Transport Manager
Canterbury
Up to £50,000 + Benefits
8am – 5pm Monday to Friday
20 days + bank holidays (rising to 25 days after 2 years)
Are you an experienced Transport Manager looking for a fast-paced, high-responsibility role within a busy operational environment? We are supporting a well-established organisation in Canterbury that is seeking a strong leader to take ownership of its transport operation, fleet performance, and compliance standards.
The Role
As Transport Manager, you will be responsible for the day-to-day running of a busy transport department, including:
Operational Leadership
1. Managing and supervising all transport staff, including drivers and agency personnel.
2. Ensuring all deliveries, trunking routes, and internal material transfers are completed on-time-in-full.
3. Overseeing daily departure times, route planning, and operational schedules.
4. Monitoring and improving KPI performance across cost, safety, utilisation, and customer service.
Compliance and Safety
5. Ensuring full compliance with the Goods Vehicle Operator Licence and all statutory transport legislation.
6. Managing tachograph, driver hours, Working Time Directive, licence checks, defect reporting, and DVSA readiness.
7. Driving a strong Health and Safety culture, including risk assessments, safe systems of work, near-miss reporting, and incident investigation.
8. Maintaining accurate accident, incident, and defect logs.
Fleet and Cost Management
9. Overseeing vehicle inspections, repairs, maintenance scheduling, and defect resolution.
10. Managing external hauliers, recovery arrangements, and emergency assistance when required.
11. Ensuring weighbridge, load security, and material handling procedures are followed precisely.
12. Monitoring fuel usage, repair costs, and vehicle utilisation levels.
People Management
13. Leading, coaching, and developing a multi-shift driver team.
14. Conducting appraisals, disciplinaries, and performance reviews.
15. Ensuring effective communication across shifts and delivering toolbox talks.
Continuous Improvement
16. Driving LEAN principles, reducing waste, and improving right-first-time delivery performance.
17. Using data, KPIs, and discrepancy reports to identify improvement areas.
What We’re Looking For
18. Proven experience as a Transport Manager within a fast-paced logistics or distribution environment.
19. Strong knowledge of transport compliance, legislation, and operator licence responsibilities.
20. Excellent leadership, communication, and organisational skills.
21. A proactive manager with the ability to remain calm under pressure.
22. Strong understanding of Health and Safety, fleet management, routing, and POD processes.
23. CPC qualification (National or International) is essential.
Benefits
24. Salary up to £50,000
25. 20 days holiday plus bank holidays (rising to 25 days after 2 years)
26. Standard hours 8am – 5pm, Monday to Friday
27. Long-term career development within a stable organisation
If you’re a confident, hands-on Transport Manager looking for your next challenge in the Canterbury area, we’d love to hear from you.
This role is being handled by Sam Hasler, Transport, Logistics & Distribution Specialist at Pearson Whiffin Recruitment