Logistics Coordinator job description in the United States
Duties, requirements, interview questions, and a ready-to-use template so you can post your job today.
Job summary
A logistics coordinator makes sure products move from suppliers to the warehouse and from the warehouse to customers on time, complete, and at a reasonable cost. The role plans routes and shipments, coordinates carriers and drivers, tracks deliveries, and resolves delays and damaged goods. For the business, good logistics coordination means customers who receive what they ordered when promised and freight costs that stay under control.
Main duties
- Plan and schedule daily shipments and delivery routes according to orders and vehicle capacity
- Coordinate with carriers, freight forwarders, and drivers to book pickups and confirm delivery windows
- Track shipments in transit and inform customers and sales of delays or changes
- Prepare and verify shipping documents such as bills of lading, packing lists, and delivery receipts
- Coordinate import and export paperwork with customs brokers and follow up on clearance
- Reconcile freight invoices against agreed rates and report discrepancies
- Handle claims for lost, late, or damaged goods and manage returns
- Monitor on-time delivery, cost per shipment, and fleet utilization, and propose improvements
- Work with the warehouse to align picking and loading with dispatch schedules
Typical requirements
- Degree or technical training in logistics, supply chain, business, or industrial engineering
- One or more years of experience in logistics, dispatch, or transportation coordination
- Proficiency with spreadsheets and experience with an ERP, WMS, or TMS
- Knowledge of shipping documentation and basic customs procedures, including Incoterms for import or export roles
- Ability to manage several shipments and urgent changes at the same time
- Availability to respond to delivery issues outside regular hours when needed
Key skills
Salary in the United States
Based on jobs posted on Saplic over the last 6 months. This is a market benchmark, not an official figure.
Job posting template ready to copy
Replace the fields in brackets with your company's details.
Market benchmark: $8,578 per month (median of the jobs posted on Saplic over the last 6 months).
Logistics Coordinator — [Company name]
At [Company name], we are looking for a logistics coordinator to keep our deliveries moving from [City]. The person in this role will plan shipments, coordinate carriers and drivers, track every order until it arrives, and solve the problems that come up along the way.
Responsibilities
- Plan and schedule daily shipments and delivery routes according to orders and vehicle capacity
- Coordinate with carriers, freight forwarders, and drivers to book pickups and confirm delivery windows
- Track shipments in transit and inform customers and sales of delays or changes
- Prepare and verify shipping documents such as bills of lading, packing lists, and delivery receipts
- Coordinate import and export paperwork with customs brokers and follow up on clearance
- Reconcile freight invoices against agreed rates and report discrepancies
- Handle claims for lost, late, or damaged goods and manage returns
- Monitor on-time delivery, cost per shipment, and fleet utilization, and propose improvements
- Work with the warehouse to align picking and loading with dispatch schedules
Requirements
- Degree or technical training in logistics, supply chain, business, or industrial engineering
- One or more years of experience in logistics, dispatch, or transportation coordination
- Proficiency with spreadsheets and experience with an ERP, WMS, or TMS
- Knowledge of shipping documentation and basic customs procedures, including Incoterms for import or export roles
- Ability to manage several shipments and urgent changes at the same time
- Availability to respond to delivery issues outside regular hours when needed
What we offer
- Salary: [Salary]
- Benefits: [Benefits]
- Location: [City]
Interested in this job? Apply today.
How to hire a logistics coordinator
Specify the type of logistics
Local last-mile distribution, long-haul freight, and international trade require different knowledge. The posting should say which applies, since a specialist in urban routes may never have handled a customs clearance.
Present a day gone wrong
A scenario with a broken-down truck, an urgent order, and an absent driver shows how the candidate prioritizes and communicates. Calm, structured answers indicate someone used to real operations.
Ask about volumes handled
Coordinating five deliveries a day is not the same as coordinating a hundred. Shipments per day, fleet size, and number of carriers give a realistic measure of the candidate's experience.
Verify spreadsheet skills hands-on
Much of the work lives in spreadsheets even when a system exists. A ten-minute exercise sorting and summarizing a delivery list confirms the level stated on the resume.
Look for cost-conscious thinking
Good coordinators consolidate loads, negotiate rates, and question unnecessary expedited shipments. It is worth asking for an example where the candidate reduced freight costs without hurting service.
Interview questions for logistics coordinator candidates
What would you do if a truck broke down with deliveries promised for that same day?
What to look for: Immediate contingency: a backup vehicle or carrier, reprioritizing by urgency, and proactive calls to customers.
How did you plan delivery routes at your last job?
What to look for: Consideration of geography, time windows, vehicle capacity, and traffic, with or without routing software.
Could you describe a time a shipment was lost or arrived damaged, and how you handled it?
What to look for: Documentation of evidence, a claim filed with the carrier, a solution for the customer, and prevention afterward.
Which indicators did you use to measure logistics performance?
What to look for: Familiarity with on-time delivery, cost per shipment, fill rate, and how the candidate acted on them.
How did you choose between carriers for a given shipment?
What to look for: Balance of cost, reliability, transit time, and coverage, based on tracked performance and not habit.
What would you do if sales promised a customer a delivery date that operations could not meet?
What to look for: Honest communication, alternatives such as partial delivery, and a proposal to align promises with capacity.
Which documents would you prepare for an international shipment?
What to look for: Knowledge of the commercial invoice, packing list, transport document, certificates, and coordination with the customs broker.
How do you keep track of many shipments at once without losing any?
What to look for: A tracking system or control sheet reviewed at fixed times, with exceptions flagged early.
Screen better with the Saplic ATS
Posting the job is the first step. The Saplic recruiting system organizes everything that comes after.
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Open logistics coordinator jobs in the United States
SUPERVISORY LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST🏢 Naval Supply Systems Command💰 $8,578/month📍 Pascagoula, United States💼 On-site⏰ Full Time📋 Permanent Contract🏷️ Heavy Cargo Handling and Transport
LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT SPECIALST🏢 Naval Air Systems Command💰 $10,200/month📍 United States💼 On-site⏰ Full Time📋 Permanent Contract🏷️ Heavy Cargo Handling and TransportLOGISTICS MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST🏢 Naval Air Systems Command💰 $9,815/month📍 Patuxent River, United States💼 On-site⏰ Full Time📋 Permanent Contract🏷️ Heavy Cargo Handling and Transport
SUPERVISORY LOGISTICS AND MAINTENANCE SUPPORT SPECIALIST🏢 Headquarters, Air Force Reserve Command💰 $7,157/month📍 United States💼 On-site⏰ Full Time📋 Permanent Contract🏷️ Heavy Cargo Handling and Transport
Supervisory Logistics Management Specialist🏢 Defense Logistics Agency💰 $12,054/month📍 United States💼 On-site⏰ Full Time📋 Contract for Specific Work or Service🏷️ Heavy Cargo Handling and Transport
Related roles
Frequently asked questions
How much does a logistics coordinator make in the United States?
The median of the jobs posted on Saplic over the last 6 months is $8,578 per month, and the typical range runs from $7,229 to $10,008. This is a market benchmark, not an official figure.
What requirements are typical for a logistics coordinator in the United States?
The most common ones in job postings are: degree or technical training in logistics, supply chain, business, or industrial engineering; one or more years of experience in logistics, dispatch, or transportation coordination; proficiency with spreadsheets and experience with an ERP, WMS, or TMS.
What is the difference between a logistics coordinator and a warehouse supervisor?
The warehouse supervisor manages what happens inside the building: receiving, storage, picking, and inventory accuracy. The logistics coordinator manages movement outside it: transportation, routes, carriers, and delivery to customers. In small companies one person may cover both, but the skills differ and the posting should say which side carries more weight.
Is experience with specific logistics software necessary?
It helps, but it should not be decisive. Someone who has worked with any ERP or transportation management system learns another quickly. What matters more is whether the candidate understands the underlying process, such as order, dispatch, delivery, and proof of delivery, and is fluent enough in spreadsheets to analyze and plan.
How much does it cost to post logistics coordinator jobs on Saplic?
Nothing. Posting the job is free and no credit card is required. The recruiting system for organizing the people who apply is free too.