As the flagship UK site for DS Smith Packaging, we operate our own fleet of HGV drivers, delivering high-quality cardboard packaging to customers across the Midlands and East of England. Our Transport team is key to our success, and we pride ourselves on inspiring leadership, modern vehicles, and a supportive work environment.
Our DS Smith site in Fordham is now recruiting for a Transport Planner to join us in delivering upon our service strategy to achieve service excellence, following a successful internal promotion. The focus is to deliver world-class service in a fast paced environment to delight our customers, grow our business and contribute towards achieving and exceeding Fordham’s goals and targets.
Key Responsibilities
- Plan customer deliveries and back hauls to ensure delivery window targets and safety standards are met in accordance with legislation and company policies and procedures.
- Carry out all transport office related activity.
- Liaise with stakeholders and customers to communicate routes, delays and possible issues with deliveries and collections, working in partnership with sub-contractors to source replacement drivers.
- Develop back haul lanes with customers to maintain fleet utilisation.
- Ensure compliance with WTD regulations and legislation reducing tachograph infringements to below the company target.
- Handle and resolve customer queries and complaints in line with company procedures.
- Identify opportunities for improvement to reduce cost and/or time.
- Cover of shifts with colleagues in department.
- This role operates on a rotating shift pattern 06:00 – 14:00, 14:00 – 20:00 with a 1 in 3 week Saturday cover.
Benefits:
- Aviva Pension scheme
- Life assurance
- Income protection
- Occupational Health & Health Surveillance
- Enhanced Sick Pay Scheme and Parental Leave
- Company rewards and discount platform
- Department team building budget
- Recognition programmes
About You
- Good knowledge of UK driving regulations (WTD, drivers’ hours).
- Professional attitude with a strong safety record.
- Reliable, flexible, and a team player with a "can-do" approach.
- Good understanding of UK geography & route planning.
- Familiarity with warehouse operations and loading equipment.
Why Join DS Smith Fordham?
- Be part of the UK flagship site with a supportive Transport team.
- Career development opportunities within a growing business.
- Strong safety culture with ongoing training and support.
We’re DS Smith, a company who are redefining packaging for a changing world. We believe a better, more sustainable tomorrow is possible with the right people, who challenge and support one another to enact positive change. Today, we operate in more than 30 different countries, proudly employing over 30,000 people, and supporting customers across sectors like FMCG, industrial, and e-commerce. We deliver on quality, service, innovation, and added value to deliver market-leading sustainable packaging solutions our customers need. Our industry needs to transform, and we’re building the team to drive change across Europe and North America.
To fulfil our purpose of redefining packaging for a changing world, we aim to build a diverse, motivated, and engaged workforce. Our goal is to create a culture of inclusion where everyone is treated fairly, differences are valued, and everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed.
Our people come from diverse backgrounds, bring different perspectives, ideas, and experiences to generate unique solutions focused on present and future sustainability challenges. We welcome all candidates to apply, even those not meeting all criteria.
Skills Required
- Good knowledge of UK driving regulations (WTD, drivers' hours)
- Good understanding of UK geography and route planning
- Familiarity with warehouse operations and loading equipment
- Strong safety record and professional attitude
- Reliable, flexible team player able to work rotating shifts including Saturdays
DS Smith Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about DS Smith and has not been reviewed or approved by DS Smith.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is considered okay to good across many roles, with some plants indicating competitive or above‑market hourly rates for operators and similar positions. This supports a broadly fair perception of base pay even as experiences vary by site.
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Healthcare Strength — U.S. offerings include day‑one medical/vision and dental, employer HSA contributions, and 100% company‑paid life and short/long‑term disability, alongside an EAP. Some role descriptions also highlight mental‑health and fertility options.
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Retirement Support — Packages commonly reference a 401(k) with company match and, in some locations, pension eligibility or company‑funded retirement contributions. This positions retirement benefits as a meaningful component of total rewards.
DS Smith Insights
What We Do
DS Smith provides innovative packaging solutions, paper products and recycling services with a commitment to sustainability and a circular economy. Our core purpose is to Redefine Packaging for a Changing World, and our expert teams work closely with like-minded partners to incorporate renewable resources for products that minimize our environmental impact, reduce complexity and increase profitability through supply chain optimization
