Carrier Manager

Wicker Park Logistics; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Base salary + bonus

Career path and training

WBENC-certified employer

Team-first culture

Job summary

Wicker Park Logistics in Chicago, IL seeks a Carrier Manager to develop our carrier bench, negotiate rates, and ensure reliable service for bulk, hazmat, and specialized freight. You will collaborate with sales and operations to build capacity by lane and equipment type, ensuring the right carrier mix for complex chemical shipments.

The role emphasizes phone-based relationship management, strict compliance, and on-time performance.

Qualifications

• Three+ years in carrier sales, management, or capacity procurement.
• Proven track record sourcing and negotiating with asset-based carriers.
• Knowledge of FMCSA rules, operating authority, insurance requirements.
• Ability to navigate a TMS and load boards like DAT and TruckStop.
• Excellent written communication and high-volume phone work.
• College diploma in supply chain, business, or related field preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

• Source and grow capacity by recruiting carriers across modes.
• Qualify and onboard carriers with required authorities and insurance.
• Negotiate rates and cover daily loads while protecting margins.
• Manage performance, resolve issues, and communicate with operations and sales.
• Support sales with capacity input on bids and RFPs.
• Uphold Responsible Care commitments in carrier selections.

Skills

Carrier sales

Carrier management

Capacity procurement

FMCSA rules knowledge

TMS experience

Education

College Diploma in Supply Chain or related field

Tools

DAT

Truckstop

Job description

The Carrier Manager owns the capacity side of our business. You find carriers, qualify them, negotiate with them, cover freight with them, and hold them to the standard our customers pay for.

This is a phone heavy, relationship driven job. The load board is a tool, not the plan. We want someone who builds a real bench of repeat carriers by lane and equipment type, so that when a chemical shipper calls at 4 p.m. needing a hazmat certified driver out of Joliet, IL tomorrow morning, you already know who to call. You will work closely with sales and operations, and your carrier network will decide how much freight we can say yes to.

Responsibilities

Source and grow capacity

• Recruit carriers across every mode we serve, with heavy focus on bulk tanker, dry bulk, hazmat, flatbed, and temperature controlled equipment
• Build and maintain a preferred carrier bench organized by lane, equipment type, and commodity handled
• Grow volume with carriers who already perform well for us instead of starting over every week

Qualify and onboard

• Vet every new carrier: active operating authority, insurance limits and endorsements, safety scores, loss runs, and a signed broker carrier agreement
• Confirm the specialized credentials the freight actually requires, including hazmat authority, tank wash history, food grade certifications, TWIC, and equipment specs
• Keep carrier files, insurance expiration dates, and contact records current and accurate in the TMS

Negotiate and cover

• Negotiate spot and contract rates that cover the freight and protect margin targets
• Cover daily loads, including short fuse and problem freight that nobody else wants
• Tender loads and confirm rates in writing, and make sure the carrier understands the commodity, the handling requirements, and the appointment before the truck rolls

Manage performance and problems

• Track on time pickup and delivery, tracking compliance, and service failures by carrier, and act on what the numbers show
• Work breakdowns, delays, detention, reconsignments, rejections, and claims through to resolution, keeping operations and the customer informed as you go
• Remove carriers who cannot meet our safety or service standard, and document why

Support the wider team

• Give sales real capacity and pricing input on new business, bids, and RFPs before commitments get made
• Flag market shifts early: capacity tightening, rates climbing in a lane, seasonal pressure, weather
• Help hold up our Responsible Care commitments through the carriers you select for chemical freight

Why Wicker Park Logistics?

• Base salary of $100,000 plus bonus
• Freight most brokers cannot touch. Liquid and dry bulk, hazmat, high security, oversized. You will learn things here that you cannot pick up covering dry van
• A casual, team-first environment where people are not competing against each other
• Industry and technology training, and a career path that does not require you to leave to move up
• Woman-owned and WBENC certified, which opens doors with shippers who care about that
• Named a Responsible Care® Partner by the American Chemistry Council board in June 2026

What we are looking for

• Three or more years in carrier sales, carrier management, or capacity procurement at a freight broker or 3PL
• A proven record of sourcing and negotiating with asset-based carriers and owner-operators
• Working knowledge of FMCSA rules, operating authority, carrier insurance requirements, and broker-carrier contracts
• Comfort living in a TMS all day, plus load boards such as DAT and Truckstop
• The ability to hold a high call volume and stay pleasant on the twentieth call of the morning
• Clear written communication. Rate confirmations, load notes, and carrier records have to be right the first time
• Steady judgment when a load goes sideways, and the instinct to raise a hand early rather than hope it fixes itself
• College Diploma. A degree in supply chain, business, or a related field is welcome and not required

Preferred

• TMS experience

Details

Compensation

Base salary of $100,000 plus bonus.

Location

Chicago, Illinois. This role is onsite at HQ

Schedule

Monday through Friday, standard business hours, with occasional after-hours availability when freight is in transit.

Travel

Limited. Occasional carrier visits or industry events.

About Us

Simply put, we deliver. Wicker Park Logistics is a full-service third-party logistics provider and freight broker in Chicago, Illinois, and a certified Women’s Business Enterprise through WBENC. We move truckload, LTL, partial, flatbed, intermodal, drayage, expedited, temperature-controlled, power-only, ocean, air, and last-mile freight. Where we go deeper than most brokers is the specialized side: liquid and dry bulk for oil, chemical, food grade, agricultural, and industrial customers, plus hazmat, high value, high security, oversized, and team service. In June 2026, the American Chemistry Council board named us a Responsible Care® Partner, which reflects how carefully we choose the carriers who haul chemical freight. We started with three people, and we still run like a team that knows each other’s names. We keep an open book with our customers and our carriers, and we put people ahead of profits.

Wicker Park Logistics is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to any characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.