Carrier Sales Representative

Description

Position Summary

The Carrier Sales Representative is responsible for building and maintaining relationships with carriers, sourcing capacity, and ensuring loads are covered profitably and efficiently. This role plays a vital part in Patterson Companies' logistics operations by negotiating rates, monitoring carrier performance, and collaborating with sales and operations to deliver exceptional service to customers.

Each Carrier Sales Representative may specialize in geographic region, transportation mode (e.g., Dry Van, Reefer, Flatbed, Intermodal), or dedicated book of business, allowing Patterson to deliver tailored solutions while leveraging individual strengths. Specialization is balanced with the expectation of cross-team collaboration to maximize Patterson's carrier network.

Key Responsibilities

Carrier Development & Freight Coverage

• Source, negotiate, and secure Carriers to cover Patterson loads at competitive and profitable rates.
• Develop and maintain strong, long-term relationships with core and niche carriers.
• Specialize by region, mode, or book of business to provide expertise and consistency in capacity sourcing.
• Monitor market trends and provide rate and capacity insights to the procurement and sales teams.

Operational Execution

• Accurately enter, update, and track load information in Patterson's TMS (McLeod).
• Ensure all carriers are vetted and compliant using Highway and Patterson's qualification standards. *If Highway says the Carrier did not pass, you cannot use the Carrier.
• Manage load execution from booking to delivery, including proactive updates and problem resolution.
• Partner with operations to resolve exceptions quickly and ensure customer commitments are met.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Communicate capacity strategies, market shifts, and carrier opportunities with Sales and Procurement.
• Support Sales by providing carrier solutions that align with customer pricing and service requirements.
• Contribute to account growth by leveraging carrier relationships to improve coverage reliability.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Coverage & Carrier Performance

• Time-to-Cover: Average time to secure a carrier per load meets benchmark.
• Carrier Utilization: % of loads covered by core/preferred carriers (target: 70%+).
• Carrier Compliance: 100% of carriers are fully vetted, insured, and qualified before booking.

Profitability & Efficiency

• Gross Margin per Load: Maintain or exceed target thresholds by region/mode.
• Rate Variance: Negotiated rates remain competitive within market benchmarks.
• Load-to-Cover Ratio: % of loads covered successfully vs. total loads assigned (target: 95%+).

Customer & Service Impact

• On-Time Performance: % of loads picked up and delivered on time (target: 95%+).
• Service Failures: % of loads without service failures (target: 98%+).
• Account Support: Contribution to account retention and growth (measured via sales feedback and quarterly review).

Strategic Contribution

• Specialization Impact: Demonstrated expertise and measurable performance improvement in assigned region, mode, or book of business.
• Carrier Development: of new carriers onboarded and retained in assigned specialization area per quarter.
• Market Intelligence: Regular reporting of rate and capacity insights to Procurement and Sales teams.

Cross-Collaboration (Anti-Silo Metric)

• Shared Coverage Success: % of loads covered using carriers sourced from outside one's specialization area (target benchmark set by leadership).
• Collaboration Score: Peer and manager review of cooperation and knowledge-sharing (quarterly).

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, Supply Chain, or related field (preferred).
• 1-3 years of experience in carrier sales, brokerage, or transportation operations.
• Knowledge of freight markets, negotiation, and carrier relationship management.
• Proficiency with TMS platforms (McLeod preferred), carrier vetting tools (Highway, RMIS, Carrier411), and Microsoft Teams.
• Strong communication and negotiation skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple priorities.

Why Patterson?

At Patterson Companies, people are the heart of our business. As a Carrier Sales Representative, you will be empowered to specialize in the market where you excel, supported by industry-leading technology, and connected to a team that values both relationships and results.