Manager Trainee

Job Description

Manager Trainee | J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc.

The Tone:
This is a full-time position at J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., an organization focused on the safe and timely movement of freight across North America. This role is responsible for learning the essential management skills required to oversee a driver count, manage non-traditional shifts, and ensure operational compliance and best-in-class customer service. It is a foundational role crucial for maintaining efficient logistics operations and supporting the company’s commitment to reliable service and driver satisfaction. This position offers a direct path into leadership within the transportation industry.

The TL;DR
• Role: Manager Trainee
• Type: Full-time
• Location: In-person, with potential for regional relocation

• Mission: To learn and apply operational management principles to ensure safe, timely freight movement, driver compliance, and best-in-class customer service.

What You’ll Actually Do
• Operational Oversight: Learn to assign loads, plan routes, and monitor freight movement to provide safe, on-time service and meet customer requirements, including managing freight exceptions and driver ETA adjustments.
• Relationship Management: Build and maintain positive professional relationships with drivers and reliable outside carriers to ensure seamless new carrier set-up, minimize turnover, and maximize ongoing productivity.
• Administrative Duties: Perform essential administrative tasks such as payroll, managing the Net-Revenue budget, driver counseling, accident reviews, analyzing P&L statements, invoicing, and creating operational or financial reports.
• Fleet & Yard Management: Gain knowledge on how to manage inventory, assets, customer pools, and the assignment of drivers, including checking/inspecting equipment, replacing minor parts, and coordinating preventative maintenance.
• Problem Resolution: Work with drivers, customers, and company personnel to resolve service issues, routing, mechanical problems, and accessorial pay-related issues as they occur, including being on call when necessary.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Entry-level career with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Transportation/Logistics, Supply Chain, or a related field. Alternatively, a High School Diploma/GED combined with 1 year of experience in management, transportation/logistics, business administration, account management, or equivalent military experience.
• Experience: Willingness to travel to account, customer, and company event locations when applicable, and the ability to work across multiple shifts including nights and/or weekends if needed. Prior experience managing a team is a preferred qualification.
• Skills: Foundational knowledge or learning aptitude in freight planning and routing, operational efficiency analysis, relationship building, administrative task execution (e.g., payroll, budgeting), basic equipment inspection, and problem resolution.
• Bonus: Ability to accurately analyze situations and make productive decisions, adapt to changing environments, establish and maintain healthy working relationships with various stakeholders, effectively communicate ideas, and proactively recognize and resolve organizational or operational challenges.