Fleet Manager
Our client is a dynamic Chicago nonprofit agency. They have evolved to become more than solely a hunger relief organization. They provide food, social services such as job and housing assistance, and free mental wellness counseling with a growing team of licensed therapists. Founded in 1970, our client strives to serve the needs of the whole person — with respect and dignity, always.Fleet Manager
The Fleet Manager is responsible for managing our client’s drivers and vehicles, including driver hiring, training, route creation, dispatch support, vehicle selection,
vehicle maintenance, and capturing key donation compliance data. This role will also help drive routes approximately 8-12 hours per week in support of our online market and home delivery programs.
Job Type: Full-time
Responsibilities:
- Recruit, train, supervise and evaluate all staff, and volunteer drivers.
- Train drivers by developing onboarding documentation and providing in-person supervision for learning in vehicles. Conduct vehicle ride-a-longs as needed for training and ongoing coaching and quality control. Ensure all driver licensing is compliant and up to date.
- Create driver schedules and daily routes ensuring our client’s food pickup and drop-off needs are met, including internal distribution, grocery store pickups, and other in-kind donations, and where needed, support for online market and home delivery. Post routes in a timely fashion. Leverage software and process improvement to continuously add efficiency to routes and the route creation process.
- Provide on-call “Dispatch Support” during office hours and resolve ad hoc driver questions and donation partner issues, adjusting routes as needed.
- Help support food drop offs for our online market and home delivery programs (estimated 8-12 hours/week).
- Manage maintenance/repairs for all vehicles, including preventive maintenance, ad hoc repairs, and servicing. Conduct regular inspections and audits of the fleet. Own vehicle maintenance budget and ensure expenditures are within budget while developing strategies to reduce cost. Maintain records of vehicle maintenance and costs.
- Lead driver safety initiatives and oversee safety performance in person at our client’s facilities and on routes, including safety training, supporting investigation of accidents, and providing on-the-job coaching.
- Provide ongoing coaching and mentoring to drivers, to monitor and assess their performance, identify, and resolve issues, and manage associated employee activities (e.g., performance reviews, pay adjustments, promotions/transfers).
- Create fleet strategy, identifying the number and type of incremental vehicles to add to the fleet to support program growth while maximizing efficiency.
- Oversee cleanliness of assigned vehicles: ensure that all pre-trip and post-trip vehicle maintenance and safety checklists are completed daily by drivers and any issues are reported immediately.
- Develop department objectives by managing staff and communicating with key cross-functional partners; plan and evaluate department activities.
- Collaborate with the Product Sourcing Coordinator to ensure that our in-kind donors' needs and schedules are being met and work together to problem-solve any donation issues with these partners.
- Meet as needed with program staff, volunteer team, and warehouse team to collaborate across departments and solve any issues with food flow or scheduling.
- Learn, adhere to, and teach our client’s standards for food safety and quality.
- Ensure thorough collection of donation data by drivers; double-check data entry accuracy.
- Act as a backup for drivers as needed.
- Attend meetings and complete work as assigned for regular and temporary cross-departmental working groups as well as departmental operations meetings.
- HS Diploma or GED required. Associate’s degree or equivalent college courses preferred.
- Valid Class B Commercial Truck Drivers License (CDL) with air brake endorsement.
- Minimum 5 years of experience in fleet team management and fleet maintenance.
- Minimum 3 years of commercial truck driving experience.
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite; Salesforce experience a plus.
- Ability to set and monitor a budget.
- Experience using routing software and continuously improving route efficiency.
- Understanding of truck and van maintenance and mechanics, including the ability to identify when major repairs are needed. Demonstrated a history of delivering safety, reliability, and budget control in fleet maintenance.
- Ability to set and monitor a budget.
- Strong interpersonal verbal and written communication skills.
- Good problem-solving, critical thinking, and decision-making skills.
- Exceptional organization, time management, and multitasking abilities.
- Keen attention to detail.
- Proven success managing and supervising a team of drivers, both staff and volunteers.
- Proven ability to work independently and as a member of a team.
- An understanding of, and belief in, the importance of food security for everyone.
This position offers a competitive base salary.
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