Transportation Planner

The Transportation Planner coordinates inbound and outbound shipments for a designated production plant, distribution center, and warehouses, ensuring on-time customer deliveries while optimizing freight costs. This role partners closely with the Senior Transportation Manager and Logistics Manager to plan, execute, and monitor shipment activities and carrier performance. The Transportation Planner anticipates internal and external customer needs, delivers high-quality and cost-effective solutions, and builds trust through clear communication and reliable execution. Acting with integrity and accountability, this role demonstrates urgency, resilience, and a continuous improvement mindset while fostering respectful and collaborative relationships across the organization.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Review customer orders in the Transportation Management System (TMS) and plan shipments accordingly, including interplant movements, ensuring customer expectations are met or exceeded.
• Determine delivery mode (truckload TL, intermodal IML, less-than-truckload LTL, parcel) based on order specifics such as pallets, due date, and cost, making sound, data-driven decisions.
• Consolidate customer orders to maximize pallet utilization per truck while minimizing overall freight costs and driving operational efficiency.

Utilize pool shipments to optimize savings on specific LTL lanes while maintaining high shipment efficiency and service levels.

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date freight data in the TMS for every shipment, ensuring transparency and reliability in execution.
• Create and manage daily shipping schedules for each shipping location; level-load shipments as needed to address capacity constraints and maintain smooth operations.
• Coordinate return shipments arising from overages or customer refusals, resolving issues promptly and professionally.
• Monitor scheduled shipments daily to ensure pickups; proactively resolve carrier issues and serve as the primary liaison, building strong and trusted carrier relationships.
• Apply the route guide to assign carriers; request spot quotes for lanes without contracted rates when necessary, balancing cost and service.
• Assess the financial and operational impact of transportation decisions and communicate findings clearly to stakeholders, supporting informed decision-making.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with internal teams to align transportation plans with business needs, valuing diverse perspectives and driving shared outcomes.
• Identify opportunities for process improvements, challenge the status quo, and implement changes that enhance efficiency and reduce costs.
• Ensure compliance with Sabert Corporation policies, safety standards, quality requirements, and regulatory guidelines, reinforcing a culture of accountability and respect.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong work ethic, integrity, and reliability with a high sense of accountability and ownership of commitments.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment with urgency, adaptability, and resilience.
• Effective collaboration skills with the ability to influence across all levels and build trust through open communication and active listening.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and transportation management systems (experience with MercuryGate is a plus).
• Excellent written and verbal communication, organization, and interpersonal skills.
• Hands-on, pragmatic problem-solving approach with a focus on continuous improvement and learning from experience.
• Solid understanding of transportation practices and procedures, with the ability to make informed, data-driven decisions.

Qualifications

Education: High school diploma required; associate degree preferred.

Experience: 1-3 years of experience in traffic and transportation.

Other

Adheres to all company policies and procedures related to employment, safety, quality, product safety and legality, security, and regulatory compliance.

Performs other duties as assigned to support transportation and logistics objectives while contributing to a positive, respectful, and high-performing work environment.

What makes Sabert a great place to work:

Pay, benefits and more.

Sabert is eager to attract the best, so we offer competitive compensation and a generous benefits package, including full health insurance (medical, dental and vision), 401(k), life insurance, disability and more. To learn more about our benefits click here.

Learn More About Sabert:

We are a leading global manufacturer of innovative food packaging products and solutions. The company was founded in 1983 grounded in the purpose of reinventing food packaging to nourish and protect our world. Today we design, manufacture, and distribute a wide spectrum of packaging solutions for food distributors, restaurants & caterers, grocery stores, national food chains and consumer entertaining.

Want more insight on what it's like to work for Sabert? Click here to hear directly from our employees and learn more about our Company's mission.

We're committed to providing reasonable accommodation for applicants with special needs or disabilities during our recruiting process, to learn more about accommodations please call (732) 721-5544 or email HR2@sabert.com for assistance. Please do not send resumes to the above email address, applications submitted via email will not be considered unless specifically invited to do so.

Sabert Corporation is an equal employment opportunity employer, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ancestry, marital status, being a qualified individual with a disability, protected veteran status, political belief or activity, or any other basis prohibited by law or regulation.

Applicants must be currently authorized to work legally in the United States for Sabert. Sabert will not commence an employment-based immigration case to fill this open position