What are the responsibilities and job description for the Transportation Planner position at Ashley Distribution Services, Ltd.?
Drive Freight Efficiency as a Carrier Capacity Planner.
Schedule: Monday-Friday (Day Shift)
Are you a transportation professional with a passion for freight planning and network optimization? As a Transportation Planner, you'll be a key player in our logistics operations, responsible for managing freight flows, trailer assets, and carrier capacity across a defined region. Your decisions will directly impact service levels, cost control, and operational efficiency.
What You'll Do:
Plan Freight Movements:
Coordinate inbound and outbound freight within a 24-72 hour window, ensuring optimal trailer utilization and on-time delivery across our transportation network.
Manage Trailer Pools:
Monitor and adjust trailer pool allocations to reduce idle assets and improve turn times at customer locations.
Optimize Capacity & Routing:
Analyze lane-level data to match freight demand with available carrier capacity, making strategic decisions to accept, decline, or reroute freight based on cost, service, and network impact.
Collaborate Across Teams:
Partner with Customer Service, Sales, and Area Managers to align freight volumes with network commitments and develop proactive solutions for capacity constraints.
Support Real-Time Freight Decisions:
Respond to dynamic freight needs by securing additional capacity, adjusting schedules, and leveraging transportation management systems (TMS) to maintain service and profitability.
Ensure Data Accuracy:
Maintain precise records in TMS, validate billing details, and ensure all freight planning data is entered correctly for operational transparency.
Why This Role Matters:
Transportation Planners are critical to balancing freight demand, trailer assets, and carrier capacity. Your expertise will help us deliver consistent service, reduce costs, and maintain a high-performing transportation network.
What You'll Need:
Who We Are
At Ashley, we're more than a business...we're family. As the largest manufacturer of home furnishings in the world, we know what it takes to build incredible furniture and future leaders. We're problem solvers with the grit to persevere during challenging times and innovators who won't coast when times are good. We create solutions, not excuses. And never settle for the status quo. It's the reason we're always searching for better ways to deliver an exceptional customer experience. That's why Ashley Furniture is #1 in our industry.
Ready to grow? You've come to the right place. Ashley Furniture has a Growth Mindset, and once you join our team, you'll learn from the best in the business.
Apply today and find your home at Ashley!
Benefits We Offer
Health, Dental, Vision, and Employee Assistance Program
Paid Vacation, Holidays, and Your Birthday off
Generous Employee Discount on home furnishings
Professional Development Opportunities
Ashley Wellness Centers (location specific) and Medical Tourism
Telehealth
401(k) and Profit Sharing
Life Insurance
Our Core Values
Honesty & Integrity
Passion, Drive, Discipline
Continuous Improvement/Operational Excellence
Dirty Fingernail
Growth Focused
To learn more about Ashley Furniture, our community engagement programs, environmental stewardship, and our core values, please visit our Corporate Social Responsibility information page : Corporate Social Responsibility
Schedule: Monday-Friday (Day Shift)
Are you a transportation professional with a passion for freight planning and network optimization? As a Transportation Planner, you'll be a key player in our logistics operations, responsible for managing freight flows, trailer assets, and carrier capacity across a defined region. Your decisions will directly impact service levels, cost control, and operational efficiency.
What You'll Do:
Plan Freight Movements:
Coordinate inbound and outbound freight within a 24-72 hour window, ensuring optimal trailer utilization and on-time delivery across our transportation network.
Manage Trailer Pools:
Monitor and adjust trailer pool allocations to reduce idle assets and improve turn times at customer locations.
Optimize Capacity & Routing:
Analyze lane-level data to match freight demand with available carrier capacity, making strategic decisions to accept, decline, or reroute freight based on cost, service, and network impact.
Collaborate Across Teams:
Partner with Customer Service, Sales, and Area Managers to align freight volumes with network commitments and develop proactive solutions for capacity constraints.
Support Real-Time Freight Decisions:
Respond to dynamic freight needs by securing additional capacity, adjusting schedules, and leveraging transportation management systems (TMS) to maintain service and profitability.
Ensure Data Accuracy:
Maintain precise records in TMS, validate billing details, and ensure all freight planning data is entered correctly for operational transparency.
Why This Role Matters:
Transportation Planners are critical to balancing freight demand, trailer assets, and carrier capacity. Your expertise will help us deliver consistent service, reduce costs, and maintain a high-performing transportation network.
What You'll Need:
- Transportation Experience: Background in freight planning, carrier coordination, or transportation operations. Experience with trailer pool management or TMS platforms is a plus.
- Analytical Thinking: Ability to interpret freight data, lane performance, and cost metrics to make fast, informed decisions.
- Communication Skills: Strong verbal and written skills to collaborate with internal teams and external partners.
- Problem-Solving: Resourceful and proactive in resolving freight challenges and capacity issues.
- Tech Proficiency: Familiarity with transportation management systems (TMS), load planning tools, and Microsoft Office Suite.
Who We Are
At Ashley, we're more than a business...we're family. As the largest manufacturer of home furnishings in the world, we know what it takes to build incredible furniture and future leaders. We're problem solvers with the grit to persevere during challenging times and innovators who won't coast when times are good. We create solutions, not excuses. And never settle for the status quo. It's the reason we're always searching for better ways to deliver an exceptional customer experience. That's why Ashley Furniture is #1 in our industry.
Ready to grow? You've come to the right place. Ashley Furniture has a Growth Mindset, and once you join our team, you'll learn from the best in the business.
Apply today and find your home at Ashley!
Benefits We Offer
Health, Dental, Vision, and Employee Assistance Program
Paid Vacation, Holidays, and Your Birthday off
Generous Employee Discount on home furnishings
Professional Development Opportunities
Ashley Wellness Centers (location specific) and Medical Tourism
Telehealth
401(k) and Profit Sharing
Life Insurance
Our Core Values
Honesty & Integrity
- Without hesitation, uses candor and is direct in communication
- Is tough-minded in working in and meeting the demands of reality
- Always tells the truth and follows through on commitments
Passion, Drive, Discipline
- Enjoys working hard and pursues work with energy, drive and willpower to finish
- Is disciplined in developing consistency into work processes
- Is focused and relentless in achieving goals
Continuous Improvement/Operational Excellence
- Fights to take costs and waste out of the system
- Seeks to understand "why" something works the way it does, and through study and improvement determines how to better all processes and systems
- Strives for more in all areas of work by developing measurements, setting goals and then working on ways to exceed goals through problem solving methods that look beyond the obvious
Dirty Fingernail
- Does not rely on reports to run the business, but rather goes to the work that is being done and sees if the work is being done right for him/herself
- Has an insatiable curiosity and takes a "Go and See" approach to understand the current state of the business and the competitive realities
- Takes a hands-on approach to tackle problems and demonstrates critical thinking through use of effective questioning...asking the 5 "Whys"
Growth Focused
- Understands the customer's needs and wants, then challenges current ways of doing business that inhibits growth and organizes work to meet those needs
- Is competitive by studying the competition and is aggressive in looking for ways to beat them
- Strives to be the BEST by improving quality of processes, reducing costs, doing more business, being profitable, and growing the business
To learn more about Ashley Furniture, our community engagement programs, environmental stewardship, and our core values, please visit our Corporate Social Responsibility information page : Corporate Social Responsibility