Transport Planner

Transport Planner

Location: Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire
Salary: £35,000–£37,000 per annum DOE
Hours: 40 hours per week, working shifts within 06:00–18:00
Contract: Full-Time, Permanent
Overtime: Additional hours/weekend overtime paid

We are recruiting an experienced Transport Planner to join a well-established, family-run transport and logistics operation based in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

This is a hands-on planning position within a busy general haulage operation, where you'll take responsibility for planning vehicles and drivers across the UK while ensuring fleet utilisation, customer service and transport compliance remain at a high standard.

You'll need to be comfortable making decisions in a fast-moving environment where plans can change quickly due to traffic, driver availability, additional collections, breakdowns and changing customer requirements.

The Role

As Transport Planner, your responsibilities will include:

• Planning and coordinating daily and weekly vehicle movements across the UK
• Allocating drivers, vehicles and loads effectively
• Maximising vehicle utilisation and reducing unnecessary empty running
• Planning collections, deliveries and backloads
• Monitoring live transport movements throughout the day
• Replanning in response to delays, breakdowns, driver availability and changing customer requirements
• Communicating directly with drivers regarding routes, collections and deliveries
• Liaising with customers, warehouses, depots and subcontractors
• Coordinating subcontractors where required to maintain service
• Monitoring drivers' hours and vehicle availability

What We're Looking For

You will need proven transport planning experience within a busy HGV transport environment.

We're particularly interested in candidates with experience within:

General haulage

National distribution

Pallet networks

Multi-drop operations

Full and part-load transport

Own-fleet HGV operations

You should also have:

• Experience planning and allocating HGV drivers and vehicles
• Good knowledge of the UK road network
• Understanding of Drivers' Hours and Working Time Directive
• Strong geographical knowledge
• Good IT skills
• Experience using a Transport Management System
• Excellent communication and organisation skills
• The ability to think quickly and replan under pressure

Hours & Benefits

• £35,000–£37,000 per annum DOE
• 40-hour working week
• Shift patterns operating within 06:00–18:00
• Paid overtime available for additional/weekend hours
• 20 days holiday plus Bank Holidays
• Employer pension contribution
• On-site parking
• Training and development
• Genuine long-term career progression
• Permanent position within a stable, growing transport business

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Transport Planner who enjoys being involved in the day-to-day operation rather than simply monitoring a plan.

Apply today with your CV for immediate consideration.