Traffic Planner

Transport Planner

Location: Telford
Salary: £32,000 per annum
Hours: Monday to Friday, 10:00–19:30
37.5 hours per week
Type: Permanent

The Role

This is a Transport Planner role for someone who understands that transport rarely behaves itself.

Routes change.

Traffic happens.

Vehicles break down.

Drivers call in sick.

Customers add deliveries.

And somehow, everything still needs to get where it’s supposed to be.

You’ll take ownership of the planning function, making sure vehicles, drivers and deliveries are organised as efficiently and realistically as possible.

This is not just about plotting dots on a map.

You’ll need to understand the practical side of transport — what drivers can actually achieve, what the vehicles can legally and physically do, where access is difficult, how driver hours affect the plan and what to change when things start going sideways.

The right person will be calm, switched on and naturally solutions-focused.

What You'll Be Doing

• Planning efficient daily routes for vans, rigids and HGVs
• Allocating work to drivers based on experience, availability and vehicle type
• Making sure delivery plans are achievable and compliant
• Monitoring routes throughout the day and reacting to changes
• Replanning where necessary due to traffic, breakdowns, delays or driver availability
• Checking driver hours and working time compliance
• Using TachoMaster or similar systems to review driver activity and identify potential infringements
• Working closely with drivers and understanding the practical challenges they face
• Liaising with depots, warehouse teams, customers and management
• Managing urgent or time-critical deliveries
• Reviewing route efficiency and reducing unnecessary mileage
• Looking at opportunities to reduce overtime, agency usage and external haulage costs
• Making sure the right vehicle is allocated to the right job
• Taking into account payload, dimensions, access restrictions and road limitations
• Keeping customers updated when delays or changes occur
• Producing reports and keeping transport systems up to date
• Supporting the wider transport team with day-to-day operational issues
• Identifying problems early and putting practical solutions in place before they become bigger ones

What You’ll Need

We’re looking for someone with previous experience in transport or logistics planning .

You’ll need a good understanding of how a busy transport operation actually works and what it takes to keep deliveries on track.

You’ll ideally have experience of:

• Transport planning
• Route planning
• Working with drivers
• Vans, rigids and/or HGV operations
• Drivers’ hours rules
• Working Time Regulations
• Tachograph compliance
• TachoMaster or a similar system
• Vehicle and payload restrictions
• Route restrictions and access issues
• Delivery planning
• Transport Management Systems
• Excel and reporting
• Cost-efficient planning

Good geographical knowledge is also really important.

You don’t need to know every road in Britain off by heart, but you do need to understand that the shortest route on a screen is not always the smartest route in real life.

What Will Make You Good At This

You’ll be organised.

But more importantly, you’ll be adaptable.

Transport planning can be beautifully organised at 10:00am and look completely different by lunchtime.

You’ll need to be able to make quick decisions without losing your head.

You’ll also need to communicate properly.

Drivers need clear instructions.

Customers need realistic updates.

Warehouse teams need to know what is happening.

Management needs to know when there is a risk.

And sometimes you’ll be the person joining all of that together.

Strong problem-solving skills will make a huge difference here.

If your first reaction to a breakdown, failed delivery or route issue is:

“Right, what are our options?”

rather than:

“Well, that’s ruined the day.”

you’ll probably do very well.

What You Might Not Like

Transport planning is not always calm.

There will be days where the plan changes several times.

You may have:

• A driver unavailable at short notice
• A vehicle breakdown
• A delivery added late
• A customer chasing an ETA
• A route that suddenly becomes impossible
• A compliance issue that means the plan has to change

You’ll need to stay level-headed and keep making sensible decisions.

The hours are also 10:00–19:30 Monday to Friday , so this is not a standard 9-to-5 position.

For the right person, that later shift gives you real ownership of the afternoon and evening operation.

What To Do Next

If you’ve got solid transport planning experience , understand drivers’ hours and enjoy solving operational problems, I’d like to speak to you.

I’m particularly interested in hearing from people who can talk confidently about:

• How you’ve planned routes
• The type of vehicles you’ve worked with
• Your experience with drivers’ hours and tachographs
• How you’ve handled breakdowns, failed deliveries or last-minute changes
• How you’ve kept routes efficient and costs under control

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