Transportation Operations Manager

Who We Are

Spirit Express Transport is a fuel transportation and supply company headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Our team is focused on growing within the Tennessee Valley and into Middle Georgia, stretching from Knoxville, TN to Macon, GA.

Position Summary

The Transportation Operations Manager will lead daily transportation execution, develop dispatch and driver teams, strengthen customer service, improve operational performance, and support growth initiatives across the business.

The role is expected to spend approximately 40% of its time supporting petroleum dispatch execution and 60% leading people, customer service, operational improvement, and management responsibilities. The successful candidate will oversee dispatch personnel, drivers at the dispatch level, and customer service functions.

Primary Responsibilities

Operations Leadership

• Lead the daily execution of safe, efficient, and dependable transportation operations.
• Support regular dispatch coverage while maintaining a broader focus on team leadership and operational performance.
• Monitor execution, anticipate service risks, and resolve disruptions, inefficiencies, and resource constraints.
• Coordinate available drivers, equipment, schedules, and customer requirements to meet service commitments.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for routine operating issues.
• Participate in driver hiring with leadership guidance and support onboarding, development, retention, discipline, and routine termination decisions.

Dispatcher Leadership and Development

• Lead, coach, and develop dispatch personnel.
• Establish clear expectations, operating standards, and accountability within the dispatch function.
• Improve consistency in load planning, communication, follow-through, and service execution.
• Promote effective collaboration among dispatch, drivers, customer service, and company leadership.
• Identify individual and team development needs and provide ongoing coaching.

Customer Service and Relationship Management

• Ensure customers receive responsive, professional, and consistent service.
• Act as an escalation point for customer concerns and operational issues.
• Communicate proactively when service disruptions occur and lead appropriate service-recovery efforts.
• Build and maintain strong customer relationships.
• Use recurring customer issues and feedback to improve operating practices.

Driver Management and Accountability

• Provide day-to-day leadership and coaching to drivers at the dispatch level.
• Build productive driver relationships grounded in trust, professionalism, and accountability.
• Address routine performance, attendance, communication, and conduct concerns promptly.
• Manage driver schedules, time-off requests, coverage, and operational assignments.

Atlanta Market Support

• Travel to Atlanta occasionally to support operational and relationship-building efforts.
• Develop strong relationships with Atlanta-based drivers and customers.
• Support Atlanta-area recruiting and retention efforts.

Qualifications

Required

• Strong leadership, communication, judgment, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, time-sensitive transportation environment.
• Ability to work effectively with drivers, dispatchers, customers, and leadership.
• Strong organizational skills, follow-through, and attention to detail.
• Ability to make sound decisions under pressure and take ownership of results.
• Commitment to customer service, safety, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Ability to satisfy company background and drug-screening requirements.

Preferred

• Transportation, logistics, dispatch, or fleet-management experience.
• Experience supervising or leading employees.
• Petroleum, tank-truck, fuel-delivery, or bulk-logistics experience.
• Knowledge of DOT and hours-of-service requirements.
• Experience with customer relationship management and service recovery.
• Experience leading process or operational improvement initiatives.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• A hands-on leader who can stay close to daily operations without becoming limited to dispatch work.
• A team-first manager who develops people and creates accountability.
• A calm, decisive problem solver who communicates clearly during service disruptions.
• A relationship builder who earns credibility with drivers, customers, and coworkers.
• A continuous-improvement thinker who challenges recurring problems and strengthens systems.
• An ambitious transportation professional interested in growing into broader, multi-location leadership.

What Success Looks Like

During the first year, a successful Transportation Operations Manager will:

• Strengthen leadership, standards, and accountability within the dispatch team.
• Improve communication and coordination among dispatchers, drivers, and customer service.
• Deliver more consistent customer service and more effective resolution of operating issues.
• Build stronger relationships with drivers.
• Improve operational consistency, follow-through, and process discipline.
• Support Atlanta recruiting, customer relationships, leadership development, and long-term stability.
• Establish credibility as a trusted leader capable of assuming progressively broader responsibility.

Spirit Express is seeking a builder, not simply a dispatcher: someone who can improve today's execution while developing into tomorrow's transportation leader.

Pay: $80,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year

Work Location: In person

Salary : $80,000 - $85,000