Transport Planner

You like the challenge of turning a stack of orders into safe, efficient routes, and seeing your plan roll out of the yard exactly as you designed it.

As a Transport Planner with our client, a manufacturing business in Bridgwater, you’ll own every outbound delivery of insulated panels, roofing sheets and flashings, making sure customers get the right products, on the right day, on vehicles that are full, safe and legal.

This Transport Planner role sits at the heart of operations, linking production, sales, drivers and hauliers into one joined-up plan.

Reporting to the Operations Manager, you’ll manage the daily work of a team of seven drivers as well as a mixed fleet of vehicles, agency drivers and third-party hauliers.

Within six months, success looks like deliveries planned well in advance, a calm and controlled transport office, and a fleet that’s well utilised, compliant and trusted by the wider business.

What You'll Do

Own the daily and weekly route plan for in-house vehicles and subcontract hauliers, balancing cost, vehicle fill and customer delivery windows.

Build safe, compliant loads for long and heavy goods, selecting the right vehicle type and ensuring drivers’ hours, tachograph and load-security rules are met.

Work closely with production and sales to agree realistic delivery dates, offload requirements and site access, confirming bookings 24–48 hours ahead.

Lead and support a team of seven drivers day-to-day, from briefing and debriefing to re-planning routes when schedules change at short notice.

Book, coordinate and manage agency drivers, rental vehicles and third-party logistics providers, maintaining a reliable approved-haulier list and fair rates.

Monitor vehicles in transit using transport systems and tracking, reacting quickly to delays, breakdowns or site issues and keeping customers informed.

Track key metrics such as cost per delivery, vehicle utilisation and on-time performance, using data to suggest route consolidation and smarter use of return loads.

What You'll Bring

You have experience in transport planning, logistics coordination or a busy traffic office, ideally with multi-drop or industrial loads.

You have working knowledge of UK drivers' hours, tachograph and working time rules, plus the fundamentals of safe load securing.

You have strong IT skills, including confident use of Excel and an ERP or transport management system, with experience of route-planning or telematics tools a bonus.

You have hands-on experience coordinating full-time drivers alongside third-party hauliers and agency drivers in a calm, organised way.

You stay composed and decisive when plans change suddenly, reworking routes while keeping safety, legality and service front of mind.

You have clear, confident communication skills, enabling you to build dependable relationships with customers, drivers, colleagues and site contacts.

What's On Offer

Salary of £30,000 – £40,000 per year, depending on experience.

A permanent Transport Planner position with real ownership of planning, fleet and driver management.

On-site role in Bridgwater, working closely with operations, production and sales across the full order-to-delivery process.

Autonomy to shape how transport planning is done and to drive measurable improvements in vehicle utilisation, cost and service.

Benefits package, details on application.

If you’re a Transport Planner who wants to run the plan end-to-end, from factory schedule to site delivery, this role gives you the responsibility and visibility to do it properly.

Key Information

Job Title: Transport Planner

Location: Bridgwater

Work Policy: On-site

Salary: £30,000 - £40,000

Benefits: Benefits package, details on application

Sofee is an AI recruitment platform backed by a recruitment group with 20 years experience. If this Transport Planner job in Bridgwater doesn't align with your preferences, but you are open to exploring other opportunities, please still register by applying to this role so Sofee can match you to other requirements.

Due to the high volume of applications, we may need to reach out to you to clarify additional details about your background so please do look out for an invite to your portal if you are selected.

Sofee is acting as an employment agency in relation to this vacancy.