Transport Service Managers
Organise and control the buying, selling and leasing of vehicles, the operations of railway stations, and the operations of enterprises that operate fleets of vehicles to transport goods and passengers.
A morning in the control room
You are the transport manager at a delivery and coach company, at 6am on a busy Monday with a full schedule and fewer vehicles than you need. It is 6am. The first vehicles are about to leave, and your phone is already lighting up. Three things need your decision before the first route is out of the gate.
Choose what you would do. Then see what happens. There are often good reasons for each choice.
The pre-start check on truck 12 has turned up a problem with the brakes. I can fix it, but not before about noon. It is booked for a big delivery at seven. I know you are short of vehicles.
Ask Ned to patch it up quickly so the truck can go out for the seven o'clock delivery
A rushed repair on brakes is the wrong place to save time. Ned refuses, and it is a good thing he does. A vehicle with a safety fault stays off the road.
Take truck 12 out of service, find a substitute, and call the customer about a short delay
The truck is safe and the customer is told. The substitute is a smaller truck, so two trips are needed. The safe choice often costs time, and the customer deserves the truth.
Take truck 12 out of service, swap another job's vehicle in and move that job later
The seven o'clock delivery goes out on time, the other job moves with a heads-up to its customer, and nobody drives an unsafe truck. Moving the pieces around is the real skill.
I have a school group booked for a day trip today, and I did not sleep well last night. I'm not ill, just very tired. I don't want to let the school down. I can probably manage, I think.
Tell her to drive but take breaks whenever she needs to
She drives, and takes her breaks, but is tired all day. The trip passes without incident, but you carried a risk that you could have avoided. Tiredness is not something to manage on a school trip.
Thank her for saying so, find another driver, and let the school know about a change of driver, not a cancellation
A backup driver takes the trip and Kristina goes home to sleep. She is relieved, and other drivers learn that speaking up is safe. A tired driver is a risk, not a rumour.
Tell her she has to drive, because there is nobody else and the school is counting on you
She drives, and almost drifts out of her lane on the highway. She pulls over safely, but the day is a near miss. Never put a tired person behind a wheel when children are on board.
I need that load delivered by 2pm today or I lose a contract. I know your driver is at the limit of hours, but surely there is a way. I'm willing to pay extra if it gets done.
Find a way around the driving hours rules for this one delivery, since the customer is willing to pay extra
The load gets there, but the driver is over his hours and the company risks a penalty. Rules about hours exist to prevent crashes, and no customer can pay them away.
Explain you cannot break the hours rules, and look for a second driver or a relay to meet the time
You split the trip between two drivers and the load arrives by 1:50pm. Mr Sutton is relieved. A clear no and an alternative is better than a quick yes.
Tell him that it cannot be done today and he will need to find another carrier
You protect the rules but lose a customer who needed help. Saying no is sometimes required, and saying what you can do is better.
How it went
By evening, every vehicle is back safely, the notes are filed and the roster is set for tomorrow. Managing transport means keeping vehicles, drivers and customers moving without cutting corners on safety. Could you be the person who says no when it matters?
This is a simplified, fictional situation to help you explore. It is not professional instruction or a test of your ability.
Case study: The driver who said yes too often
A fictional case set in the depot of a fictional delivery and bus company, with fifty vehicles, a workshop and a control room.
The situation
Dev Chatterjee was the transport manager for Northbridge Freight and Coach. One of his best drivers, Larry, never said no to an extra shift. Over a fortnight, Larry had picked up late jobs, early starts and weekend runs. A customer called at 5pm on Thursday with an urgent delivery that Larry could take, and Larry volunteered. Dev noticed Larry had yawned three times in the morning meeting.
What they did
Dev checked Larry's hours against the rules and found he was close to the limit. He told Larry plainly that he was not allowed to take the job, however willing. He organised another driver, rang the customer to explain the change of plan and offered an early start the next morning. He then sat down with Larry to talk about a more sensible roster, and asked how he was feeling at home.
How it turned out
Larry was embarrassed at first, then grateful. The delivery went out the next morning, and the customer accepted it. Dev made a rule that hours were checked by the system and a second person, so a good driver could not be quietly pushed over the line.
What would you do?
- Why did Dev refuse even though Larry was willing?
- How would you tell a hard-working person that they have done too much?
- What would make this decision harder when a customer is waiting?