Traffic & Transportation Manager

Bernhardt Furniture; Lenoir (NC); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, vision, dental insurance

401(k) with company match

Employee discounts

Wellness programs

Job summary

Bernhardt Furniture seeks an experienced Traffic & Transportation Manager to lead outbound planning across the North American network. You will manage daily shipment planning, carrier relationships, and cost controls, working closely with Customer Service, Sales, Manufacturing, and Distribution to ensure orders ship efficiently and on time.

The role requires strong analytical skills, excellent communication, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; 5+ years in transportation, logistics, traffic, or supply chain.

Responsibilities

• Plan daily outbound shipments across North America.
• Develop load plans to maximize equipment use and meet delivery targets.
• Coordinate with distribution centers, facilities, carriers, and customer service.
• Monitor orders, backlogs, and capacity to ensure on-time shipment.
• Proactively manage exceptions and delivery issues; optimize routing and costs.
• Ensure compliance with routing guides and shipping requirements.
• Lead cost-reduction and continuous improvement initiatives in transportation.
• Support carrier onboarding, scorecards, and procurement activities.
• Develop reports/dashboards to aid operational decisions.

Skills

Transportation planning

Load optimization

Carrier management

Data-driven decision making

Cross-functional communication

Problem solving

Project management

Team collaboration

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Business Administration, Transportation, or related field

Tools

TMS

ERP systems

Microsoft Excel

Power BI

Job description

Join one of the oldest and most respected family-owned furniture companies in the United States and become part of a 130-year legacy of craftsmanship and quality. At Bernhardt Furniture, we are committed to:

• Fostering a safe, dynamic, and ethical work environment that supports growth and satisfaction.
• Encouraging personal and professional development to help our employees reach their full potential.
• Cultivating a culture of pride, camaraderie, and collaboration through teamwork.
• Supporting community initiatives and making a positive impact where we live and work.

Bernhardt Furniture Company is seeking an experienced and highly motivated Traffic & Transportation Manager to lead outbound transportation planning and execution across our North American distribution network. This position is responsible for managing daily shipment planning, carrier relationships, customer delivery performance, freight cost management, and transportation process improvements. The Traffic & Transportation Manager will work closely with Customer Service, Sales, Manufacturing, Distribution, and Transportation partners to ensure customer orders are shipped efficiently, accurately, and on time. The ideal candidate will possess strong transportation planning experience, excellent organizational and analytical skills, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing and distribution environment.

Key Responsibilities

Transportation Planning & Execution

• Manage daily outbound shipment planning for customer orders throughout North America.
• Develop efficient load plans that maximize equipment utilization while meeting customer delivery requirements.
• Coordinate shipments with distribution centers, manufacturing facilities, carriers, and customer service teams.
• Monitor open orders, backlogs, and transportation capacity to ensure timely shipment execution.
• Proactively manage transportation exceptions and resolve delivery service issues.
• Optimize routing and mode selection to balance service performance and transportation costs.
• Ensure compliance with customer routing guides and shipping requirements.

Customer Order Management

• Partner with Customer Service and Sales teams to prioritize and schedule customer orders.
• Coordinate shipment schedules to meet customer requested delivery dates.
• Communicate shipment status and transportation challenges to internal stakeholders.
• Support retail, residential, designer, and commercial customer delivery requirements.
• Monitor order aging and coordinate corrective actions to improve service levels.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with contract carriers, brokers, parcel providers, and transportation partners.
• Monitor carrier performance metrics, including on-time pickup and delivery, claims, and service reliability.
• Participate in transportation procurement activities and carrier review meetings.
• Assist with freight audit, invoice reconciliation, and cost recovery efforts.
• Support carrier onboarding, scorecards, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Analyze key transportation performance indicators, including:
• On-time shipping performance
• Delivery exceptions
• Develop reports and dashboards to support operational decision-making.
• Identify and implement opportunities to reduce transportation costs and improve efficiency.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives across transportation operations.
• Partner with internal teams to improve shipment visibility, order flow, and transportation processes.

Additional Responsibilities

• Provide support for export shipment coordination as needed.
• Maintain transportation documentation, procedures, and operational best practices.
• Participate in special projects and other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Business Administration, Transportation, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
• 5+ years of transportation, logistics, traffic, or supply chain experience.
• Experience managing outbound transportation operations in a manufacturing, distribution, or retail environment.
• Strong knowledge of truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), parcel, intermodal, and dedicated transportation operations.
• Experience working with transportation management systems (TMS), ERP systems, and Microsoft Excel.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and relationship management abilities.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred

• Furniture, manufacturing, consumer products, or distribution industry experience.
• Experience with transportation analytics and reporting tools such as Power BI.
• Experience managing carrier contracts and transportation providers.
• Knowledge of freight audit and payment processes.
• Experience with transportation network optimization and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Transportation Planning & Optimization
• Order Management
• Data Analysis & Reporting
• Problem Solving
• Process Improvement
• Attention to Detail

Organizational Relationships

Reports to the Director of Transportation. Works closely with transportation, warehousing, distribution, customer service, procurement, finance, IT, and supply chain teams, as well as external carriers, brokers, and logistics service providers.

Why Choose Bernhardt Furniture?

• A safe, healthy, and secure work environment.
• Comprehensive orientation and job-specific training.
• Bonus opportunities for all employees.
• Employee discounts and recognition programs.
• Full-time employees qualify for medical, vision, and dental insurance after just 31 days.
• Access to an onsite wellness clinic staffed by board-certified professionals through Caldwell UNC Healthcare.
• Eligibility for membership at the Quest4Life Wellness Center.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for employees and their immediate families.
• 401(k), Life/AD&D, and optional short-term disability coverage after 31 days of full-time employment.

Paid Holidays & Time Off

• Paid holidays, including New Year's Day, Good Friday, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving.
• Annual facility closures for one week in July and one week in December.

Our Commitment to Diversity

At Bernhardt, diversity and inclusion are at the core of our values. We stand against discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, race, sex, religion, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. We are dedicated to ensuring equality, fairness, and respect for everyone we serve.

About Bernhardt Furniture Company

Founded in 1889 by John Mathias Bernhardt in Lenoir, NC, Bernhardt Furniture has grown into one of the largest family-owned furniture companies in the nation and a global leader in furniture manufacturing. With eight manufacturing facilities, a 75,000-square-foot showroom in High Point, NC, and a team of approximately 1,400 employees worldwide, Bernhardt is renowned for its award-winning designs and commitment to quality. Now led by the fourth generation, we remain true to our founding principles of high standards, craftsmanship, innovation, and community welfare.

Become part of the Bernhardt legacy and help shape our future.