Operations & Safety Manager

Job Description

Job Description

FLSA Status: Exempt (subject to final duties, authority & compensation review).

Position Summary

GTX Transportation is seeking a hands-on Operations & Safety Manager to help lead daily transportation operations while driving practical safety and process improvements across the fleet.

This role is intended for a seasoned transportation professional who understands dispatch, drivers, equipment, maintenance, customer service, compliance, and the pace of LTL, refrigerated trucking. The right person will not manage from behind a desk only. They will be expected to observe operations, inspect equipment conditions, coach drivers and dispatchers, identify weak processes, and follow through until improvements are working.

This position bridges operations leadership, fleet safety, driver accountability, maintenance oversight, and continuous improvement.

Essential Functions

Operations/Sales Leadership· Support and improve daily dispatch operations, load planning, driver communication, and service execution.

· Identify operational bottlenecks, recurring service failures, communication gaps, and preventable delays.

· Help standardize dispatch procedures so decisions are consistent, documented, and aligned with safety and customer expectations.

· Work with dispatchers and drivers to improve trip planning, on-time performance, equipment utilization, and problem resolution.

· Willingness to reach out to prospective clients that focus on revenue growth and improved profitability.

· Promote a culture where safety, service, and accountability are managed together rather than treated as separate functions.

Safety Management

· Lead practical safety initiatives focused on reducing crashes, violations, cargo issues, equipment failures, and driver-related risk.

· Follow through on corrective actions from incidents, roadside inspections, internal audits, customer concerns, and safety reviews.

· Monitor driver behavior, inspection results, Hours of Service concerns, Samsara/ELD data, DVIR issues, and unsafe operating patterns.

· Assist with accident and incident reviews, including fact gathering, root cause review, coaching, and corrective action tracking.

· Support compliance with applicable FMCSA/DOT requirements, company policies, customer requirements, and insurance expectations.

Driver Oversight and Coaching

· Observe & evaluate driver pre-trip and post-trip inspections that they are being performed correctly and consistently.

· Coach drivers on equipment condition, inspection quality, safe driving practices, trip planning, communication, and professionalism.

· Identify drivers needing additional training, closer supervision, or corrective action.

· Help reinforce expectations with both new and experienced drivers.

· Support driver onboarding, safety meetings, remedial training, and ongoing performance conversations.

Maintenance and Equipment Oversight

· Coordinate with maintenance personnel, vendors, dispatch, and drivers to ensure equipment defects are identified, documented, prioritized, and resolved.

· Monitor tractor, trailer, reefer, tire, brake, light, and general equipment condition trends.

· Review DVIRs, roadside inspection defects, repeat repair items, and out-of-service risks.

· Help identify, communicate, and escalate safety-related defects to avoid dispatching equipment before defects are properly reviewed and addressed.

· Assist in building better communication between operations, drivers, and maintenance.

Process Improvement

· Evaluate current workflows and recommend improvements in dispatch, maintenance communication, safety follow-up, driver accountability, and documentation.

· Develop and maintain practical procedures, checklists, training tools, and follow-up systems.

· Track open safety and maintenance action items until completion.

· Use data from inspections, claims, ELD systems, maintenance records, and driver performance to identify trends and priorities.

· Help leadership move from reactive problem-solving to consistent prevention.

Key Expectations

The person in this role should be able to:

· Walk the yard and know what to look for.

· Talk credibly with drivers, dispatchers, mechanics, customers, and leadership.

· Recognize when a problem is operational, behavioral, mechanical, or procedural.

· Push safety without shutting down productivity unnecessarily.

· Push operations without ignoring risk.

· Follow up on issues instead of simply identifying them.

· Build accountability without creating unnecessary conflict.

Required Qualifications

· Significant experience in trucking, transportation operations, fleet management, dispatch leadership, safety, or maintenance coordination.

· Strong working knowledge of DOT/FMCSA compliance expectations.

· Practical understanding of driver inspections, equipment systems, roadside inspections, Hours of Service, and fleet safety risks.

· Ability to coach drivers and operations personnel in a direct but professional manner.

· Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple open issues at one time.

· Comfortable using ELD, telematics, maintenance, safety, and dispatch-related systems.

· Strong written and verbal communication skills.

· Ability to work in a hands-on environment and spend time in the yard, shop, dispatch office, and with drivers.

Preferred Qualifications

· Experience with refrigerated, LTL, regional, or over-the-road trucking operations.

· Prior role as operations manager, fleet manager, safety manager, driver manager, terminal manager, maintenance supervisor, or senior dispatcher.

· Experience responding to trends, insurance concerns, customer requests, and with conflict resolution.

· CDL experience or prior professional driving experience is helpful, but not required.

· Bilingual English/Spanish communication skills are helpful, but not required.

Performance Measures

Success in this role may be evaluated by improvement in areas including but not limited to:

· Roadside inspection results, violation trends, and safety metrics.

· Driver inspection quality and DVIR completion.

· Lowered costs such as claims, maintenance, fuel consumption, etc.

· Improved revenue through sales, equipment utilization, improved routing/systems, etc.

· Improved On-Time/Customer Performance metrics.

Working Style Needed

This is not a purely administrative safety role and it is not a traditional dispatch manager role. GTX needs someone who can operate in the middle of both worlds.

The ideal candidate is a working leader: visible, practical, organized, firm when needed, and willing to solve problems at the ground level. They should be comfortable holding people accountable while also helping them succeed.

Physical Requirements and Work Environment

This role requires work in an office, dispatch, yard, shop, and equipment operating environment. The employee may be required to stand, walk, climb in and out of tractors or trailers, bend, kneel, inspect equipment, work around moving vehicles, and be exposed to outdoor weather, noise, shop activity, and refrigerated transportation equipment. The role may require occasional lifting or carrying of items up to 25–50 pounds. This position may require schedule flexibility, including occasional early mornings, evenings, weekends, or after-hours response depending on operational, safety, maintenance, customer, or incident-related needs. Reasonable accommodations may be considered as required by law.

GTX Transportation is a transportation company in operation since 2018. We are a preferred carrier for Roadtex transportation an Echo company.

Company Description

GTX Transportation is a transportation company in operation since 2018. We are a preferred carrier for Roadtex transportation an Echo company.