Transport Planner, Thurrock

About the Company

ASD Ltd is one of the leading metal stockholders and processing suppliers in the UK. We are renowned for supplying a diverse range of ferrous and non-ferrous products. Our extensive in-house processing portfolio in combination with our expertise enables us to deliver cost efficient metal solutions and high-quality steel products.

We are passionate about sustainability and aim to transform our industry by playing an active role in building a sustainable future for our employees, customers, community and future generations.

Role Overview

We are looking for an experienced and organised Transport Planner to join the Transport team at our Thurrock site.

This is an important role within our operation, responsible for planning and coordinating the day-to-day movement of our products and ensuring deliveries are made safely, efficiently and in line with customer requirements.

Working within a busy steel distribution environment, you will coordinate vehicles and drivers, plan delivery schedules and routes, monitor transport performance and work closely with our Commercial and Operations teams to ensure we provide a reliable service to our customers.

This is a hands-on planning role where good organisation, communication and decision-making are essential.

It is an office-based role in our Thurrock site (RM20 3FJ), working 10.00am until 7.00pm daily, Monday to Friday, 37.5 hours each week excluding breaks.

Key responsibilities

• Plan and coordinate the daily transport operation, ensuring vehicles and drivers are utilised efficiently.
• Plan delivery routes and schedules to meet customer requirements while considering vehicle capacity, delivery locations, driver availability and legal driving hours.
• Liaise with drivers throughout the day to ensure deliveries are completed safely and on time.
• Work closely with Commercial and Operations teams to understand and prioritise customer delivery requirements.
• Arrange additional transport capacity where required, including agency drivers and third-party transport providers.
• Monitor transport performance, including service levels, vehicle utilisation, productivity and costs.
• Maintain accurate transport records, documentation and KPIs.
• Help ensure all transport activities comply with relevant road transport, health and safety and environmental requirements.
• Support the effective management of drivers, including holiday planning, attendance, timekeeping, training and compliance.
• Identify opportunities to improve transport efficiency, reduce costs and improve customer service.
• Ensure company procedures and safe working practices are followed and support investigations and corrective actions where required.
• Raise purchase orders for transport suppliers and maintain appropriate supplier records.
• Provide driver training and guidance where required.
• Support the wider Transport team with the day-to-day running of the operation.
• Training will be given for accident investigation and drug and alcohol testing.

What we are looking for

We are looking for someone with previous experience in transport planning, logistics or distribution, ideally gained within a busy industrial, manufacturing, steel, metals or heavy goods environment.

You will ideally have:

• Experience of planning and coordinating HGV deliveries.
• A good understanding of road transport operations and relevant legal requirements.
• Experience of route planning and vehicle scheduling.
• An understanding of driver hours, working time and transport compliance.
• Good knowledge of warehousing and distribution operations.
• Experience of working with drivers and transport providers.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage changing priorities.
• Good communication skills and the confidence to liaise with drivers, customers and internal teams.
• Good IT skills, particularly Microsoft excel and email.
• A practical, problem-solving approach and a focus on delivering a high level of customer service.

It would be advantageous if you have experience using transport planning or fleet management systems such as SAP, Parcon, Microlise or similar, together with experience of vehicle tracking or telematics systems.

What we offer:

As well as a competitive salary we also offer an attractive benefits package which includes:

• Life assurance
• Contributory pension (5% contribution matched by the company)
• Discount cards for shops and restaurants
• Gym and health club discounts
• Cycle to work scheme
• Medicash (healthcare) programme
• Employee assistance programme
• Lifetime financial wellbeing

Additional Information

Due to the safety-critical nature of our operations, pre-employment, random, and incident-related drug and alcohol testing is conducted. We operate a zero-tolerance policy.

How to Apply

Take the next step by submitting your application online and attaching your most up-to-date CV.

The application process will guide you through to our internal system. It is designed to be quick, straightforward, and easy to complete, taking just a few minutes of your time.