Manager Trainee

Overview Job title: Manager Trainee. Department: Supply Chain. Location: Joliet, Illinois, United States. Employment type: Full-time. Under general supervision, this role learns to manage a small driver count and/or non-traditional shifts (including nights and weekends), ensuring safe and timely movement of freight, load assignment, and strong customer service. The position includes training to comply with DOT regulations and to ensure drivers’ compliance with company policies while coordinating with internal and external contacts to plan, route, monitor, and deliver freight and loads. Responsibilities Learn to build and maintain positive professional relationships with drivers and safe, reliable outside carriers to enable seamless carrier setup, minimize turnover, and maximize ongoing productivity. Fill in for absent or unavailable personnel and participate in special projects related to optimizing fleet operations and profitability. Train and assist with personnel management, including onboarding drivers and/or employees and supporting internal and third-party (customer) systems. Maximize efficiency of fleet operations and profitability by making recommendations for continuous improvement, measuring key performance indicators, and creating, maintaining, and presenting customer-specific reporting and financial analysis through direct customer interactions. Gain knowledge to manage inventory, assets, customer pools, and assignment of drivers to balance equipment in the market. Perform administrative duties such as payroll, management of the net-revenue budget, driver counseling, accident reviews, filing and documentation, pay issue resolution, P&L analysis, invoicing, and creating operational or financial reports. Manage yard operations including equipment checks/inspections, part replacements, repairs, and coordinating with maintenance to ensure timely preventative maintenance and safety-related issues are addressed for account equipment. Collaborate with drivers, customers, and company personnel to resolve service issues, routing/planning, mechanical problems, and on-call concerns as they arise. Support the company safety culture with daily driver safety messages, monthly safety briefings, quarterly training, annual reviews, and enforcement of DOT/compliance policies. Assign loads and plan, route, and monitor freight movement to provide safe, on-time service, manage freight exceptions, and adjust driver ETAs based on schedules and external factors. Qualifications Minimum Qualifications : Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Transportation/Logistics, Supply Chain, or related field OR High School Diploma/GED with 1 year of experience in management, transportation/logistics, business administration, account management, or related field, and/or equivalent military experience. Willingness to travel to account, customer, and company event locations when applicable. Ability to work across multiple shifts including nights and/or weekends if needed. Willingness to relocate regionally dependent on account assignment. Preferred Qualifications : Experience managing a team. Ability to anticipate, recognize, and effectively handle conflicts at individual, group, or situation level. Ability to analyze situations and make informed decisions. Adaptability to changing environments and ability to establish and maintain healthy relationships with clients, vendors, and peers. Ability to meet or exceed team/driver needs and provide excellent service. Effective communication across various mediums and ability to recognize and resolve organizational, operational, or process problems. Compensation and Benefits The expected starting pay range for this position is between $50,700 and $76,000 . This position may be eligible for annual bonuses and incentives based on profitability or volumes and in accordance with the company’s plans, as applicable. Benefits for full-time positions include medical, dental, vision, 401(k), life insurance, short- and long-term disability, paid time off, maternity and parental leave, and holidays, subject to eligibility requirements and plan terms. Job openings and descriptions are provided for informational purposes and do not constitute a contract of employment. Acknowledgment of equal employment opportunity and compliance with applicable laws is part of the company’s hiring process. #J-18808-Ljbffr