Head of Haulage / Transport Manager

Location: Kettering
Salary: £45,000–£60,000 per annum, depending on experience
Hours: Monday to Friday, 40 hours per week – flexible between 7:00am and 6:00pm
Type: Permanent

The Opportunity

Interaction Recruitment are working with a well-established, fourth-generation family-owned Group with over 90 years of history and approximately 200 employees across a number of successful businesses.

As part of the continued growth of their specialist HGV transport division, they are looking to appoint an experienced Head of Haulage / Transport Manager to take responsibility for the day-to-day operation and help drive the continued development of the business.

This is a hands-on senior transport management role, ideally suited to someone with strong HGV haulage experience who understands the practical realities of managing drivers, vehicles, customers and transport compliance.

Reporting directly to the Group Managing Director, the successful candidate will play a key role in developing the haulage operation and supporting its future growth.

The Role

The successful candidate will be responsible for:

• Taking overall responsibility for the day-to-day haulage operation.
• Leading and managing HGV drivers and transport office staff.
• Ensuring full compliance with the Operator Licence and all relevant UK transport legislation.
• Managing driver compliance, including tachographs and Drivers'' Hours.
• Monitoring driver performance and providing appropriate support and training.
• Overseeing transport planning, scheduling, routing and vehicle utilisation.
• Identifying opportunities for backloads and improving fleet utilisation.
• Monitoring KPIs, SLAs, costs and overall operational performance.
• Overseeing vehicle maintenance, inspections, MOTs and fleet availability.
• Maintaining accurate records relating to vehicles, drivers and transport activity.
• Managing and supporting FORS compliance.
• Promoting a strong health and safety culture across the transport operation.
• Investigating accidents and incidents and ensuring appropriate corrective action is taken.
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with existing customers.
• Identifying opportunities to develop new customers and grow the external haulage operation.
• Working closely with other Group businesses to support their transport requirements.
• Managing budgets and contributing to fleet investment and strategic planning.
• Continually reviewing processes and identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and profitability.
• Reporting regularly to the Group Managing Director on operational performance and development.

About You

The ideal candidate will be an experienced HGV Transport Manager / Haulage Manager with a strong understanding of both the operational and compliance requirements of running a transport business.

Essential:

• CPC Transport Manager qualification.
• Strong practical experience within HGV haulage/transport operations.
• Previous responsibility for, or significant experience working with, an Operator Licence.
• Good knowledge of UK transport legislation and regulatory requirements.
• Strong understanding of Drivers'' Hours and tachograph regulations.
• Experience managing HGV drivers and transport operations.
• Good knowledge of HGV fleet maintenance, inspections and compliance.
• Strong organisational and problem-solving skills.
• Experience managing operational performance, costs and KPIs.
• Excellent communication and customer relationship skills.
• Good IT skills, including Microsoft Excel and Outlook.

Highly desirable:

• Previous HGV Class 1 and/or Class 2 driving experience.
• Experience as a nominated Transport Manager.
• FORS experience.
• Experience using Transport Management Systems such as Qargo or Samsara.
• Sage 200 experience.
• Experience developing external haulage/customer accounts.

The Package

• £45,000–£60,000 salary, depending on experience
• 24 days'' annual leave plus 8 statutory days
• Pension scheme
• Training and development opportunities
• Employee recognition scheme and annual awards
• Bi-annual company socials
• Weekly wellbeing sessions
• Supportive family-owned business environment
• Long-established and growing organisation

Apply Now

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Transport Manager / Haulage Manager with a CPC qualification, strong Operator Licence experience and a practical HGV background to take ownership of a growing transport operation.

To apply, please submit your CV or contact Interaction Recruitment for a confidential discussion.

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