Director of Transportation Operations

Director of Transportation Operations Nichols Trucking Company / Pro Truck Lines — Tacoma, WA About Us For 75 years, Nichols Trucking Company has served the Pacific Northwest as a trusted, family-owned carrier, built in Tacoma, WA in 1951 on a foundation of safety, integrity, and reliable service. Nichols has joined forces with Pro Truck Lines, a Portland-based carrier with its own 37-year history, forming the PS Trucking family of companies — recognized nationally and locally as a Top Workplace in the distribution industry. Together we run ~90 trucks, 400 trailers, and 100+ drivers out of Tacoma, Longview, and Portland, covering day-cab, Western regional OTR, and dedicated fleet operations across the PNW. This is a rare opportunity for an experienced operations leader to help write our next chapter. Position Summary The Director of Transportation Operations owns the safe, reliable, efficient, and profitable execution of transportation operations — leading through Driver Managers and functional leaders, and hands-on directly. This leader owns the results: successes, failures, and recovery from them. This is a peer role to the VP of Transportation Revenue, both reporting to the CEO/Owner. The VP owns customer demand, pricing, and commercial relationships; the Director owns operational execution and cost-effective delivery. The two will work jointly on gray-area decisions (capacity, overtime, service recovery) and share one or two collaborative KPIs. Location Based in Tacoma, WA (~80% of time), with regular day trips to Portland, OR and Longview, WA. Operational Scope Portland and Tacoma regional day-cab fleets Portland dedicated hostling operations Small dedicated operation in Spokane, WA Western regional OTR operations Longview dedicated truckload and hostling operations Driver Managers, dispatch/planning, and transportation staffing Fleet availability and maintenance performance Transportation safety and regulatory compliance Driver Managers and Fleet/Maintenance leaders (Portland and Tacoma) report to the Director. A dedicated Safety/Compliance function doesn't yet exist — building it out, and personally performing the function until staffed, is part of this role. Primary Accountabilities Transportation Operations Ensure effective planning, routing, dispatch, and equipment allocation. Maximize productive driver hours and utilization while reducing empty miles and unseated equipment. Balance customer requirements against capacity, HOS limits, safety, and financial contribution. Identify and fix recurring operational problems. Leadership and Staffing Build and lead Driver Managers who own their fleets and driver teams. Set clear expectations and accountability. Partner with Recruiting/HR on staffing needs. Monitor turnover, vacancies, and overtime. Develop leadership depth and succession plans. Safety and Compliance Provide hands-on leadership of transportation safety and regulatory compliance — DOT/FMCSA requirements, driver qualification, HOS, drug and alcohol programs, training, and accident/incident processes. Escalate significant exposure to the CEO/Owner promptly. Fleet and Equipment Own accountability for fleet availability, reliability, PM performance, downtime, and maintenance cost, working through designated fleet/maintenance leaders. Partner with Finance and the CEO/Owner on major repairs and equipment planning. Systems and Data Own configuration of TMS, ELD, and telematics systems as they relate to transportation. Define required operational reports and data standards. Work with Finance to build fleet-level operating statements. Financial and Customer Performance Manage operations with clear understanding of financial impact — loads, routes, miles, equipment, driver hours. Improve operating contribution through utilization, routing, staffing, and cost control. Maintain strong customer relationships on daily execution and service. Performance Measures During the first 60 days, the Director, VP, and Finance will vali…

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