Carrier Sales Specialist

About the role

TMC Transportation is the nation’s largest employee-owned, open deck transportation company. Founded in 1972, and headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, TMC provides expert transportation services and supply-chain management solutions throughout the 48 contiguous states. If you’re seeking a rewarding career at a dynamic company built on integrity, innovation and dedication to quality and customer service, then join us in our Destination of Excellence. The primary function of a Carrier Sales Specialist involves sourcing carrier capacity, managing carrier relationships, arranging pick-up and delivery appointments with carriers and customers, working with Sales and Customer Service to provide transportation solutions for customers various needs.

Responsibilities

• Initiate proactive calls to carriers to secure capacity for loads and build relationships.
• Use outbound calls to resolve capacity shortages, negotiate rates, and address performance issues.
• Cold call potential carriers to expand the network and ensure regional coverage.
• Utilize data-driven insights to assess availability and identify potential capacity matches.
• Collaborate with team members to secure capacity for time-sensitive 'Hot' shipments.
• Create and maintain routing guides in the Transportation Management System (TMS) for efficient coverage operations.
• Collaborate closely with carriers to define and communicate expectations related to routing guides.
• Monitor the execution and efficiency of routing guides within the Transportation Management System (TMS).
• Take ownership of a designated region as the primary point of contact for all outbound shipments.
• Drive capacity development initiatives within the assigned region to ensure seamless logistics operations.
• Proactively cover loads originating from the region, optimizing service efficiency and reliability.
• Negotiate rate terms with carriers based on current market conditions for competitive and mutually beneficial agreements.
• Stay informed about industry trends, pricing dynamics, and market fluctuations influencing transportation costs.
• Collaborate with carriers to establish flexible and responsive rate structures.
• Monitor and ensure on-time pickup and delivery of shipments as per established schedules.
• Communicate effectively with carriers to enforce service level expectations and address performance concerns.
• Proactively identify potential delays and communicate with internal and external stakeholders to mitigate impact.
• Implement in-transit tracking systems to monitor the real-time location of shipments.
• Monitor Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) to provide timely updates to stakeholders.
• Utilize various monitoring systems to confirm carriers' compliance with safety and regulatory standards.
• Ensure the acquisition of high-quality capacity while proactively preventing fraud and double brokering.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Logistics, Marketing or relevant work experience
• Possess a motivated and high energy attitude
• Fluent in computer applications
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills
• Detail-oriented with the ability to analyze and interpret data
• Ability to handle multiple tasks and thrive in a highly dynamic, fast-paced work environment.
• Problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
• Customer-focused mindset with a commitment to meeting and exceeding expectations.
• Self-driven and motivated to achieve targets and goals.
• Must be able to