Road Transport Clerk

Also known as:

Transport Clerk, Road

Introduction

Road transport clerks carry out a variety of administrative tasks for bus, coach or road haulage companies. Duties may include dealing with customer enquiries, handling accounts, organising vehicles and deliveries, processing orders and arranging staff rotas.

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Work Activities

Road transport clerks are responsible for carrying out tasks under the direction of a road transport manager. These tasks are mainly administrative and financial duties connected to the movement of goods and passengers by road.

Road transport clerks receive orders for the transport of loads and provide estimates of the cost. They allocate specific vehicles and drivers to each job, and arrange for delivery of goods and for the collection of return loads.

When delivery is complete, they may be involved in sending out invoices and receiving payment. Much of their work is carried out using a computer. They liaise with the drivers to make sure that they know where they are going and at what time they have to be at their destination.

Road transport clerks monitor drivers' hours and ensure that tachograph records are correctly compiled and processed.

Clerks dealing with the transportation of road passengers have additional duties such as dealing with passenger enquiries and complaints and arranging staff work rotas.

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Personal Qualities and Skills

Road transport clerks are frequently required to work unsupervised, so it is important that you can demonstrate self-reliance and the ability to work efficiently when you are on your own.

A basic knowledge of computer operations is useful as many of the systems in a road transport office are computerised. You must also be well organised, and able to work under pressure to tight deadlines.

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Pay and Opportunities

Salaries depend on employer and range of responsibility.

The pay rates given below are approximate.

Road transport clerks earn in the range of £15,000 - £17,000 a year, rising to £21,000 - £25,000 a year.

Most clerks work a 40-hour week, which may include shift work, split shifts, early starts, late finishes and weekend work. Overtime is usually available. Full-time, part-time, temporary and flexible working arrangements may be available.

There is a steady demand for road transport clerks. Employers are haulage companies, which operate locally, nationally and internationally. Some run a few vehicles, others run 50 plus, while the largest run up to 250.

Some of these also deal with warehousing, and stock control and distribution.

A number of large wholesale and retail organisations run their own transport fleets.

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Adult Opportunities

It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Applicants, with a background in customer service, administrative or clerical work have an advantage.

Experience in the road haulage industry, for example, as a lorry driver is useful.

• 8% of people in occupations such as road transport clerk work part-time.
• 11% have flexible hours.
• 2% of employees work on a temporary basis.

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