About Us:
Chadkirk Transport was established in 2009 under the guidance of our dedicated Managing Director, Rhys Fildes. Over the past decade, Chadkirk Transport has experienced remarkable growth, evolving from a small courier enterprise to a prominent player in the UK haulage industry achieving FORS Silver accreditation. Today we proudly operate a fleet of over 20 various size vehicles on a national scale from our conveniently located HQ in Stockport, Greater Manchester.
In no small part due to our dedicated employees, our unwavering dedication to our clients ensures their satisfaction and contributes to our own success. Furthermore, we firmly believe in investing in our staff through industry-recognised training programs. By investing in our employees, we continuously enhance our capabilities and surpass customer expectations.
We are a professional and approachable family-run business, our core expertise lies in road freight and road haulage solutions. Many of our employees have been with us for several years, dedicating their time and effort to helping the company's growth and evolution. Their long-term commitment has been instrumental in achieving our milestones and driving continuous improvement. Each employee's experience and dedication has helped form a strong sense of community and contributes significantly to our ongoing success.
Overview:
The purpose of the Transport Planner's role is to organise and manage the movement of goods in the most efficient, cost effective and compliant way.
They are responsible for planning delivery routes, allocating loads, vehicles and drivers, ensuring that schedules are met whilst minimising mileage, fuel consumption and wasted time and maximising revenue.
They are responsible for the day to day operations of the fleet and drivers taking care of any problems or delays, ensuring all legal and safety regulations are followed and everything runs smoothly. They need to ensure in doing so they provide exceptional, reliable customer service skills and prioritise company profitability as well.
Principal Accountabilities:
* Plan and assign the most efficient and cost effective routes for vehicles, considering factors such as distance, fuel consumption, vehicle size, driver hours and delivery deadlines.
* Minimise operational costs by optimising vehicle usage and reducing unnecessary travel time, miles and driver hours.
* Utilise the fleet available to maximise revenue.
* Plan daily vehicle schedules reviewing vehicle availability, employee shifts, maintenance schedules and training requirements, ensuring the customers requirements are always achieved and flexibility is applied when in the best interest of the business.
* Ensure that the vehicles are loaded in the most efficient way, minimising costs where applicable.
* Work closely with drivers to ensure they are fully informed of their routes, their hours, their deliveries and any changes or delays.
* Help complete homework on potentially hazardous routes to give the delivery and the driver the best chance of success.
* Ensure drivers are regularly contacted and any issues reported such as lateness, contact check issues, disruptions or waiting are communicated directly to the customer in a timely manner.
* In a timely manner, respond to inbound customer inquiries regarding RFQ's, vehicle/driver information, status updates and new or other transport-related questions.
* Quickly coordinate any necessary adjustments to meet customer needs and ensure 100% satisfaction.
* Look for Back Loads: Identify opportunities for securing backloads and increasing revenue to maximise vehicle revenue output and reduce empty mileage.
* Negotiate with contacts and work with other logistics companies, brokers, or customers to find suitable backloads for vehicles, ensuring cost-effective use of fleet resources.
* Coordinate Return Loads: Ensure that backload opportunities align with vehicle schedules, routes, and timing avoiding delays or disruption to regular operations.
* Track data to evaluate the performance of the fleet including downtime, driver shortages and peaks and troughs of busy periods.
* Continuously refine and adjust plans to maximise the revenue for the business.
* Provide reports on delivery efficiency, and any issues that have arisen during traffic management to upper management.
* Manage incoming emails to the operations inbox, prioritising and dealing with any customer queries in a prompt manner.
* Answering incoming calls directed through to the transport line.
* Assist in completing Hiab/lifting plans.
Knowledge/Experience:
* Strong understanding of transport logistics, fleet operations, and UK road transport regulations (including driver hours and Working Time Directive).
* Good knowledge of geography and routing across the UK (and possibly Europe if applicable).
* Understanding of transport management systems (TMS) and tracking/telematics software.
* Basic knowledge of cost control, scheduling efficiency, and customer service principles.
* CPC in Road Haulage (Transport Manager qualification) – (advantageous but not a necessity)
* IT literacy – proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook, Word)
* Full UK driving licence – Required.
* Proven experience in a transport planning, logistics coordination, or traffic office role with a fleet of 15+ vehicles (2+ years).
* Experience with route planning, driver management, and vehicle scheduling.
* Background in haulage, pallet networks, or general distribution operations preferred.
* Demonstrated ability to manage workloads under pressure, solve problems quickly, and communicate clearly with drivers and customers.
Essential Requirements:
* Proven experience in a transport planning, logistics coordination, or traffic office role with a fleet of 15+ vehicles (2+ years).
* No criminal convictions
* Flexibility for early starts and late finishes.
Desirable Requirements:
* Located near to Chadkirk HQ in Stockport, Greater Manchester
* Good knowledge of the UK Highways
* Familiar with laws relating to drivers hours, working time directive and tachograph regulations
* ADR (Hazardous Goods) Trained.
* Forklift Licence
* Valid HGV Class 2 or 1 licence.
* CPC (Transport Manager)
Benefits:
At Chadkirk Transport, we are committed to creating a culture where employees work diligently, find satisfaction in their roles, and feel valued and equally rewarded and recognised for their commitment and dedication to the company.
We seek to ensure that the relationship between employer and employee is mutually beneficial, ensuring respect is reciprocal.
Key Benefits:
* 28 Days holiday (including bank holidays)
* Additional day annual leave for your Birthday
* Company branded uniform provided.
* Automatic pension enrolment.
* Employee investment via training budget allowance.
* Fast growing modern company.
* Bonus
* Company organised Christmas and Summer social events.
* Free Parking
* Company Mobile and Laptop.
* Opportunity to earn additional income on call.
How To Apply:
If this role matches your skills and aspirations and you believe this role is for you, we would love to hear from you.
Please email your CV over to and include a short summary as to why you believe you should be considered.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: £32,500.00-£37,500.00 per year
Benefits:
* Additional leave
* Company pension
* Free parking
Work Location: In person