Director of Drayage

Position Summary

The Director of Drayage provides strategic direction and leadership for the organizations drayage mode, with accountability for carrier procurement, carrier network growth, pricing and margin strategy, and overall operational performance. This role aligns capacity, commercial commitments, and service execution to deliver profitable growth and consistent customer service.

Leading drayage department leaders, the Director establishes priorities, performance expectations, and standard operating practices across the mode. The role develops its leaders, oversees financial and service results, and ensures timely resolution of operational, carrier, and customer escalations.

Key Responsibilities

Drayage Strategy and Leadership

• Develop and execute the drayage strategy, aligning procurement, operations, staffing, and carrier coverage with business objectives and customer requirements.
• Lead, coach, and hold department leaders accountable for service, profitability, productivity, and employee development.
• Establish clear ownership, measurable goals, regular leadership reviews, and succession and staffing plans that support scalable growth.

Procurement and Carrier Network Growth

• Direct drayage sourcing and negotiations across ports, rail ramps, and inland markets, securing reliable capacity at competitive total cost.
• Expand and strengthen the carrier network based on customer demand, geographic coverage, equipment needs, service performance, and concentration risk.
• Oversee carrier onboarding, rate agreements, capacity commitments, and performance reviews in coordination with Procurement and compliance teams.
• Build strategic carrier relationships and address service failures through documented corrective actions and capacity alternatives.

Pricing and Margin Strategy

• Establish consistent drayage pricing methodology, margin expectations, and quote review practices within approved company authority.
• Oversee base rates and accessorial structures, including fuel, chassis, detention, demurrage, storage, pre-pulls, and empty returns, ensuring costs and customer terms are clearly defined.
• Review profitability by customer, lane, port, and carrier; identify margin erosion and lead corrective pricing, sourcing, or operational actions.
• Partner with Business Development and account owners on bids, renewals, and new opportunities to validate pricing, capacity, service feasibility, and financial return.

Operational Oversight

• Provide oversight of drayage execution through department leaders, ensuring consistent planning, dispatch coordination, tracking, delivery, and empty-return practices.
• Establish controls for container availability, holds, appointments, last free days, chassis usage, and empty returns to reduce preventable charges and service failures.
• Serve as the leadership escalation point for material service disruptions, capacity shortages, carrier issues, and customer concerns; assign owners and ensure resolution.
• Oversee accurate shipment records, rate application, documentation, and timely billing readiness, coordinating with Finance to resolve invoice backlogs and cost discrepancies.

Customer Alignment and Cross Functional Collaboration

• Partner with customer-facing teams to align operating procedures and service commitments with customer needs and contracted scope.
• Support implementations and major transitions by confirming carrier coverage, pricing, staffing, system readiness, and escalation procedures before launch.
• Represent drayage in customer and carrier business reviews, communicating performance, improvement actions, and opportunities.

Systems Risk and Continuous Improvement

• Ensure 3GTMS serves as the system of record for shipment activity, pricing, milestones, incidents, and operational reporting.
• Standardize drayage SOPs, rate structures, workflows, and reporting across teams; use data and technology to improve visibility and productivity.
• Ensure carrier qualification, customer requirements, and company risk controls are followed in partnership with Compliance and Risk teams.
• Ensure incidents are documented and escalated, with corrective and preventive action completed when required; monitor recurring issues and action effectiveness.
• Report drayage financial results, carrier coverage, service trends, risks, and improvement priorities to senior leadership.

Required Qualifications

• Progressive experience in drayage, intermodal, or transportation management, including leadership of teams and managers.
• Demonstrated experience in drayage carrier procurement, negotiations, network development, and customer pricing.
• Strong knowledge of port and rail operations, container lifecycles, chassis arrangements, accessorial costs, and drayage service risks.
• Ability to analyze margins, operating costs, service data, and capacity requirements and translate findings into measurable action.
• Proficiency with transportation management systems, Excel, and reporting tools; strong communication, accountability, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, logistics, business, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Experience overseeing multiple drayage teams or markets, developing leaders, and implementing standardized processes.
• Experience with 3GTMS, carrier onboarding platforms, shipment visibility tools, and business intelligence reporting.