Freight Specialist

Freight Specialist

Since 1983, Coastal Forest Products has been a family-owned and independently operated wholesale distributor of specialty building materials. Headquartered in Bow, NH, we partner with dealers and suppliers throughout New England and the surrounding regions, providing quality products backed by knowledgeable, dependable service. Our long-standing relationships and commitment to our customers have fueled steady growth, and we continue to expand our reach and our team. When you join Coastal, you become part of a company that values integrity, collaboration, and the people who make our success possible.

The Freight Specialist is responsible for coordinating both inbound and outbound freight operations for the Company, ensuring the timely, cost-effective, and accurate movement of building materials between carriers, home centers, and company distribution locations. This role serves as the primary point of contact for scheduling delivery appointments with home center accounts (including Home Depot and Lowe's), ensuring compliance with retailer-specific vendor requirements, coordinating inbound shipments with carriers delivering to company distributors, and resolving freight-related issues that impact delivery timelines and customer service.

Job Responsibilities

• Generates and transmits accurate, timely Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) transactions.
• Schedules and manages delivery appointments and tracks outgoing shipments to ensure on-time delivery.
• Ensures shipments comply with routing and compliance requirements; communicates requirement changes.
• Coordinate inbound freight and schedule receiving times with operations team to ensure timely receipt of inventory.
• Serves as the primary carrier liaison, monitoring carrier performance and escalating recurring issues.
• Audits freight invoices for accuracy, resolves billing discrepancies, and identifies opportunities to reduce cost.
• Dispute incorrect chargebacks / fines, and assists with resolving freight claims.
• Partners with internal teams to align freight schedules with deadlines, communicating appropriate updates.
• Maintains accurate freight records, delivery confirmations, EDI transactions, and carrier communications.
• Monitors delivery performance, identifies and resolves the causes of missed appointments, late deliveries, and incorrect shipment quantities, and prepares performance reports for leadership.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• 2+ years of experience in freight coordination, logistics, transportation, or shipping and receiving, ideally within building materials or distribution.
• Experience scheduling deliveries with large retail customers and following their shipping requirements (such as Home Depot or Lowe's) is strongly preferred.
• Experience working with freight carriers, including tracking shipments and resolving delivery issues.
• Experience reviewing freight invoices and resolving billing errors or freight claims is a plus.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Excel; experience with ERP (business management) software or EDI is a plus.
• Strong organizational and communication skills, with attention to detail and accurate recordkeeping.
• Problem-solving mindset, with the ability to identify and resolve issues and adapt to shifting priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Education

• High school diploma or equivalent.

Physical & Environmental Conditions

• Able to sit for extended periods of time
• Early morning and/or weekend work may occasionally be required
• This role is based in an office, with regular phone and system-based communication. Some flexibility in hours may be required to accommodate carrier pickup/delivery schedules and home center appointment windows.

On-Site Location Requirement

• This position works on-site at our headquarters in Bow, New Hampshire, Monday through Friday.

Employee Benefits Include

• Paid Time Off: 40 hours available on day one (additional time to be accrued throughout the year)
• Medical, Dental, and Vision Benefits
• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan with 4% Company Match
• Company-Paid Holidays
• Disability Benefits, FSA Benefit, Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Discount on Building Materials
• On-Site Gym

Job Type & Essential Functions: Full-Time/Non-Exempt, Regular Attendance Required

Ready to build your future with us? Apply today and join the Coastal team! We look forward to receiving your application.