LOAD PLANNER

Job Description

Job Description

Harbor Logistics is hiring a Planner — Drayage in Charleston, SC. We are looking for a highly organized, decisive, and operations-minded Planner to join our drayage team. This is a critical role responsible for building the daily plan, maximizing revenue per truck per day, improving driver utilization, and keeping freight moving efficiently through the Charleston port market. The ideal candidate understands port drayage, intermodal operations, driver planning, terminal appointments, chassis strategy, and the importance of balancing customer service, driver earnings, and fleet profitability. This person will work closely with Dispatch, Customer Service, drivers, and leadership to create executable daily plans and adjust quickly when conditions change. What you’ll do: · Build daily truck and driver plans that maximize revenue, turns, and utilization. · Sequence import, export, empty, and chassis moves across Charleston area terminals. · Plan around appointments, last free day, vessel schedules, rail cutoffs, HOS, and driver domicile. · Reduce empty miles, wait time, demurrage, detention, and per diem exposure. · Partner with Dispatch to adjust the plan in real time as exceptions occur. · Identify opportunities to improve profitability, driver earnings, and operational flow. What we’re looking for: · 2–4+ years of drayage, intermodal, transportation planning, or dispatch experience. · Strong understanding of port operations, chassis, terminal appointments, and container timing. · Ability to make fast, sound decisions in a high-tempo operating environment. · Strong analytical skills with a focus on revenue, utilization, service, and cost control. · Experience with TMS platforms, load planning tools, and operational data preferred. · Charleston or Southeast port market experience is a plus. Why Harbor Logistics? Harbor Logistics is a growing transportation and logistics company with a strong presence in the Charleston market. This role is ideal for someone who wants to be close to the operation, make an immediate impact, and help drive the performance of a high-volume drayage fleet. Location: Charleston, SC Role: Full-time Apply: Interested candidates are encouraged to apply through LinkedIn or contact Harbor Logistics directly. Mission-critical role. The Planner is the revenue engine of the drayage operation — planning decisions directly determine revenue per truck per day, driver earnings, and profitability.

Location Charleston, SC

Segment Drayage Operations

Reports To [Insert manager title — e.g., Operations Manager / Terminal Manager]

FLSA Status [Confirm — Exempt or Non-Exempt]

Compensation [Insert range per Harbor Logistics pay bands]

Position Summary

The Planner is the single most important role in the drayage operation and owns the profitability of the fleet. The Planner builds the daily plan — deciding which loads run on which trucks, in what sequence — with two overriding objectives: maximize revenue per truck per day and maximize driver utilization. Every planning decision is measured against whether it makes the drivers the right money and keeps them fully and efficiently utilized. The Planner balances container availability, appointments, chassis, driver hours, and geography to squeeze the most productive, most profitable day out of every truck while controlling empty miles and cost. Strong planning drives both the bottom line and driver retention; weak planning erodes both.

Key Responsibilities

• Build the daily plan — sequence and assign loads to drivers to maximize revenue per truck per day, ensuring each truck runs a full, profitable, executable day.

• Maximize driver utilization — eliminate idle time and deadhead; keep every driver productive with the right density of moves and minimal waiting.

• Protect driver earnings — plan loads so drivers earn strong, fair, and consistent income; treat driver pay opportunity as a core planning input to support retention.

• Increase turns per day — pair inbound and outbound moves and use street turns, dual transactions, and drop-and-hook to add moves and cut empty miles.

• Manage container timing — plan around last free day, vessel discharge, terminal appointment availability, and rail cutoffs so containers move inside their windows.

• Chassis strategy — position chassis efficiently using pool availability; minimize chassis flips, splits, and per diem exposure.

• Balance capacity vs. demand — forecast the day's load board against available trucks; decide when to flex owner-operators or outside carriers versus company drivers.

• Sequence terminals — order appointments across Wando Welch, North Charleston, and Leatherman to reduce turn times, gate waits, and cross-town deadhead.

• Keep the plan legal — account for driver Hours of Service (HOS) and domicile so every planned day is compliant and achievable.

• Partner with Dispatch — hand off a clear, executable plan and re-plan in real time around exceptions (rolled vessels, missed appointments, breakdowns, congestion).

• Drive lane profitability — identify unprofitable moves and recommend rate or accessorial action to Customer Service and Pricing.

Performance Metrics

• Revenue per truck per day (primary)

• Driver utilization % (primary)

• Loads / turns per truck per day

• Empty-mile % / deadhead reduction

• Average driver revenue and pay per day (driver earnings health)

• Demurrage and per diem avoidance

• On-time pickup and delivery %

Required Qualifications

• 2–4+ years of drayage, intermodal, or transportation planning/dispatch experience.

• Strong understanding of port operations, chassis, demurrage/detention, and per diem.

• Working knowledge of Hours of Service and driver domicile constraints.

• Strong analytical and optimization skills; able to weigh trade-offs quickly.

• TMS proficiency and comfort with load boards and operational data.

• Sound decision-making under time pressure and shifting conditions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience planning in the Charleston / Southeast port market.

• Experience managing a mixed fleet of company drivers and owner-operators.

• Track record of improving revenue per truck per day and utilization.

Core Competencies

• Commercial and profitability mindset — thinks in revenue per truck per day.

• Systems thinking — balances many constraints simultaneously.

• Decisiveness and composure in a high-tempo environment.

• Collaboration with Dispatch, Customer Service, and drivers.

• Continuous improvement — always hunting for empty miles and lost turns.

Work Environment

High-tempo operations environment with real-time decision-making throughout the day. Early starts aligned to terminal gate and vessel schedules; extended hours during peak season and disruptions. Constant coordination with Dispatch and drivers.