As the name suggests, a route management officer has to ensure that all aspects of business related to logistics are running smoothly. They are responsible for coming up with the best routes, ensuring that all safety practices and disciplinary rules are being followed, and even recruiting new people when required.
Furthermore, a route manager is also responsible for teaming up with Human Resources, Finance, and various other departments to ensure everything is done on time, in compliance with the tax laws, and above all, within the allocated budget. Monitoring fuel prices, scheduling optimal routes, allocating the best driver for a specific route, and maintaining records of the working hours of every driver are other duties.
Other responsibilities may include ensuring all drivers are adequately skilled in any emergency. Plus, keeping a check on their insurance, and conducting training sessions periodically.
What skills do you require for the role?
A route management job could be the doorway for a bright future in the transportation industry. Regardless of the company you work with, it is significant that you know the capabilities of different vehicles used in the logistics sector. Moreover, you must know how to deliver the best service in limited time durations in a cost-efficient manner.
Apart from these basic skills, here are some skills every employer looks for in a route manager;
Leadership:
You should know how to lead huge teams while ensuring that all rules are being followed. Being a route manager, it is your responsibility to oversee the work done by your assistants and ensure that everything is being communicated to the drivers and the company’s management accordingly. Effective communication also involves responsiveness, especially when the drivers meet with an accident or emergency on their routes.
Problem-solving:
Managing day-to-day transport operations could get hectic. You must be quick in assessing where the problem lies and finding a solution for it. Delayed deliveries amount to big losses, and a poor reputation. Hence, it is crucial that you and your team are capable of exploring troubleshooting techniques ASAP.
Organization:
Your ability to plan and execute any operation is probably the most significant role as route manager. Whether it is about cutting down expenses or time, you are responsible to make a call and ensure everything gets done as you proposed.
As a route manager, you may feel ‘overworked’, as it is a full-time job and may often require you to work on weekends. So, you must learn to work under stress if you want to be a successful route manager.
The monetary benefits you can bag out:
With the rise in the e-commerce sector, everyone is expecting quick deliveries. Hence, the transportation department is no longer one that could be overlooked. A company can only succeed if their customers are getting the orders on time, and without any damage.
That is where a route manager comes in; this person takes up the responsibility to find out optimal routes for deliveries and keep both ends happy. The average annual salary for a route manager could be anywhere from $22.6-$33.7 per hour. Obviously, it depends on your education, experience, and the company you are working with. Many route managers earn complimentary bonuses on reaching weekly targets.
A route manager must at least have a high school diploma, although some employers prefer bachelor’s degrees in marketing or management. However, that is not all. A route manager must also have relevant training, licenses and certifications, and experience is a relevant industry.
All in all, a smart person who proves to be an exponent in a company’s growth can find his way to the top.