Trainee Road Freight Operator

Are you looking to start a long-term career in freight forwarding and logistics with a growing global business?

cargo-partner is continuing to expand across the UK, and due to ongoing success we’re looking for a Trainee Road Freight Operator to join our Road Operations team in Basildon. This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to build a career in logistics with full training provided, working alongside experienced operators who will support your learning and development.

About Cargo-partner

For over 40 years, cargo-partner has supported clients with a full portfolio of Air, Ocean, Road and Warehousing services. We’re proud to have strengthened our global position further by joining the Nippon Express Group (NX Group), giving our teams access to even greater opportunities across an international network.

At cargo-partner, we believe in training, loyalty and internal progression. Our operations management team will support you with a structured learning plan to help you develop into a fully competent Road Freight Operator.

What You’ll Be Doing (with Training And Support)

As a Trainee within the Road Operations team, you’ll support the coordination of road freight services including bookings, pricing, customs processes and customer updates. You will learn how to manage shipments from start to finish and gain valuable experience in a busy freight forwarding environment.

Key Responsibilities

Learning how to load bookings into the Ondot system

Assisting with arranging cost-effective domestic collections and deliveries

Supporting the team with booking EU hauliers and pallet networks

Learning how to complete import and export customs entries

Assisting with export T1 documents (training provided)

Supporting export groupage trailer builds and preparation of export documentation

Liaising with the warehouse regarding loading/unloading, labelling and discrepancies

Communicating with cargo-partner offices across Europe to support customs clearance and transport updates

Providing shipment updates to clients and internal stakeholders

Requesting and issuing PODs

Supporting supplier cost negotiation and administration

Assisting with preparing shipment files for invoicing

What We’re Looking For

This role would suit someone who is enthusiastic, organised and keen to learn. Prior road freight experience is helpful but not essential — the main requirement is a desire to build a career in logistics.

Desired Skills & Attributes

Interest in developing a career in freight forwarding / logistics

Strong attention to detail and willingness to learn processes and systems

Confident communication skills (phone/email)

Strong customer service mindset and team approach

Ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment

Organised, reliable and able to meet deadlines

Any prior experience in logistics, transport, warehousing or customer service is an advantage

What We Can Offer

25 days holiday + bank holidays

Private AXA Healthcare after successful probation

Stability and long-term development with a truly international logistics business

Structured training and support from experienced operators

Clear progression opportunities within the business

A supportive, friendly team culture

Free parking

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.