Assistant Terminal Manager - Savannah

Gulf Winds International; Savannah (GA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Gulf Winds International in Savannah, GA is seeking an Assistant Terminal Manager to lead the dispatch team, optimize scheduling, and manage costs in close partnership with the Terminal Manager to execute strategic objectives.

The role emphasizes coaching and cross-training, driver retention, and cross‑department collaboration to improve service levels and reduce disruptions, with daily dashboard monitoring and responsive planning in a dynamic transportation environment.

Qualifications

• Must have coaching mentality and prior dispatch experience
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Experience in scheduling, capacity, or OTR planning and conveyance to new dispatchers
• Self-starter who can work with minimal supervision
• Knowledge of transportation industry, logistics, and DOT regulations
• Ability to shift focus quickly and maintain execution
• Familiar with payrolls, driver pay, and margins
• Strong organizational skills and ability to supervise a team
• Experience working with independent contractors in transportation
• Ability to interact well with other departments and management
• Willingness to take on hiring decisions for the operation

Responsibilities

• Coach dispatch team and drive cross-training initiatives
• Monitor daily plan amid port congestion and weather; pivot as needed
• Collaborate with TM to implement process changes for service and cost controls
• Review dashboards and address issues, minimize missed opportunities
• Promote driver retention and advocate for operations
• Lead cross-department collaboration to improve dispatch and fleet processes
• Ensure daily dispatch execution meets commitments with customers and ICs
• Supervise drivers and manage costs while reporting fleet performance
• Hold dispatch accountable and foster positive team culture
• Support hiring decisions to optimize team size
• Conduct weekly OKR check-ins and maintain team alignment
• Fill in for dispatch when needed

Skills

Coaching

Communication

Self-motivation

Organizational skills

Team leadership

Interpersonal skills

Problem solving

Education

5 years transportation experience

Tools

MS Word

Excel

Outlook

Job description

Job Title: Assistant Terminal Manager

Department: Operations

Location: Savannah

Position Type: Full-time

Purpose of Position

The Assistant Terminal Manager is accountable for the performance of the dispatch team and general operation. The position will supervise dispatch, the daily execution of the scheduling plan, equipment utilization, and operational costs, as well as identify areas of weakness and efficiencies within the team. In this position, you will work closely with the Terminal Manager to ensure the strategy is implemented and monitored and deliver proper feedback.

Primary Job Responsibilities

• Be the team's coach, translating insight and vision from TM into actionable items. Champion cross‑training initiatives to maintain the team's consistent evolution.
• Keep a pulse of the team, port congestion, and weather, and be able to pivot focus instantly to ensure success. Ensure the daily plan is executed, with constant follow‑up and proactively escalating at the first sign of peril.
• Work with the TM to implement process changes focused on service improvements and cost controls.
• Review the dashboard, call out issues, and follow up with dispatch to ensure we remain prescient, attempting to eliminate missed opportunities and reduce driver frustrations. Complete the end‑of‑shift checklist, following up with dispatch to ensure driver status and dispatches not started or completed are addressed.
• Actively participate in driver retention, and become an expert on issues that create driver turnover. Be an advocate for the operation and driver.
• Be an exponent for the operation, uniting with other departments to drive process improvements for dispatch and the fleet.
• Oversight of daily execution of dispatch processes to ensure contracted customers and critical account commitments are met, and ICs are handled.
• Supervise the company drivers and their productivity, manage costs, and can report and reprimand that fleet.
• Hold dispatch accountable to set expectations and support positive team culture and engagement goals.
• Assist in hiring decisions for the operation. Work with TM to ensure the proper team size with the correct personnel.
• Complete weekly check‑ins for quarterly OKRs and ensure the team is current.
• Fill in for dispatch when applicable.

Requirements

• Prior dispatch experience, previous team supervisor, possess a coaching mentality.
• Must possess exceptional communication skills, both in verbal and written forms.
• Former scheduling, capacity, or OTR planning. Firm understanding of conceptual dispatch and how to convey to new dispatchers.
• Must be a self‑starter willing to work with minimal supervision and execute tasks and duties at a high level.
• Knowledge of the transportation industry, logistics, and supply chain, including comprehension of DOT regulations.
• Possess a sense of urgency, intrinsically motivated, detail orientated, and able to set the tone for a team.
• Former experience with or knowledge of payrolls, driver pay, and margins.
• A high degree of flexibility to seamlessly shift focus and maintain a noteworthy execution of tasks.
• The candidate must have excellent organizational skills.
• Familiar with working with independent contractors in the transportation industry.
• Ability to encourage, discipline, and evaluate the performance of team members.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to interact positively with other departments, supervisors, and management.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• 5 Years of transportation experience.
• Must be computer literate in MS Word, Excel, and Outlook.
• Must be dependable and able to work independently.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.