Terminal Manager

Posted 6 Days Ago
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Nashville, TN, USA
In-Office
Senior level
Logistics • Transportation • 3PL: Third Party Logistics • Industrial
The Role
Leads multimodal transportation terminal operations from inbound receipt through final delivery. Oversees safety, regulatory compliance, service quality, workforce planning, capacity, costs, P&L, capital expenditures, KPIs, and continuous improvement. Manages operational teams and coordinates with carriers, freight providers, customers, brokers, and regulatory authorities to ensure efficient freight movement and strong performance.
Summary Generated by Built In

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.

#LI-Onsite #LI-KB1

Skills Required

  • High School Diploma, GED, or equivalent
  • Undergraduate degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Transportation, Logistics, or a related field
  • Valid forklift certification or ability to obtain certification before operating equipment
  • Ability to operate applicable material handling equipment, including forklifts, reach trucks, order pickers, or pallet riders
  • 5+ years of leadership experience in multimodal transportation, 3PL, contract logistics, or related operational environments
  • Strong knowledge of multimodal transportation processes, carrier operations, freight flow management, and terminal or linehaul coordination
  • Working knowledge of TMS, WMS, ERP, and reporting or data tools
  • Experience managing operational KPIs, labor planning, transportation capacity, and cost performance
  • Experience developing and using dashboards, scorecards, and transportation KPI reporting
  • Ability to interpret safety, quality, delivery, cost, and productivity metrics across multiple transportation modes
  • Training in Lean, Six Sigma, DOT compliance, IATA/IMDG, or similar
  • Proficiency with Windows PCs, Microsoft 365, and web conferencing tools such as Teams, Zoom, or Webex
  • Ability to work in a 100% onsite setting and commute to and from the terminal
  • Demonstrated discretion and confidentiality when handling sensitive information
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The Company
6,062 Employees
Year Founded: 1981

What We Do

Forward Air Corporation is an asset-light freight and logistics company that provides ground transportation and related shipping services to the North American air freight and expedited LTL market. It offers a reliable, cost-effective alternative to air transportation through accelerated, time-definite surface shipping. The company serves as a single-source provider for the wholesale transportation community, including logistics companies, freight forwarders, and air cargo carriers.

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