Transportation Manager - Ice Solutions

Description

About Ice Solutions

Ice Solutions is a rapidly growing provider of bulk liquid deicing and ice management solutions, serving snow contractors, municipalities, airports, and commercial operators. Our products deliver safer, cleaner, and more efficient ice control than traditional rock salt. As we continue expanding across key U.S. markets, we're seeking experienced operational leaders to oversee transportation operations, build high-performing teams, and ensure exceptional service delivery throughout their assigned region. Collaboration with all groups and teams within Ice Solutions is key.

Position Overview

Ice Solutions is seeking a results-driven Transportation Manager to lead and optimize the company's transportation and distribution operations. This leader will be responsible for ensuring raw materials and finished products are transported safely, efficiently, and cost-effectively between suppliers, manufacturing and bottling facilities, distribution locations, and customers.

The Transportation Manager will oversee transportation planning, fleet operations, route planning, driver performance, carrier relationships, freight costs, regulatory compliance, and delivery execution. This position will play a critical role in supporting Ice Solutions' continued growth by ensuring the right product reaches the right location at the right time while maintaining a strong focus on safety, service, and cost control.

The Transportation Manager works cross-functionally with Production, Procurement, Sales, Customer Service, Quality, Warehouse, and Operations Leadership to ensure transportation capacity aligns with production schedules and customer demand.

Key Responsibilities

Transportation Operations

• Lead day-to-day transportation operations for inbound and outbound product movement across Ice Solutions' facilities and customer locations
• Develop and execute transportation strategies that improve efficiency, service levels, capacity, and cost effectiveness
• Coordinate transportation requirements with Production, Warehouse, Procurement, Sales, and Customer Service teams
• Design efficient delivery routes, schedule shipments, and optimize loads to maximize vehicle and driver utilization
• Ensure timely delivery of products while minimizing empty miles, detention, accessorial charges, and other unnecessary transportation costs
• Monitor transportation capacity and develop contingency plans to address demand surges, weather events, equipment failures, and other disruptions
• Establish standardized transportation processes and procedures that can scale with company growth

Fleet Management & Route Planning

• Oversee company-owned, leased, and/or contracted transportation assets
• Manage fleet utilization, maintenance schedules, inspections, repairs, licensing, registration, and overall vehicle readiness
• Establish and maintain preventive vehicle maintenance programs to ensure safe and reliable transportation operations
• Schedule and coordinate vehicle maintenance and repairs to minimize downtime and maximize fleet availability
• Monitor fuel usage, mileage, maintenance costs, and other fleet-related expenses
• Design and continuously optimize delivery routes based on customer requirements, geographic coverage, vehicle capacity, driver availability, and cost
• Utilize routing, GPS, telematics, and transportation management technology to improve route efficiency and delivery visibility
• Evaluate fleet performance and make recommendations regarding vehicle replacement, expansion, leasing, and capital expenditures

Carrier & Vendor Management

• Lead the selection, qualification, onboarding, and performance management of transportation carriers and third-party logistics providers
• Negotiate freight rates, transportation agreements, and service expectations with carriers and transportation partners
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with carriers, brokers, suppliers, and logistics partners
• Monitor carrier performance, including on-time delivery, service quality, claims, safety, and cost
• Maintain adequate transportation capacity to support seasonal and peak-demand requirements
• Develop a reliable network of transportation partners to support continued geographic expansion

Driver & Team Leadership

• Lead, coach, develop, and hold transportation personnel accountable for performance, safety, attendance, and service
• Establish clear performance expectations and KPIs for drivers and transportation staff
• Support recruiting, onboarding, training, and retention of qualified transportation personnel
• Promote a culture of safety, accountability, professionalism, and customer service
• Ensure drivers and transportation personnel have the equipment, training, and resources necessary to perform their responsibilities effectively

Safety & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with applicable Department of Transportation (DOT), Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), environmental, and company transportation requirements
• Enforce DOT, FMCSA, OSHA, and company safety policies and procedures across transportation operations
• Maintain accurate transportation, driver, vehicle, inspection, and compliance records
• Monitor driver qualifications, licenses, certifications, hours-of-service requirements, and other applicable regulations
• Establish and enforce transportation safety policies and procedures
• Investigate transportation incidents, accidents, claims, and compliance issues and implement corrective actions
• Partner with leadership to maintain a strong safety culture across all transportation operations

Cost Control & Financial Management

• Manage transportation operating budgets and monitor performance against budget
• Track and control fuel costs, maintenance expenses, freight costs, driver-related expenses, and other transportation operating costs
• Negotiate shipping contracts, freight rates, and service agreements to obtain competitive pricing and favorable terms
• Identify opportunities to reduce transportation expenses while maintaining service, safety, and reliability
• Monitor cost per mile, cost per load, fuel consumption, fleet utilization, and other key transportation expenses
• Prepare transportation budgets, forecasts, and financial reports for leadership
• Evaluate transportation costs and develop recommendations to improve overall operating margins

Performance & Continuous Improvement

• Develop and monitor transportation KPIs, including on-time delivery, cost per mile, cost per load, fuel consumption, fleet utilization, empty miles, carrier performance, and transportation claims
• Analyze transportation data to identify cost savings and operational improvement opportunities
• Identify opportunities to improve route efficiency, fleet utilization, driver productivity, and carrier performance
• Utilize technology, routing tools, telematics, and transportation management systems to improve visibility and operational efficiency
• Establish and maintain performance standards for transportation operations

Strategic Planning

• Develop scalable transportation processes to support Ice Solutions' geographic expansion
• Forecast transportation capacity requirements based on production schedules, customer demand, seasonality, and business growth
• Develop contingency and emergency transportation plans to maintain business continuity
• Partner with Operations Leadership on facility expansion, transportation network design, and fleet planning
• Identify opportunities to improve transportation technology, automation, and overall operational efficiency

Requirements

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Transportation, Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Operations Management, or a related field preferred. Equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
• 5+ years of progressive transportation, fleet, logistics, or distribution experience, with demonstrated leadership responsibility
• Experience managing transportation operations in a high-volume, fast-paced environment
• Demonstrated experience managing company fleets, third-party carriers, or both
• Strong knowledge of DOT, FMCSA, and OSHA regulations and transportation safety requirements
• Experience with transportation management systems (TMS), routing software, fleet management systems, GPS/telematics, or similar technology
• Proven ability to manage transportation costs, negotiate freight rates and shipping contracts, and improve operational efficiency
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to use data and KPIs to drive decisions
• Excellent leadership, communication, negotiation, and organizational skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced operating environment
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel
• Ability to travel between facilities and transportation locations as needed

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in bulk liquids, industrial liquids, chemical, agricultural, food/beverage, or similar transportation operations
• Experience transporting liquid products or operating tanker transportation
• Experience managing seasonal or weather-driven transportation operations
• Knowledge of tanker, bulk liquid, or specialized transportation requirements
• Experience managing both company-owned fleets and third-party carriers
• Experience with fleet telematics, GPS tracking, electronic logging devices (ELDs), and transportation management systems
• DOT/FMCSA compliance experience
• Lean, Six Sigma, APICS, or other transportation/supply chain certification
• Experience supporting multi-site transportation operations
• Experience developing transportation networks for a rapidly growing organization