JOB SUMMARY

The Load Planner coordinates truckload freight shipments for UPS Freight Line Transportation. He/She analyzes customer transportation needs and utilizes owner operator drivers and equipment to meet customer demand. This position evaluates and develops logistical plans to ensure driver and equipment utilization efficiencies and enhance product flow. The Load Planner builds relationships with freight brokers and pursues third-party freight opportunities to develop business and minimize non-profitable miles. He/She creates process and procedures to maximize efficiencies and timely freight deliveries. This position provides freight customer service, works closely with Operations and Dispatchers, and adheres with Department of Transportation regulations.

The Load Planner reviews shipment volume and loads secured from the previous day to determine available truckload capacity.  He/She cultivates relationships with freight brokers and customers to generate business and negotiate rates and terms.  This position provides back-up coverage for dispatching to meet volume and operational demands.  The Load Planner handles owner operator complaints and issues to improve working relations and maximize freight deliveries.

OTHER DUTIES

• Monitors and maintains current truckload equipment and drivers’ availability to support flexible dispatching and freight transportation.
• Analyzes truck and driver availability by regions and load requirements to assign loads with trucks and drivers and ensure timely and efficient freight deliveries.
• Follows up on unpaid broker loads to collect monies for rendered services and notify the Collections group of seriously delinquent accounts.
• Coordinates with Dispatchers to develop contingency plans for emergencies, route deviations, and service failures.
• Maintains ongoing communication with drivers to address concerns, answer questions, and ensure timely freight deliveries.
• Creates and improves load planning processes and procedures to gain operational efficiencies, reduce risks, and ensure regulatory and corporate compliance.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's Degree or internationally comparable degree – Preferred

PREFERRED COMPETENCIES

• Assesses Business Needs: Demonstrates a general understanding of ways to identify and measure the current needs of the customer or business; uses the business need to help define the project’s requirements.
• Detail Orientation:  Distinguishes between “big picture” concepts and comments and specialized, smaller specific facts associated with work; notes the specifics of events and experiences; explains, in general, how details impact end goals or outcomes; ensures that work is completed accurately and with the appropriate level of detail.
• Freight Forwarding Operations Knowledge:  Demonstrates a detailed understanding of processes, procedures, and technology for intermodal transportation; identifies root causes of recurring issues within freight forwarding operations; describes the general structure of freight forwarding operations.
• Legal, Regulatory, and Compliance Knowledge:  Demonstrates a basic understanding of the functions, regulations, and procedures of compliance agencies or governing bodies; takes a leadership position in programs that reduce risk and enhance safety.
• Negotiation:  Demonstrates an understanding of negotiation techniques; identifies stakeholders/participants that should be involved in negotiations; demonstrates an understanding of each party’s objectives.
• Report Generation:  Possesses ability to generate simple reports using basic functions in software, and/or writing basic queries; identifies information required to complete reports and identifies existing reports generated by others.
• Risk Management:  Demonstrates a basic knowledge of risk management fundamentals.
• Solicits and Gathers Information: Demonstrates a general knowledge of techniques for soliciting and gathering information.
• Solves Customer Problems: Identifies business areas and stakeholders impacted by customer issues; engages appropriate resources to resolve customer issues; identifies root causes to ensure problems do not recur; stays motivated despite difficult circumstances or setbacks.
• Supply Chain Management: Demonstrates a basic understanding of supply chain concepts; identifies issues within a supply chain.
• Vendor/Supplier Management:  Identifies internal customers’ needs and vendors to meet those needs; determines costs and benefits to UPS for vendors’ products, commodities, or services; creates bid proposals for vendor solicitation; analyzes vendor responses and develops recommendations for award.
• Work Methods, Processes, Flows Analysis:  Identifies routine work methods/processes/flows to analyze; describes in general terms, process capability studies; describes the basic steps in analysis of data related to people, technology, or information.

UPS is an equal opportunity employer. UPS does not discriminate on the basis of race/color/religion/sex/national origin/veteran/disability/age/sexual orientation/gender identity or any other characteristic protected by law

Founded on a $100 loan in 1907, 2 teenage boys opened up a messenger service in a 6 by 17 foot office located just below the sidewalk on Second Avenue and Main Street in Seattle, WA. Messengers ran errands, carried notes, hand baggage, and delivered trays of food for customers. They also delivered packages, traveling by streetcars and bicycles for longer trips, and later using motorcycles.