Terminal Manager - Savannah

Gulf Winds International; Savannah (GA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Gulf Winds International seeks a Terminal Manager in Savannah to lead the terminal's daily dispatch operations, manage driver retention, and optimize equipment utilization. You will oversee scheduling, safety, and customer service interfaces while driving cost control and profitability.

Ideal candidates have 5+ years in transportation management, strong communication skills, and a proven ability to lead a team in a fast-paced intermodal setting.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of transportation and/or logistics management experience.
• Strong written and verbal communication with internal/external stakeholders.
• Self-motivated with ability to work with minimal supervision.
• Knowledge of transportation industry margins and driver pay.
• Familiar with owner-operator models in trucking.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day terminal operations and dispatch execution with the team.
• Set daily priorities for dispatchers and schedulers.
• Collaborate with Safety, Driver Recruitment, Customer Service, and Sales to serve drivers and customers.
• Complete margin and yard reports; monitor pay rates and profitability.
• Manage driver cost, productivity, and P&L for the Savannah terminal.
• Understand and apply Gulf Winds dispatch processes; dispatch when needed.
• Monitor volumes, capacity, KPI targets, and customer requirements.
• Communicate freight needs to scheduling group and M&R teams.
• Maintain assets; resolve conflicts per policy; ensure safety standards.
• Drive operational excellence and continuous process improvements.
• Develop and coach transportation team; ensure succession planning.
• Foster engagement and alignment with company mission and values.

Skills

Management experience

Communication skills

Transportation industry knowledge

MS Word

Excel

Outlook

Tools

MS Word

Excel

Outlook

Job description

Company Overview

Gulf Winds International, Inc. is a leading provider of drayage, transloading, and storage, serving importers and exporters globally. The Company prides itself on innovation, people, and purpose, redefining expectations for intermodal trucking. With a robust presence at major ports, including Houston, Dallas, Mobile, Memphis, Savannah, Charleston, Norfolk, Baltimore, and Chicago, Gulf Winds is dedicated to delivering top‑notch services through continuous investment in technology and infrastructure. The company is backed by The Sterling Group, a Houston‑based private equity firm. Since 1982, The Sterling Group has partnered with management teams to grow and build winning businesses in the industrial sector. Over 75% of Sterling’s past partnerships have been with family businesses and corporate carve‑outs, and it brings operational focus and expertise to support company objectives. Today, Sterling has over $5.7 billion in assets under management.

Job Title

Terminal Manager

Department

Operations

Location

Savannah

Position Type

Full‑time

Purpose of Position

The Terminal Manager is responsible for overseeing performance of the Savannah terminal, which includes oversight and management of the dispatch operations group. The position will handle driver retention, daily execution of the scheduling plan, equipment utilization, operational cost and margins, ELD compliance, as well as identifying process improvements and efficiencies within the team.

Primary Job Responsibilities

• Responsible for day‑to‑day operations and execution of plan working with team of dispatchers and schedulers.
• Set priorities for the dispatchers throughout the day.
• Work closely with critical departments (e.g., Safety, Driver Recruitment, Customer Service, Sales) to best serve our drivers (independent contractor and employee) and internal and external customers.
• Complete missing pay rates, margin reports, yard report reconciliation.
• Manage company driver cost and productivity.
• Knowledge of GWI dispatch process, to be able to dispatch as needed.
• Oversee volumes, workloads, capacity, customer requirements/KPI’s, yards, and driver needs to ensure a partnership of customer and driver success.
• Communicate freight needs with scheduling group.
• Track company assets and be able to communicate needs to M&R team as well as management.
• Able to resolve conflicts between contractors and dispatch as needed within company policies.
• Manage P&L, cost, and margins with a focus to increase profitability of the terminal.
• Participate in the implementation of new Key Account/Contract business.
• Manage expectations of team to provide an excellent level of service to drivers and customers.
• Achieve driver retention goals within and related to transportation operations group by ensuring driver success.
• Maintain strong relationships with the independent contractors to retain the fleet and grow.
• Promote a culture of Operational Excellence focused on safety and quality.
• Build, develop, coach, and manage the transportation team and ensure a succession plan is in place.
• Drive employee engagement within the team to support mission, vision, and values of the company.
• Manage quarterly KPI’s for team to support company goals.
• Manage personnel needs and performance management for team.
• Ensure facility and grounds are properly maintained, as well as ensuring the facility is stocked with the needed supplies and materials.

Requirements: Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Prior management experience.
• Must possess strong communication & writing skills necessary to interface with internal and external customers, as well as different departments and varying levels of management daily.
• Must be a self‑starter and willing to work with minimal supervision and execute tasks and duties at a high level.
• Knowledge of transportation industry, logistics and supply chain, preferably in the Houston market.
• Strong understanding of margins and driver pay.
• The candidate must have excellent organizational skills.
• Familiar with the “owner‑operator” model, within the transportation industry.
• Ability to motivate, train, hire, lead, and evaluate the performance of team members.
• Strong interpersonal skills with an understanding and an emphasis on communication, training, interdepartmental interaction, supervision and management.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

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