Terminal Manager

Forward Air Corp.; Nashville (TN); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) plan

Employee stock purchase program

Paid holidays and PTO

Job summary

Forward Air Corp. is seeking a Terminal Manager in Nashville to lead the terminal’s transportation and forwarding operations from inbound receipt to final delivery.

You will drive safety, regulatory compliance, and efficient performance across all modes, while aligning with contractual and financial targets. The role requires 5+ years of leadership in multimodal logistics, strong analytical skills, and proficiency with TMS/WMS/ERP systems.

Qualifications

• Education: Undergraduate degree preferred; HS diploma acceptable.
• Experience: 5+ years in multimodal transportation or 3PL environments.
• Proficient with TMS, WMS, and ERP systems; data reporting.
• Ability to lead safety and regulatory compliance initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Lead terminal transportation operations from inbound to final delivery.
• Ensure service, cost, safety, and regulatory requirements.
• Coach teams to drive consistent execution and accuracy.
• Own P&L and monitor labor, costs, and productivity.
• Lead workforce planning and capacity alignment across modes.
• Drive continuous improvement using data and analytics.
• Collaborate with carriers, customers, and internal teams.

Skills

Leadership

Multimodal transportation

Data-driven decisions

Operational discipline

KPI reporting

Safety compliance

Cost control

P&L management

Cross-functional collaboration

Contract logistics

Education

Undergraduate degree in Supply Chain/Business/Transportation

High School Diploma or GED

Tools

TMS

WMS

ERP (McLeod, SAP, Oracle)

Excel/Office 365

Job description

• Locations 110 AIRPARK CENTER DRIVE EAST, Nashville, TN, 37217, US (On-site)
• Job Category Operations: Leadership
• Job Category Logistics and Transportation
• Job Function Operations

Job Description

The Terminal Manager is responsible for leading all aspects of transportation/forwarding terminal operations. They provide strategic and day‑to‑day leadership to ensure safe, compliant, and efficient movement of freight from inbound receipt through final delivery. They ensure operational performance aligns with contractual, service, financial, and regulatory commitments across all supported modes. They drive workforce planning, capacity management, cost control, and terminal productivity through strong operational discipline and data‑driven decision‑making. They partner with transportation providers, carriers, customers, and internal teams to ensure seamless handoffs and service delivery.

Responsibilities

• Lead all operations across the terminal’s transportation flows from inbound receipt through final delivery.
• Ensure service, financial, safety, quality, and regulatory requirements are met across all transportation modes.
• Coach operations and support teams to drive consistent execution, operational discipline, and process accuracy.
• Own terminal P&L performance, including labor, variable costs, period expenses, and cost-to-serve across modes.
• Lead workforce planning, volume forecasting, transportation capacity alignment, and cross‑mode resource allocation based on network and customer demand.
• Monitor terminal operational and financial performance, identify variances, and implement corrective actions.
• Manage terminal capital expenditures tied to approved investments, terminal improvements, and handling needs.
• Sponsor and lead initiatives that improve productivity, quality, velocity, safety, and cost performance.
• Establish and manage terminal KPIs aligned with safety, regulatory compliance, on‑time performance, mode accuracy, cost, and productivity.
• Lead regular operational, transportation, and performance reviews to assess results and identify improvement opportunities.
• Proactively manage employee relations through communication, coaching, performance feedback, and team development.
• Ensure robust safety practices and full compliance with DOT, OSHA, TSA, FMC, IATA, rail, and other mode‑specific regulations.
• Collaborate with carriers, drayage providers, freight forwarders, brokers, linehaul partners, and regulatory authorities to ensure smooth operations.
• Support and promote continuous improvement methodologies using data, structured problem‑solving, and transportation analytics.
• All other duties as assigned to meet evolving business needs.

Qualifications

• Education: Undergraduate degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Transportation, Logistics, or a related field preferred; High School Diploma or GED/equivalent required.
• Certification/Licensure: Valid forklift certification/licensure (or ability to obtain before operating equipment) required, including operation of applicable material handling equipment (MHE) such as sit‑down/stand‑up forklifts, reach trucks, order pickers, pallet riders, or other specialized MHE as required by the site. Additional equipment certifications may be required depending on facility needs.
• Training in Lean, Six Sigma, DOT compliance, IATA/IMDG familiarity, or similar is preferred.
• Experience: 5+ years of leadership experience in multimodal transportation, 3PL, contract logistics, or operational environments involving ground, air, ocean, or rail.
• Strong working knowledge of multimodal transportation processes, carrier operations, freight flow management, and terminal/linehaul coordination.
• Strong functional understanding of TMS, WMS, ERP (McLeod, SAP, Oracle, etc.), and reporting/data tools.
• Proven ability to manage operational KPIs, labor planning, transportation capacity, and cost performance.
• Experience developing and using dashboards, scorecards, and transportation KPI reporting to manage terminal performance.
• Ability to create, track, and interpret safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity metrics across multiple transportation modes.
• Demonstrated discretion and confidentiality in handling and protecting sensitive information.
• Technical: Proficient with common office technologies, including Windows PCs, Microsoft O365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) and web conferencing (Teams, Zoom, Webex, etc.).
• Environment: Comfort commuting to/from and working in a 100% on‑site setting (listed in this posting), with travel for related meetings/events.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Compensation: Competitive base pay based on experience, industry/geographic benchmarks and internal equity. Some positions may be eligible for incentive pay programs and/or equity-based incentives. Pay ranges published on job boards are not provided nor verified by the Company.
• Health: Medical and Pharmacy insurance; Health Savings Account (HSA); Vision; Dental; Life and Disability; Critical Illness; Accident Indemnity; Hospital Indemnity; On-demand telehealth via Teladoc; Employee Assistance Program (counseling and financial/lifestyle coaching).
• Wealth: 401(k) retirement savings plan with employer match; Employee stock purchase program; Flexible Spending Account (FSA); Commuter Benefits; LegalEASE legal coverage.
• Time: 7 paid holidays and generous Paid Time Off (PTO) tiers ranging from 10–25 days annually.
• Culture: A collaborative, transformation-driven, solutions-first environment full of "can do" attitude and "will do" work ethic.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Agencies: The Company does not accept unsolicited outreach from third parties. Absent an agreement signed by internal Talent Acquisition and Procurement, and a documented request from Talent Acquisition to submit candidates for a specified requisition, we will not approve payments to any third party.
• Work Authorization: Within the United States, the Company is an E-Verify employer. Unless otherwise indicated, U.S.-based workers must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship, including but not limited to F-1, H-1, H-2, L, J, and TN visas, etc.
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI): The Company is proud to be an equal opportunity employer . Applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or veteran status.
• Reasonable Accommodations: Physical/mental requirements are listed only to identify where potential accommodations may be needed, not as qualification standards. In compliance with applicable laws and regulations (including ADA, ADEA, and FMLA), accommodations may be available to qualified individuals unable to perform essential duties without them. Additional requirements may apply to meet legal, regulatory, and Company standards.