Discovering the Role of a Route Manager
14th January 2025
Career Portraits: Meet Anthony, Road Manager at Logi Ports Shuttle and Nord Ports Shuttle, a Subsidiary of Sogestran Logistics
Hello Anthony, what led you to the transport industry?
I graduated with a vocational diploma in transport. I started my career in the army, where I served for five years, taking part in several overseas operations, some of which were transport-related (including obtaining my heavy vehicle license). After leaving the army, I worked as a dock clerk, creating loading plans and inspecting containers.
I then joined Logi Seine, which became Sogestran Logistics in 2003. Over time, I advanced to the position of road operations manager, supported by three dispatch agents who handle activity coordination. I’ve been in this role for ten years now.
Can you describe your daily work and what your team does?
With my team, we plan container transport over the final miles between the inland waterway vessel and the warehouse.
We are in direct contact with transporters, negotiating rates, organizing schedules, and managing unforeseen events. To give you an idea of the scale, we work with around thirty transport companies across France, and just for the Île-de-France region, we schedule nearly 80 deliveries per day. We plan two days in advance.
We also handle the administrative tracking of containers and finalize each case by invoicing the service.
As you can imagine, no two days are ever the same.
I am also responsible for training and supporting dispatchers, providing them with operational guidance daily, and solving problems as they arise. In this profession, it’s rare for a day to go by without challenges.
In your opinion, what qualities are essential for this job?
A good dose of empathy and charisma is crucial. It’s essential to build a relationship of trust with transporters, helping them organize their day in a logical and realistic way. In Île-de-France, with the heavy traffic, customer expectations often clash with real-world conditions. But we also need to challenge them when necessary.
Being reactive and resourceful is also key to quickly finding solutions and ensuring the supply chain runs smoothly without delays or disruptions.
What do you love about your job?
I love the dynamic nature of my work and the adrenaline rush when schedules get tight.
I also enjoy the human aspect. We build strong relationships with our transporters, whose daily life on the road is not always easy.
Finally, training dispatchers and passing on industry expertise is something I deeply care about. When starting in this field, handling relationships with transporters can be tricky. That’s why I take great pride in mentoring new hires, supporting their development, and seeing them grow in confidence week after week.
