Assistant Branch Manager

A. Branch Operations Leadership and Daily Control

·   Assist the Branch Manager in leading daily branch operations and ensuring each booking has clear ownership, capacity, execution plan and escalation path.

·   Conduct or support daily operational briefings covering bookings, truck and driver availability, border conditions, maintenance status, customer priorities, high-risk shipments and unresolved exceptions.

·   Monitor branch workload and staff coverage; rebalance responsibilities when employees are absent, overloaded or unable to perform.

·   Ensure shift handovers are complete and that pending issues have named owners, next actions and expected update times.

·   Assume delegated branch operational responsibility when the Branch Manager is unavailable and escalate matters exceeding authority.

B. Transport Planning, Capacity and Execution

·   Review daily and forward transport plans to ensure confirmed bookings have executable truck, trailer, driver and subcontractor capacity.

·   Monitor truck and driver utilisation, empty movement, waiting, detention and route productivity and challenge avoidable cost or inefficient deployment.

·   Ensure trucks and drivers assigned to shipments are suitable, available, roadworthy and supported by required documentation.

·   Monitor shipment execution through TMS, GPS / telematics, driver updates and branch communication and intervene early when timing is at risk.

·   Lead re-planning and service recovery for breakdowns, driver shortages, traffic, port or border congestion, customs delay, route disruption and other operational abnormalities.

C. Johor Bahru-Singapore and Cross-Border Coordination

·   Coordinate cross-border movements between Johor Bahru and Singapore and other regional lanes assigned to the branch.

·   Ensure customs, border, permit, documentation, driver, vehicle and customer-specific requirements are understood before dispatch.

·   Monitor checkpoint and customs-clearance progress and escalate delays or document issues before they affect delivery commitments.

·   Ensure seal, padlock, container-door, cargo-security and required photographic evidence procedures are followed where applicable.

·   Coordinate closely with other JJ Express branches, appointed customs agents, warehouses, depots and approved partners for continuous movement and handover.

D. Customer Service, Complaint and Escalation Management

·   Maintain professional communication with customers and ensure material delays, discrepancies or abnormalities are communicated promptly and accurately.

·   Review significant complaints and coordinate fact-finding, service recovery, evidence collection and corrective action before management escalation.

·   Participate in customer meetings, operational reviews, SOP implementation and performance discussions when assigned.

·   Ensure customer-specific operating procedures are communicated to Planning, drivers, subcontractors and other relevant personnel before execution.

·   Do not admit company liability, agree compensation, waive charges or make contractual commitments without appropriate approval.

E. Team Leadership, Performance and Staff Development

·   Supervise, coach and guide assigned branch employees and maintain clear standards for attendance, communication, ownership, TMS discipline and service performance.

·   Set daily and weekly priorities, review completion and address repeated errors, late updates, poor handovers or avoidable service failures.

·   Support onboarding, route knowledge, SOP training, systems training and competency development for branch personnel.

·   Identify performance or conduct concerns and support documented coaching, appraisal or disciplinary processes with the Branch Manager and HR.

·   Promote teamwork and succession planning so critical branch activities remain covered during leave, turnover or peak volumes.

F. Driver, Fleet, Safety and Cargo-Security Coordination

·   Monitor driver availability, deployment, attendance and operational readiness and coordinate replacements where required.

·   Ensure drivers receive clear job instructions, route requirements, customer SOPs, seal/padlock requirements, delivery procedures and escalation contacts.

·   Coordinate with Safety & Maintenance on roadworthiness, preventive maintenance, breakdowns, replacement capacity and serious driver safety concerns.

·   Ensure known critical vehicle defects, invalid documents or unsafe operating conditions are escalated and not ignored for commercial convenience.

·   Report accidents, near misses, cargo-security incidents, seal discrepancies, suspected document irregularities and unsafe behaviour promptly and support investigations and CAPA.

G. Cost, Subcontractor and Branch Productivity Control

·   Support control of subcontractor cost, overtime, waiting, detention, empty mileage, tolls, recovery expenses, breakdown impact and other branch operating costs.

·   Use approved subcontractors and rates and obtain required approval before exceptional or unbudgeted commitments are made.

·   Monitor subcontractor vehicle suitability, punctuality, communication, documentation, safety and service performance.

·   Compare actual transport cost against quotation, budget or approved rate and explain material variances.

·   Identify recurring cost leakage and recommend practical operational improvements without compromising safety or service.

H. TMS, Documentation, Reporting and Branch Administration

·   Ensure TMS Trip-to-Job assignment, truck, driver, trailer, route and shipment status information is accurate and updated within required timelines.

·   Ensure PODs and operational documents are complete, legible and free from unexplained discrepancies before job closure.

·   Maintain branch records for drivers, vehicles, customer SOPs, subcontractors, incidents, attendance, overtime and other assigned controls.

·   Prepare and review daily, weekly and monthly branch reports covering service, utilisation, delays, cost, complaints, incidents, TMS quality and outstanding actions.

·   Maintain accurate, traceable and audit-ready documentation and protect company and customer information according to JJ Express policy.

I. Business Continuity and Continuous Improvement

·   Maintain practical branch contingency arrangements for breakdown, driver shortage, border disruption, customs system outage, severe weather, IT/TMS interruption, facility disruption and unexpected volume peaks.

·   Ensure critical employees understand escalation and recovery procedures and that branch contact and back-up arrangements remain current.

·   Analyse recurring branch failures, delays, complaints and cost leakage and assign corrective actions with owners and due dates.

·   Support operational improvement, customer implementation, tender preparation, audits and branch expansion projects as assigned by Management.