Transport Manager Job Description: A Copy-Ready Template

A transport manager job description should spell out one thing above all else: this person is legally responsible for keeping an operator’s vehicles roadworthy and its drivers compliant. Below is a copy-ready transport manager job description you can adapt for a goods vehicle operation, written by someone who has held the role and sat in front of a Traffic Commissioner. Take it, change the fleet size and reporting line to suit your business, and you have a sound starting point.

Transport manager job description: role summary

The transport manager is the named, professionally competent person on the operator’s licence and the person the Traffic Commissioner holds to account for compliance. The role exists to make sure vehicles are safe to use on the road, drivers obey the rules on hours and tachographs, and the operator keeps every promise it made when the licence was granted. On a standard national or international goods vehicle operator’s licence this is not an optional management post. The law requires a transport manager who effectively and continuously manages the transport activities of the business.

For the hands-on daily and weekly routine behind these duties, read what does an external transport manager do.

Key responsibilities and duties

List the duties plainly so candidates know exactly what they are signing up for. These are the core transport manager responsibilities, drawn from the operator licence undertakings and DVSA guidance:

• Maintenance and roadworthiness. Plan and oversee safety inspections at the intervals stated on the licence, keep a forward maintenance planner with inspection dates set at least six months ahead, and make sure every vehicle and trailer is fit and serviceable before use.
• Defect management. Run an effective driver daily walkaround check and defect reporting system, ensure defects are recorded, repaired and signed off, and that nil-defect reporting is genuine and not a box-ticking exercise.
• Drivers’ hours and tachographs. Make sure drivers take the correct breaks, daily and weekly rest, and stay within driving limits. Download vehicle tachograph units at least every 90 days and driver cards at least every 28 days, analyse the data, and act on infringements.
• Licence compliance and undertakings. Keep vehicle details current on the operator licensing system, operate only from authorised operating centres, stay within the authorised vehicle margin, and honour every undertaking given to the Traffic Commissioner.
• Records and audits. Keep maintenance records for at least 15 months, drivers’ hours records and tachograph data to the required retention periods, and run or support periodic compliance audits so problems are found before DVSA finds them.
• Driver management. Check drivers hold the correct vocational licence categories and a valid Driver CPC, arrange ongoing training, and manage driver conduct on hours, defects and load security.
• Vehicle administration. Make sure every vehicle is taxed, insured, has a valid MOT and is presented for annual test on time.

Required qualifications and experience

Be specific about the qualification, because on a standard licence it is non-negotiable. To act as the transport manager on a standard national or international goods operator’s licence, the person must hold the Transport Manager Certificate of Professional Competence (Transport Manager CPC) in road haulage. This is a statutory requirement; without it the Traffic Commissioner will not accept the nomination. A restricted licence, which only covers an operator carrying its own goods, does not require a nominated CPC holder, so make clear which type of licence applies before you advertise.

For experience, a sensible person specification asks for:

• Valid Transport Manager CPC (road haulage). Essential.
• Demonstrable experience managing a goods vehicle fleet and operator licence compliance.
• Working knowledge of drivers’ hours rules, tachograph analysis and the DVSA Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness.
• Familiarity with schemes such as DVSA Earned Recognition, OCRS and FORS where relevant.
• A clean professional record and the standing to be accepted as professionally competent and of good repute.

If you are unsure exactly what the regulator expects from the named individual, the detail sits in our guide to transport manager requirements.

Essential skills and attributes

The CPC gets someone through the door. The right attributes keep your licence safe. A strong person specification covers:

• Sound judgement under pressure, with the confidence to take a vehicle off the road or stand a driver down when needed.
• Attention to detail across records, planners and tachograph data.
• Clear written and verbal communication with drivers, directors and DVSA examiners.
• Organisation and forward planning, so inspections and tests never slip.
• Integrity. The role only works if the person refuses to sign off something that is not right.
• The authority and sufficient time to actually do the job, not a name on paper.

Reporting lines and structure

Spell out where the role sits. In most operations the transport manager reports to a director, the operations director or the managing director, and has direct line management of drivers, workshop staff and transport clerks. The job description should record that the transport manager has genuine authority over maintenance and compliance decisions. A transport manager who cannot overrule a director on safety is set up to fail, and the Traffic Commissioner will see straight through it. State the fleet size, the number of operating centres covered, and any direct reports so candidates understand the scope.

Employed or external transport manager

You do not have to employ a full-time transport manager. Many operators, especially smaller fleets, name an external transport manager who works across several licences on a part-time, contracted basis. An employed transport manager makes sense once the fleet is large enough to justify a full-time post. An external transport manager gives a smaller operator a qualified, experienced CPC holder at a fraction of a full salary, while still meeting the continuous and effective management test. Whichever route you choose, the legal duties in this job description stay exactly the same. The only thing that changes is the employment arrangement and the hours committed.

FAQs

Is a transport manager a legal requirement?

Yes, on a standard national or international goods vehicle operator’s licence. You must have a nominated transport manager who holds a Transport Manager CPC and who effectively and continuously manages the transport activities. A restricted licence does not need a nominated CPC holder.

What qualification does a transport manager need?

The Transport Manager Certificate of Professional Competence (Transport Manager CPC) in road haulage. It is achieved by passing the OCR examinations and is the qualification the Traffic Commissioner requires before accepting the nomination on a standard licence.

What are a transport manager’s main responsibilities?

Keeping vehicles roadworthy through planned inspections and defect management, making sure drivers comply with hours and tachograph rules, keeping the required records, and honouring every undertaking on the operator’s licence.

How long must a transport manager keep maintenance records?

Vehicle maintenance records must be kept for at least 15 months. Drivers’ hours and tachograph records have their own retention periods, so check the current DVSA figure for each.

Can one person be transport manager for more than one operator?

Yes. An external transport manager can be named on more than one licence, within the limits the Traffic Commissioner considers reasonable for the number of vehicles and operating centres involved.

How ETM helps you fill the transport manager role

External Transport Manager connects operators with verified, CPC-qualified transport managers and lets qualified professionals find work. If you are a transport manager with a current CPC, you can list your services free on ETM and be found by operators who need exactly the experience you hold. Operators who would rather have help finding the right person, or who need wider compliance support, can request transport manager support and we will point you to verified specialists who do this for a living.