Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers — Tasks

Task statements

• Supervise the activities of workers engaged in receiving, storing, testing, and shipping products or materials.
• Plan, develop, or implement warehouse safety and security programs and activities.
• Inspect physical conditions of warehouses, vehicle fleets, or equipment and order testing, maintenance, repairs, or replacements.
• Plan, organize, or manage the work of subordinate staff to ensure that the work is accomplished in a manner consistent with organizational requirements.
• Collaborate with other departments to integrate logistics with business systems or processes, such as customer sales, order management, accounting, or shipping.
• Analyze all aspects of corporate logistics to determine the most cost-effective or efficient means of transporting products or supplies.
• Resolve problems concerning transportation, logistics systems, imports or exports, or customer issues.
• Develop and document standard and emergency operating procedures for receiving, handling, storing, shipping, or salvaging products or materials.
• Monitor operations to ensure that staff members comply with administrative policies and procedures, safety rules, union contracts, environmental policies, or government regulations.
• Analyze the financial impact of proposed logistics changes, such as routing, shipping modes, product volumes or mixes, or carriers.
• Monitor inventory levels of products or materials in warehouses.
• Establish or monitor specific supply chain-based performance measurement systems.
• Prepare and manage departmental budgets.
• Monitor product import or export processes to ensure compliance with regulatory or legal requirements.
• Prepare management recommendations, such as proposed fee and tariff increases or schedule changes.
• Interview, select, and train warehouse and supervisory personnel.
• Advise sales and billing departments of transportation charges for customers' accounts.
• Analyze expenditures and other financial information to develop plans, policies, or budgets for increasing profits or improving services.
• Confer with department heads to coordinate warehouse activities, such as production, sales, records control, or purchasing.
• Implement specific customer requirements, such as internal reporting or customized transportation metrics.
• Maintain metrics, reports, process documentation, customer service logs, or training or safety records.
• Examine invoices and shipping manifests for conformity to tariff and customs regulations.
• Plan or implement energy saving changes to transportation services, such as reducing routes, optimizing capacities, employing alternate modes of transportation, or minimizing idling.
• Evaluate contractors or business partners for operational efficiency or safety or environmental performance records.
• Negotiate with carriers, warehouse operators, or insurance company representatives for services and preferential rates.
• Develop or implement plans for facility modification or expansion, such as equipment purchase or changes in space allocation or structural design.
• Direct inbound or outbound operations, such as transportation or warehouse activities, safety performance, and logistics quality management.
• Plan or implement improvements to internal or external systems or processes.
• Recommend or authorize capital expenditures for acquisition of new equipment or property to increase efficiency and services.
• Review invoices, work orders, consumption reports, or demand forecasts to estimate peak performance periods and to issue work assignments.