminals to optimize resources and flows.
- • Implement specific customer requirements, including appointments, EDI reporting, and customized performance metrics.
- • Maintain terminal metrics, reports, incident logs, equipment records, and training or safety documentation.
- • Review shipping documents, manifests, and customs paperwork for accuracy and regulatory conformity.
- • Plan and implement energy- and cost-saving initiatives such as idle reduction, yard optimization, and mode shifts.
- • Evaluate vendors, drayage partners, and contractors for safety, service, and environmental performance.
- • Negotiate with carriers, cartage agents, service providers, or warehouse operators for capacity and preferential rates.
- • Develop and execute plans for terminal layout changes, dock door assignments, expansions, and equipment purchases.
- • Direct inbound and outbound operations to meet safety, quality, and service targets.
- • Improve yard, gate, dispatch, and TMS or WMS processes and integrations.
- • Recommend or authorize capital expenditures for terminal upgrades, IT systems, and material-handling or yard equipment.
- • Review load plans, work orders, volume forecasts, and staffing needs to allocate labor and assign shifts.
- • Prepare and manage the terminal budget and forecast.
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Supply Chain & Transportation
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
