The terminal is really the heart of a trucking company. It has also been called the "outpost," since it serves a city, or a specific larger area, and performs such functions as pickup and delivery of freight, billing, consolidation of small shipments for delivery at other terminals, maintenance and servicing of vehicles, and "first aid" in any city delivery truck or road unit breakdowns. In addition to its home terminal, a large trucking fleet may have a dozen or more terminals.
As you can well imagine, how efficiently the terminals operate is really the key to the success of the fleet's entire freight-handling business. Slipups here--sloppy cargo handling, package damage, routing mistakes, lost shipments, delayed deliveries, and other "little" mistakes or failures--can be costly to the company in dollar loss, customer dissatisfactions, and poor public relations.
Therefore, managements give close attention to this phase of the business, find and keep the best employees possible, pay them well, and advance them as they show ability.
Top job to which you can aim your career campaign is the terminal manager.
At least five positions (not including an assistant terminal manager if the organization chart includes one) report to the terminal manager. Each of the following will be described in detail, as well as providing you with the desirable education and experience required, and the average salary ranges for both small and large terminals: operations manager, office manager, and dock superintendent, dock supervisor, dispatch supervisor.
All of those jobs require previous terminal work experience, which may be obtained in many lower echelon jobs such as the following: In the office: rate clerk, billing clerk, manifest clerk, customer accounts clerk, cashier, file clerk, communications clerk. In the terminal operations: shift foreman, dockworker, freight checker, stacker or stevedore, and pusher (who operate the mechanical or forklifts).
Operations Manager
Under supervision of the terminal manager, the operations manager is responsible for overall direction of the dock and pickup and delivery (P&D) operations, to assure best possible customer service in line with established terminal performance standards.
His principal duties and responsibilities are:
- Continually evaluating work accomplished by all dock and P&D personnel and recommending bid changes and supervisory assignments.
- Approving hiring of all new hourly dock and P&D employees, including casuals and assisting terminal manager in selecting new supervisory employees.
- Working with supervisors in assigning unassigned employees.
- Regularly inspecting facilities and equipment to assure proper upkeep and repair, as well as safety factors.
- Assisting supervisors in handling disciplinary actions with employees as required.
- Continually training and developing supervisors; communicating all procedural and standards changes.
- Keeping abreast of company service standards and applicable laws and regulations affecting dock and P&D operations.
- Knowing, interpreting, and applying labor contract provisions.
- Acting for terminal manager in his absence.
- Minimum high-school education preferred.
- Sufficient terminal operations experience to acquire knowledge necessary to perform effectively.
- Ability to communicate and instruct effectively.
Also supervised by the terminal manager, this individual is responsible for coordinating and directing the office personnel in the required paper work procedures of the terminal at a cost consistent with established office performance procedures, and assisting the terminal manager by handling special assigned projects. His principal duties and responsibilities include:
- Delegating and assigning work to office personnel, supervising and directing work to assure it is handled in a timely manner and in accordance with company policy and procedure.
- Training all office personnel.
- Supervising the handling of all terminal funds, including cash collections and petty cash.
- Working closely with the terminal manager on special projects, such as cost studies, special correspondence, customer requirements, etc.
- Assuring proper maintenance and care of office equipment, terminal building, and housekeeping services.
- Handling all local purchases of supplies and equipment, requisitions supplies and equipment purchased locally.
- Handling all contacts with local sales representatives and working with local community agencies as required.
- Handling initial employment procedures for terminal job vacancies. Handling or recommending new employees, changes in job classifications, promotions, and terminations.
- Often acting in a personnel capacity by counseling and assisting employees with personal or other problems.
- Acting for the terminal manager in his absence.
- Minimum high-school education preferred with some college work desirable.
- Several years' experience in terminal office operations.
- Ability to communicate and instruct effectively. Valuable to a man seeking this position is previous experience and training in personnel work, since so much of the supervision and work involves selecting, training, directing, and managing many new and untrained employees.
Under the supervision of the operations manager, this man is responsible for organizing and directing, through dock supervisors, the many steps in handling freight in the terminal during a given shift in order to achieve maximum productivity of the men and machinery at lowest cost, but mindful of safety and other performance standards, including few errors and freight damage incidents.
His principal duties and responsibilities include:
- Determining quantity or work available on his shift, the availability of permanent employees and the requirement for casual employees for maximum efficiency.
- Coordinating with other terminal departments on matters of unusual importance.
- Constantly reviewing dock operations during the shift to determine any problem areas, and developing and putting into action desirable solutions.
- Reviewing dock performance and making recommendations regarding changes in procedures, etc. that will increase efficiency.
- Keeping fully informed on labor contract provisions and works closely with dock supervisors in the handling of grievance and disciplinary matters.
- Continually training supervisors and employees under his supervision.
- Minimum high-school education preferred.
- Must have solid background in terminal dock operation.
- Must have ability to communicate with and instruct employees effectively.
This is the man who gets down to the nitty-gritty of actually handling the freight on the floor of the terminal. Reporting to the terminal manager, operations manager, or dock superintendent, depending on size of the terminal and number of trucks and terminal workers (such as freight checkers, stackers or stevedores, pushers, or other warehousemen), the dock supervisor is responsible for organizing, assigning, and directing the work of the dock workers on his shift. The goal is maximum productivity at lowest cost with always the same objectives: no accidents; no smashed or damaged boxes, crates, or packages; no lost shipments; no packages or freight loaded onto the wrong trailer or truck and sent to the wrong destination.
His principal duties and responsibilities include:
(1) Organizing and assigning work to be accomplished on the shift.
(2) Constantly supervising dock operation to assure that:
a. freight is being loaded in proper sequence.
b. freight is stored properly to minimize damage.
c. freight is handled so as to minimize chance of theft.
(3) Continually training employees under his supervision in proper and safe work habits.
(4) Working closely with line transportation and city dispatch to assure effective communications.
(5) Remaining fully informed on labor contract provisions, interpreting and applying contract as required, including taking, or recommending, disciplinary actions as appropriate.
(6) Functioning on a fill-in basis as transportation supervisor on some shifts at certain locations.
Education and experience requirements include:
- Minimum high-school education preferred.
- Previous experience in terminal or warehouse operations necessary.
- Must have ability to communicate, instruct effectively, and provide leadership to employees supervised.
A most important function in terminal operations is performed by the dispatcher, who is responsible for planning and directing the pickup and delivery of freight in the terminal's operating area. His goal is to provide the best service to customers possible on pickup and delivery. He also coordinates the local P&D operations with the over-the-road operations-supervising also the dispatch of loaded trucks to other terminals. He assigns drivers to trucks and specific P&D schedules, knows throughout the day where each unit is by keeping in touch with the driver by phone or radio. He works under normal supervision and reports to the terminal manager, operations manager, or P&D superintendent.
This active supervision job has many satisfactions for the man who grows into it after learning the fundamentals of freight handling and how his company operates. The job takes common sense, ability to stay calm under pressure, experience and knowledge in dealing with various kinds of people. It also takes someone who enjoys the challenge of doing several things at the same time, who can think quickly, and calmly respond with a good, practical answer in emergencies!
His principal duties and responsibilities include:
- Planning, routes, and closely supervising progress of each driver to assure proper customer service at minimum cost.
- Scheduling work force to gain maximum efficiency. Handling incoming customer calls, determining equipment requirements, and directing specific driver to handle pickup.
- Informing superior of problems beyond normal scope of job.
- Coordinating with dock and transportation supervisors, sales representatives, etc., regarding unusual shipments, "rush" shipments, or other pertinent problems.
- Knowing labor contract, making decisions regarding contract provisions and violations, and taking, or recommends, disciplinary action for such violations.
- Continually analyzing records and reports in order to recommend changes in regular customer list, procedures, etc., which provide a more efficient service.
- Minimum high-school education preferred.
- Sufficient knowledge of the location city to make assignment decisions for drivers.
- Sufficient knowledge of terminal operations to enable coordination of P&D activities with other terminal departments. (The dispatcher previously may have been a pickup and delivery driver, with the experience of having checked freight in the terminal and done other terminal jobs.)
- Ability to communicate with others, and instruct effectively.
- Sufficient knowledge of driver qualifications and motor carrier safety regulations to be able to give drivers the "once-over" to be certain they do not show signs of illness, fatigue, or intoxication, and have had sufficient hours of rest since last driving to conform to new federal regulations; knowledge of equipment care and maintenance is important, too, in instructing drivers as to the care and use of the equipment during their P&D operations that day.
