What does a shipping supervisor do?

Warehouse leads are responsible for supply chain management in distribution centers. Their duties and responsibilities include supervising employees and evaluating their performance, meeting safety regulations, and monitoring deliveries and shipments. They are the ones who interact with customers and clients to resolve any delivery issues that may arise. They also help with some administrative tasks such as order and invoice processing and maintenance. This role applies to those with excellent communication skills, leadership capabilities, and strong attention to detail.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a shipping supervisor are more likely to require skills like "continuous improvement," "pallet jack," "corrective action," and "management system." On the other hand, a job as a warehouse lead requires skills like "ladders," "pallets," "sales floor," and "basic math." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

A transportation coordinator is responsible for monitoring the timely deliveries of goods and services based on the shipment agreement. Transportation coordinators track the delivery logistics, assigning fast routes to drivers to avoid possible delays, and adhere to the deadline. They assist in loading and unloading merchandise from the distribution trucks, inspecting the items for defects and inconsistencies, and move the products in safe storage areas. A transportation coordinator may also operate warehouse tools and equipment, as well as perform data processing to update stock information on the software system and investigate delivery issues.

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that shipping supervisor responsibilities requires skills like "safety procedures," "logistics," "shipping receiving," and "continuous improvement." But a transportation coordinator might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "patients," "data entry," "cdl," and "medical appointments."

The job of driver managers involves the recruitment, training, and assessment of drivers and their qualifications pursuant to driving laws. Driver managers manage vehicles confirming their safety and working order. They monitor the fleet to make sure that the deliveries are done as scheduled. It is part of their responsibilities to serve as mentors for drivers. They address drivers' communications and offer the necessary data to drivers. Also, they set periodical inspections of the vehicles in operation.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, shipping supervisors are more likely to have skills like "safety procedures," "logistics," "shipping receiving," and "continuous improvement." But a driver manager is more likely to have skills like "dot," "good communication," "otr," and "driver retention."

A route manager determines strategic routes transport vehicles may take to every destination. A route manager's primary responsibility is to mark the shortest and fastest way to the customer's destination. The route manager also collects information from various road network sources and gets live updates of the current traffic situation in a given area. Through the route manager, transport vehicles become useful, productive, and efficient. The route manager also surveys existing routes and updates them whenever needed.