Planner - OTR at Hirschbach Motor Lines – Dubuque, Iowa

The Area Planner is responsible for managing freight and equipment planning within a defined geographic region or customer segment. This role executes the day-to-day planning strategy for their area, ensuring freight moves on time, trailers are managed efficiently, and drivers are effectively utilized. Area Planner serves as a key connection point between operations, customer service, and the extended coverage team, with accountability for service, and the extended coverage team, with accountability for service performance and planning execution in their area.

Schedule: Monday - Friday; 7am-5pm

Responsibilities:

• Own the daily planning and execution strategy for specific region or book of business under guidance from leadership.
• Plan and manage a workload of 400+ loads per week, meeting service and efficiency targets.
• Assign freight to drivers based on Hours of Service (HOS) availability and service commitments.
• Monitor service performance and escalate or resolve issues related to delays, disruptions, or capacity shortages.
• Manage trailer pools, drop yards, and stale trailer reporting within the assigned area
• Serve as the primary planning contact for internal teams supporting the region (Driver Managers, Customer Service, Sales)
• Coordinate with ECT Planners to ensure seamless after-hours coverage and issue resolution.
• Leverage planning systems and tools (AS400, Power BI, Orbcomm, PC*Miler, Manhattan) for informed decision-making.
• Participate in cross-functional meetings to support process improvement, cost reduction and service enhancement initiatives.
• Support the onboarding and training of new or less experienced planners when requested.

Talent Requirements:

• High School diploma or equivalent required; Bachelor's degree in Logistics, Supply Chain, or related field preferred.
• 2+ years of experience in freight planning, dispatch, or transportation operations
• Solid understanding of Hours of Service (HOS), routing and equipment utilization
• Proficiency in AS400, planning software, Microsoft Office, and analytical tools like Power BI.
• Strong communication, problem-solving, and collaboration skills.

Pay & Benefits

• Opportunity to earn bonus incentives!
• Full comprehensive benefit plan, includes medical, dental, vision, company paid disability and life insurance, and more voluntary elections!
• 120 hours of PTO on your first day!
• 401(k)