Operations Manager

EVEREST FLEET PRIVATE LIMITED

Job Description Operations Manager, Intercity (Logistics)

Field

Detail

Job Title

Operations Manager – Intercity / Line-haul (Logistics)

Reports To

Dwiti Thanawala

Location

Mumbai, with regular travel to other cities

Department

Logistics – Intercity / Line-haul

Industry

Logistics / Transportation / Cold Chain

Engagement

On-site, Full-time

Experience

6–10 years in intercity, line-haul or FTL operations, with lane P&L exposure

Qualification

Graduate in any discipline; MBA or diploma in logistics / supply chain an advantage

ROLE SUMMARY

Everest Fleet is establishing an intercity line-haul business alongside its existing intracity dedicated fleet operations. The Operations Manager – Intercity is accountable for launching that business and running it profitably: selecting the lanes, pricing them on true loaded cost, building the vendor and driver base to serve them, and delivering the committed transit times to clients.

This is a build role rather than a caretaking one. Success is measured by contribution per lane, empty-run percentage and on-time delivery — not by vehicle count or revenue alone.

KEY RESULT AREAS

#

Key Result Area

How it is measured

1

Intercity Business Launch: Stand the intercity line-haul business up from zero: define the opening lanes, the vehicle mix, the operating model and the commercial construct.

Lanes live; date of first billed movement; monthly intercity revenue against plan

2

Lane P&L Ownership: Own the contribution of every lane and return leg

Contribution per lane; contribution per trip; lanes below threshold closed or repriced

3

Transit Time and Service Reliability: Commit realistic transit times and hold them. Own on-time pickup and on-time delivery as the service promise the business is sold on.

On-time pickup %; on-time delivery %; transit time adherence against committed TAT

4

Intercity Vendor and Attached Fleet Network: Build the transporter base for long-haul: vet operators, agree lane rates and terms, and keep alternate capacity available on every active lane.

Active intercity vendors per lane; capacity available vs committed,.

5

Cold Chain Integrity in Transit: Protect the load on multi-day movements: reefer set-point discipline, continuous temperature logging, pre-cooling, and defined action on any excursion.

SLA for temperature maintenance and adherance

6

Client Acquisition and Key Account Management: Win intercity business from existing city clients first, then from the market. Own the relationship, the rate card and the quarterly review.

New intercity clients onboarded; revenue from existing accounts; client retention

7

Compliance, Incidents and Claims: Keep permits, e-way bills, state entry and statutory records in order. Manage breakdown recovery away from base, and close damage and loss claims.

Compliance exceptions; breakdown recovery time; claims closed within agreed timeline

8

Control Tower and MIS: Run live visibility over every vehicle in transit and report lane performance, utilisation and profitability on an agreed cadence.

Tracking coverage %; accuracy and timeliness of lane MIS; exceptions caught before the client calls

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Launch and Network Design

• Select opening lanes on the strength of freight availability at both ends, not on one-way demand.
• Define vehicle type, frequency and schedule for each lane, and size the fleet required.
• Build the lane costing model and the rate card, and get commercial approval before quoting.
• Set up origin and destination handling — loading, documentation, handover and proof of delivery.

Daily Line-Haul Operations

• Plan and release trips against confirmed loads; confirm vehicle placement before dispatch.
• Track every vehicle in transit and act on deviation, halt or delay rather than reporting it afterwards.
• Manage turnaround at both ends and escalate detention to the client the same day it occurs.
• Arrange breakdown recovery, load transfer and replacement vehicles away from base.
• Close every trip with documentation complete — POD, e-way bill, temperature log and trip sheet.

Commercial and Profitability

• Review contribution by lane and by client monthly, and act on loss-making movements.
• Negotiate lane rates with transporters.
• Ensure every billable accessorial — detention, extra kilometres, multi-point, waiting — is captured and invoiced.
• Support collections by keeping MIS and supporting documentation dispute-free.

Team, Vendors and Compliance

• Build and lead the intercity operations team across origin and destination cities.
• Onboard and review transporters against agreed service levels; exit those who cannot hold the standard.
• Deal professionally with drivers, vendors, transport authorities and police on route, within company policy and applicable law.

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

Essential

• 6–10 years in intercity, line-haul or full-truck-load operations, of which at least three years running lanes rather than supporting them.
• Demonstrated ownership of lane costing, pricing and contribution — able to explain how a route makes or loses money.
• Proven record of reducing empty running through return-load development.
• Established transporter and attached-fleet network on national or south–west corridors.
• Working knowledge of e-way bill, state permits, road tax and long-haul statutory compliance.
• Strong Excel and Google Sheets; comfortable building a lane P&L and a utilisation report.
• Fluent in Hindi and English; a south Indian language an advantage given the lane footprint.
• Willing to travel; comfortable working from the road and at odd hours.

Preferred

• Line-haul experience at an organised operator — Delhivery, VRL, TCI, GoBolt, BlackBuck, Rivigo / Mahindra Logistics, Porter, Safexpress or similar.
• Reefer or cold chain long-haul exposure — ColdStar, Snowman, Cold-ex, Celcius or equivalent.
• Experience launching a new lane, corridor or branch from scratch.
• Familiarity with telematics, GPS and control-tower tools, and with freight marketplaces for sourcing return loads.
• Exposure to client rate negotiation and contract renewal.

Behavioural

• Thinks in round trips, not one-way movements.
• Treats an empty return leg as a cost they personally own.
• Escalates a delayed or halted vehicle before the client discovers it.
• Comfortable making commercial decisions with incomplete information, and revisiting them on data.
• Builds a team and a process rather than holding the business together personally.

REPORTING AND PROGRESSION

The Operations Manager – Intercity reports directly to Dwiti Thanawala and works closely with the city Operations Managers, the Procurement Managers who hold the vendor base, and accounts. The role begins as a hands-on builder with a small team and grows a dedicated intercity operations structure as lanes are added.

Progression is to Head of Intercity Operations, or to a broader logistics leadership mandate, on demonstrated lane profitability, utilisation and service reliability.Role & responsibilities

Preferred candidate profile