Logistics Supervisor

About Hawkins

Hawkins, Inc. is a formulator, manufacturer, blender, distributer, and sales agent for thousands of industrial chemicals and reagent grade laboratory chemicals sold to municipalities and businesses throughout the Central United States. Thousands across a variety of industries have depended on Hawkins for the chemical products they need since 1938.

Learn more about us at https://www.hawkinsinc.com/careers/

ABOUT THE JOB

Provides tactical and strategic transportation support in areas of Hawkins driver dispatching, carrier dispatching, exception management, reporting, and metrics as needed. Incumbent will help improve and streamline processes and workflow in addition to the executional duties of arranging freight, tracking freight, negotiating rates, quoting, analyzing freight profile to facilitate identification of options and network optimization. Assist in maintenance of information in JDE and other databases. This position works with other team members as well as cross functional partners and multiple off-site locations to handle daily activity. Incumbent is responsible for providing great customer service and problem-solving support to Hawkins's drivers. Driver-related duties include assigning loads, routes, destinations, and timelines as well as ensuring that drivers who are on the road have up to date information on routes and schedules while satisfying legal and union obligations. The role is very service-focused; meeting and exceeding internal customer and external customer requirements in the most efficient manner is the measurement of success.

Responsibilities

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  Carrier Relationship Management

  
  
  
  
  • Quote rates to ensure competitiveness.
  • Source carriers' capacity by working with current and potential providers.
  • Build and maintain relationships with freight carriers to ensure customer satisfaction.
  • Lead carrier rate negotiation, manage RFQ process for all carriers and award lanes as appropriate to maintain a high service level at the most reasonable cost.
  • Support the Quarterly Business Review (QBR) process with major carriers.
  • Maintain and analyze carrier performance data and use it to make data-driven improvement or elimination recommendations.
  
  
  
  

  Driver Management

  
  
  
  
  • Responsible for coordination, scheduling, dispatching and planning of customer freight shipments including but not limited to effective management for optimum performance in the following categories:
  • On-time pickup and delivery performance.
  • Out of route miles.
  • Hours of service compliance & driver availability.
  • Hold drivers accountable to operate in a safe manner.
  • Accommodation of special routing needs.
  • Maintain driver training records.
  • Develop a strong relationship with Hawkins fleet drivers.
    
    
    
    • Act as the main point of contact for all driver-facing communication via phone and E-mail providing load information, maintenance coordination, regardless of time of day.
    • Create strategic advantage for Hawkins through our Hawkins drivers.
    • Professionally manage customer and driver expectations to align with operational capabilities.
    • Communicate equipment and maintenance needs to the appropriate parties.
    • Manage Hawkins driver on-call program.
    • Handle after-hours issues and escalate issues as necessary.
    • Work with HSE as necessary to engage drivers and ensure driver compliance.
    • Actively monitor driver's runs & minimize company costs.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  

  Shipment Coordination

  
  
  
  
  • Locate carriers for specific loads to meet customer needs and increase satisfaction.
  • Dispatch trucks to provide timely and thorough support in delivery of product.
  • Dispatch drivers to ensure efficient use of company fleet and dispatch contract bulk carriers.
  • Ensure proper fleet size and characteristics to most effectively service our customers with minimal miles driven, fuel usage, weight tolerances and customer constraints.
  • Plan and schedule distribution services including shipping and delivery to ensure customer requirements are met in the most efficient and cost-effective manner.
  • Regularly update Customer Service, Planning, Operations, and Sales as issues arise.
  
  
  
  

  Customer Service

  
  
  
  
  • Consistently deliver excellent customer service through prompt, accurate responses to inquiries, good follow-up when research is required, and providing good, cost-effective options.
  • Ensure customer requirements regarding pick-up time, delivery date, and carrier choice are achieved or offer suitable alternatives.
  • Maintain courteous and productive relationships with all sales, management, customer service, office personnel, Hawkins drivers, and customers.
  • Manage expectations of all stakeholders.
  
  
  
  

  Process Improvement

  
  
  
  
  • Identify and develop opportunities to improve efficiency of transportation and transportation-related processes.
  • Participate in and co-lead process improvement projects.
  • Resolve freight related problems both internal to Hawkins and with the carrier base (root cause and corrective action) to increase customer satisfaction.
  • Evaluate transfer loads and other delivery methods.
  • Assist Operations, Customer Service and Purchasing in load building to improve the overall use of the system.
  
  
  
  

  Account Reconciliation and Reporting

  
  
  
  
  • Work closely with accounting to ensure that all freight related costs are accurate and updates are communicated in a timely fashion.
  • Help manage the vendor-holds, and the accruals that require resolution, addressing root causes to reduce the overall number of future vendor-holds.
  • Handling of the daily exception reports for timeliness and accuracy.
  
  
  
  

  Software Maintenance (JD Edwards)

  
  
  
  
  • Maintain routes, rates, and carrier uploads, driver schedules.
  
  
  
  

  Transportation Strategy Support

  
  
  
  
  • Assist in data-driven statistical analysis, forecasting/extrapolation of trends.
  • Engage in and support predictive modeling and optimization of the network.
  • Analyze, recommend, and support implementation of projects which improve efficiency of processes and or quality of results.
  • Support centralization of transportation functions through full understanding of processes and good relationships with key contacts internally.
  • Maintain and measure project results.
  
  
  
  

ABOUT YOU

• Bachelor's or Associate degree in distribution, logistics, operations, strategic management or related strongly preferred; Advanced degree preferred but not required.
• Minimum of 7 years of related experience in transportation required. Specialty chemical, food, and/or pharmaceutical experience strongly preferred.
• Previous leadership experience preferred.
• Must possess a solid understanding of government regulations (e.g., DOT, OSHA, HazMat, etc.).
• Experience with LTL, Bulk, and Van transportation required.
• Excellent MS Office applications skills required; proficiency with MPR/ERP system required, JDE preferred.
• Able to respond quickly to changes in priorities as needed.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills required, along with good time-management and organizational skills.
• Negotiation experience required.
• Tenacity to accept and drive changes.
• Working understanding of supply chain trade-offs between transportation and other costs.
• Project Management experience.
• Prior dispatch/load planning experience is a plus.

Physical Requirements:

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  While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

  
  

TRAVEL

Local travel required.

Ref 2025-139

All applications must be received online. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristics protected by law. Hawkins is a Drug Free workplace.