International Transport Planner
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
Right Now Group are looking for an experienced International Transport Planner to manage and coordinate the movement of import and export road freight shipments across international routes.
This role is centred around planning, routing and optimising transport movements, ensuring freight is delivered efficiently, cost-effectively and in line with customer expectations. You will take ownership of transport schedules, working closely with hauliers, drivers and internal teams to ensure seamless execution.
You will also act as a key point of contact for customers, providing updates and ensuring a high level of service throughout the shipment lifecycle.
A solid understanding of customs procedures and road freight documentation is important due to the international nature of the role. However, you will not be required to complete customs entries, as training will be provided.
Key Responsibilities of an International Transport Planner:
- Plan and coordinate international road freight movements (imports and exports) from booking through to delivery
- Optimise routes, schedules and load planning to ensure cost-effective and timely transport solutions
- Book and manage hauliers and transport partners across international lanes
- Act as the main point of contact for customers, providing updates and managing expectations
- Liaise with warehouses, drivers and internal teams to ensure efficient execution of transport plans
- Monitor transport movements in real time and proactively resolve delays or issues
- Ensure all international transport and road freight documentation is accurate and completed on time
- Work closely with internal teams to ensure all customs-related information is captured and compliant
- Maintain accurate planning records, job files and system updates
- Deliver a high level of customer service while managing multiple transport plans simultaneously
Key Skills of an International Transport Planner:
- Previous experience in transport planning or road freight operations, ideally within an international environment
- Strong understanding of route planning, scheduling and transport optimisation
- Knowledge of import/export road freight movements
- Awareness of customs processes and road freight documentation (entries not required)
- Strong communication skills and confidence liaising with hauliers, drivers and customers
- Ability to manage multiple transport plans and prioritise effectively in a fast-paced environment
- High attention to detail and strong organisational skills
- Proactive problem-solving ability and a calm approach under pressure
- Experience using transport management systems is advantageous
What's On Offer for an International Transport Planner:
- £30,000 - £35,000 salary, depending on experience
- Monday-Friday working hours (8:30am-5:00pm)
- Central Birmingham location
- A stable role within an established logistics business
- Training provided on customs processes and procedures
- Opportunities for development and progression
Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Lead your CV personal statement with explicit mention of international road freight and import/export experience, as the advert lists these as the core requirement throughout.
📊 Quantify your planning scope: e.g. 'Managed 50+ daily international road freight movements across 8 European lanes, reducing average transit time by 12%.'
🚛 Name any transport management systems (TMS) you have used (e.g. Mandata, Descartes, Axtract) — the advert flags TMS experience as advantageous and ATS will scan for these terms.
🌐 Include a dedicated 'Key Skills' section listing route optimisation, haulier management and customs documentation awareness to mirror the advert's own skills list and pass ATS screening.
🎯 Demonstrate customer-facing experience explicitly — the advert repeatedly emphasises acting as the main point of contact for customers and managing expectations throughout the shipment lifecycle.
Suggested CV bullets
3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.
Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:
- •Planned and coordinated over 60 weekly international road freight movements across 6 European lanes, achieving a 95% on-time delivery rate over 12 consecutive months.
- •Optimised load planning and routing schedules using Mandata TMS, reducing average cost-per-shipment by 9% across import and export operations within 6 months.
- •Managed relationships with 15 haulier partners across UK and European routes, resolving an average of 8 live shipment delays per week while maintaining customer satisfaction scores above 4.6/5.
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Letter preview — tailored to Right Now Group
Dear Hiring Manager,
Right Now Group's International Transport Planner role in Birmingham aligns directly with my background in international road freight planning and haulier management. The emphasis on route optimisation across import and export lanes, combined with end-to-end ownership of the shipment lifecycle, reflects exactly the scope of work I have been delivering in my current position.
My background in transport coordination includes planning and monitoring multi-leg international road freight movements, managing relationships with hauliers across European lanes, and ensuring all freight documentation meets compliance requirements. I am experienced in using transport management systems to schedule loads efficiently and resolve delays proactively, and I am comfortable acting as the primary point of contact for customers throughout the delivery process.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›Walk us through how you would plan and optimise an international road freight movement from booking to delivery.
- ›Which transport management systems have you used, and how did they support your daily planning workflow?
- ›How do you ensure road freight documentation is accurate and compliant for both import and export shipments?
- ›Describe your approach to real-time monitoring of transport movements and how you proactively resolve delays.
- ›What is your understanding of customs processes relevant to international road freight, and how have you applied this in a previous role?
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time you had to manage multiple transport plans simultaneously under significant time pressure.
- ›Describe a situation where a shipment was delayed and explain how you communicated this to the customer and resolved the issue.
- ›Give an example of when you identified a route or scheduling inefficiency and the steps you took to address it.
- ›Tell me about a time you had to liaise with multiple stakeholders — hauliers, drivers and internal teams — to ensure a complex delivery was executed successfully.
- ›Describe a situation where you had to remain calm and make quick decisions when facing an unexpected operational problem.
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Tell me about a time you had to manage multiple transport plans simultaneously under significant time pressure.
Describe a situation where a shipment was delayed and explain how you communicated this to the customer and resolved the issue.