Transport Coordinator
Also advertised as: Despatch Coordinator, Fleet Coordinator, Logistics Coordinator, Traffic Planner, Transport Administrator, Transport Coordinator
Plans vehicle routes, drivers and deliveries so goods arrive on time and legally.
What the job involves
Transport coordinators schedule drivers and loads, keeping within drivers' hours rules and delivery windows. You react to breakdowns, traffic and late loads all day. It is a fast-moving planning job with a clear route to transport management via the CPC.
Typical responsibilities
- Plan routes, loads and driver schedules
- Monitor drivers' hours and compliance
- React to delays, breakdowns and changes
- Communicate with customers about deliveries
- Maintain transport records and reports
Common employers
- Haulage firms
- Supermarket distribution
- Parcel networks
- Councils
- Waste operators
Pay, hours and working environment
Typical pay
£24,000 – £29,000 a year
With experience
£32,000 – £45,000 a year
Typical hours
Shift based including early starts
Working environment
Transport office attached to a depot
Remote working
on_site
Demand for this work
high
Pay ranges are indicative guidance drawn from advertised UK vacancies and published careers information. They are not an offer, and actual pay varies by employer, location and experience.
Skills and qualifications
Core skills
- Route planning
- Transport legislation
- Problem solving under pressure
- Communication
- Scheduling software
Transferable skills you may already have
- Driving experience
- Working to timings
- Radio or phone dispatch
Requirements employers ask for
- Route planning
- Transport legislation
- Problem solving under pressure
- Communication
- Scheduling software
- No formal qualification required
- Transport Manager CPC for management roles
Useful but not essential
- Driving experience
- Working to timings
- Radio or phone dispatch
- Transport Manager CPC
- Level 3 Transport Planner apprenticeship
Helpful qualifications
- Transport Manager CPC
- Level 3 Transport Planner apprenticeship
Licences and checks
- Transport Manager CPC for management roles
Ways into this career
A degree is only one route. Where an apprenticeship, work-experience or qualification route exists, it is listed here alongside the academic option.
Apprenticeships and work-based routes
- Express Delivery Manager (Level 3)
- Transport Planner (Level 3)
Degree and college routes
- Related subject: Logistics
- Related subject: Geography
- Related subject: Business
Where this career can lead
next
Transport Manager
next
Depot Manager
next
Head of Transport
The good parts and the hard parts
What people enjoy
- Direct step up for drivers
- Constant demand
- CPC opens management roles
What people find hard
- Pressured and reactive
- Early or unsocial shifts
Common questions
- Do you need a degree to become a transport coordinator?
- No. As well as degree routes, this career can be entered through an apprenticeship or by building experience and qualifications on the job. not_required
- How much does a transport coordinator earn in the UK?
- Typical advertised pay runs from £24,000 to £29,000 a year, rising towards £45,000 with experience. Figures are indicative guidance rather than an offer.
- What skills transfer into this career?
- Skills that transfer well include Driving experience, Working to timings, Radio or phone dispatch.
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Where this information comes from
- National Careers Service
- Institute for Apprenticeships
Last reviewed 14 September 2026.
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