Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Cargo Scheduler

🎯 Role Definition

The Cargo Scheduler is a hands-on logistics professional responsible for planning, coordinating and executing the timely movement of goods across road, air, and ocean modes. This role combines operational scheduling, carrier negotiation, load and route optimization, documentation control and proactive exception management. The Cargo Scheduler maintains service levels (OTIF, SLA), minimizes freight cost through effective capacity management, and acts as the operational hub between customers, carriers, warehouse operations and customer service teams. Successful candidates are detail-oriented, process-driven, and proficient with Transportation Management Systems (TMS), Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and standard logistics documentation.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Logistics Coordinator or Logistics Assistant
Transportation Dispatcher / Dispatch Coordinator
Warehouse Operations Coordinator

Advancement To:

Senior Cargo Scheduler / Lead Scheduler
Transportation Planner / Transportation Manager
Operations Manager or Head of Logistics

Lateral Moves:

Carrier Relations Specialist / Procurement Analyst
Customer Service Manager (Transportation-focused)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Create, maintain and optimize daily and weekly shipment schedules across domestic and international lanes using the company TMS and Excel, balancing delivery windows, carrier capacity and cost targets to meet OTIF and SLA commitments.
Assign and confirm carrier resources (motor carriers, LTL, FTL, air and ocean carriers) for each shipment, ensuring carrier compliance with contractual rates, insurance, and safety standards before dispatch.
Coordinate multi-leg and intermodal shipments by aligning pickup and delivery windows with port cutoffs, drayage availability, airline schedules and cross-dock operations to avoid detention, demurrage and missed sailings.
Perform load planning and consolidation analysis to maximize trailer/container utilization, reduce empty miles, and reduce total landed cost while respecting cargo compatibility and weight/distribution limits.
Monitor active shipments in real time, proactively identify exceptions (delays, carrier refusals, customs holds, weather impacts) and execute contingency plans—re-routing, expedited moves, or alternative carrier assignments—to minimize customer impact.
Prepare, validate and transmit all required shipping documentation (manifests, bills of lading, commercial invoices, packing lists, dangerous goods declarations) and coordinate EDI/portal exchanges with customers, carriers and customs brokers.
Negotiate and validate spot rates and short-term carrier agreements for time-sensitive loads, ensuring competitive pricing and documented approvals within delegated authority levels.
Maintain a prioritized schedule of shipments, balancing customer service priorities and cost efficiency, and adjust resource allocation dynamically during peak periods or disruptions.
Collaborate with customer service and sales teams to incorporate customer-specific routing rules, special handling instructions, and contract requirements into scheduling procedures and system master data.
Generate and distribute daily run sheets, pick-up and delivery instructions, and carrier confirmations; ensure warehouse and operations stakeholders receive timely updates to prepare loading windows.
Conduct pre-shipment checks and coordinate with warehouse/yard teams for dock appointments, pallet/container availability, stuffing/un-stuffing schedules and load securement requirements to ensure smooth handoffs.
Track and report key performance indicators such as on-time departure/arrival, load factor, cost-per-ton/mile, detention and claims trends—use KPI insights to recommend process improvements and carrier rationalization.
Maintain and update routing guides, preferred carrier lists and lane-level cost benchmarking; lead periodic reviews to identify opportunities for renegotiation and strategic carrier alignment.
Interface with customs brokers and compliance teams for import/export clearances, ensuring required documentation is present on scheduled shipments and assisting in scheduling once customs release is confirmed.
Support claims handling by collecting shipment evidence, timelines and carrier communications; coordinate resolution, recovery and root-cause analysis with carriers and internal stakeholders.
Execute capacity planning activities by forecasting demand, monitoring carrier capacity constraints and collaborating with procurement or carrier managers to secure long-lead capacity during seasonal peaks.
Implement and follow safety and hazardous cargo procedures, including verification of proper placarding, documentation, and carrier hazmat certifications prior to scheduling dangerous goods movements.
Use TMS reporting and ad-hoc data analysis to identify recurring bottlenecks (late pickups, yard congestion, carrier performance issues) and propose operational or contractual remedies.
Train and mentor junior schedulers and dispatchers on scheduling best practices, system usage, exception handling and carrier communication protocols to scale consistent service delivery.
Participate in cross-functional operational planning (promotions, product launches, holiday peaks) to ensure cargo scheduling aligns with supply, demand and customer fulfillment plans.
Coordinate inbound scheduling to align supplier appointments, carrier arrivals and warehouse capacity, reducing dwell time and improving receiving throughput.
Ensure continuous improvement by documenting SOPs, capturing lessons learned from disruptions, and implementing standardized scheduling templates and checklists across regions and modes.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
Assist in periodic audits of carrier compliance, documentation accuracy and system master data integrity.
Help implement TMS enhancements and user-acceptance testing for scheduling workflows and integrations.
Provide backup coverage for dispatcher and inbound appointment teams during absences or surges.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Transportation Management System (TMS) proficiency (e.g., Oracle Transportation Management, SAP TM, MercuryGate, Descartes, BluJay).
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and carrier portal transaction experience (PO, ASN, BOL transmissions).
Strong Excel skills including pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, data cleansing and basic macros for schedule optimization and reporting.
Load planning and consolidation techniques, freight rating and cost-to-serve analysis.
Familiarity with multimodal scheduling (truck, rail, air, ocean), drayage coordination and intermodal handoffs.
Knowledge of international documentation and customs processes (commercial invoices, letters of credit, customs clearance coordination).
Experience with route optimization tools and basic geographic awareness for lane planning.
KPI tracking and performance reporting (OTIF, SLA, on-time pickup/delivery, detention/demurrage metrics).
Carrier procurement and contract basics, including rate confirmation and auditing freight bills.
Basic SQL or data query skills for extracting scheduling metrics from operational databases (preferred).
Understanding hazardous materials (HazMat) regulations and DOT/ICAO/IATA requirements for dangerous goods (preferred).
Familiarity with WMS interfaces, yard management and dock appointment systems.

Soft Skills

Strong verbal and written communication with carriers, customers and internal stakeholders.
Excellent problem solving and rapid decision-making under operational pressure.
High attention to detail and accuracy when preparing shipping documentation and schedule entries.
Time management and prioritization skills to balance high-volume scheduling demands.
Customer-service orientation and the ability to manage expectations with transparency.
Collaborative mindset to work with cross-functional teams (warehouse, procurement, sales).
Negotiation and persuasion skills for carrier routing and spot rate discussions.
Adaptability and resilience during transport disruptions, weather events and peak seasons.
Analytical mindset to translate performance data into actionable scheduling improvements.
Coaching and mentoring skills to develop junior team members and delegate effectively.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent; relevant logistics/transportation certificate or on-the-job scheduling experience strongly preferred.

Preferred Education:

Associate or Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Business Administration, Transportation, or a related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Supply Chain Management
Logistics and Transportation
Business Administration
Operations Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2–5 years of direct transportation scheduling, dispatch, or logistics operations experience; experience with multi-modal logistics strongly preferred.

Preferred:

3–5+ years experience in cargo scheduling, freight operations or transportation planning with demonstrated use of a TMS, carrier negotiation experience and a track record of meeting OTIF/KPI targets. Experience working in 3PL, freight brokerage or retail distribution center environments is a plus.