Transport Team Leader
Salary: £35,000
Location: Patchway Depot, Bristol, BS34 5TA
Contract type: Permanent
Business area: Logistics
Closing date: 09 February 2026
Requisition ID: 400046857
You don’t get to be one of the nation’s largest and most loved supermarkets without a brilliant team and our Distribution colleagues are central to keeping our distribution operation running smoothly, ensuring our customers can buy the goods they need in store.
We’re looking for a Transport Team Leader to work on a 4 on 4 off, 12hr rotational days and night shift pattern who can deliver excellent service, by assisting the Transport Shift Manager in managing the distribution operation. Monitoring and managing the driving team and transport team. The team leader will be expected to manage the shift in the Shift manager’s absence. The team leader will control the daily plan to ensure that all vehicles arrive at destination within allocated time slot.
More about you
We would like to hear from you if you...
- Possess strong leadership abilities, able to offer direction and support to others.
- Are Computer literate, competent user of all Microsoft Office applications.
- Have working knowledge of transport / driver hours and regulations.
- Have working geographical knowledge of the country and the motorway network.
- Are familiar with transport management systems.
- Are competent in transport operations legislation.
- Are pro-active towards change, ability to multitask and prioritize workload.
- Work co-operatively and willingly with others to achieve common objectives.
- Have a sense of urgency and work diligently to achieve timelines.
More about the Role
The key part of the role is to Monitor and manage the driving team and transport team.
- Liaising with customer and suppliers on all issues relating to the collection and delivery of product
- Communication with drivers to ensure depot is aware of issues as they arise
- Communicating operational issues with other Sainsburys & Argos sites and RDC’s
- Communicating operational changes with the warehouse and yard supervisor
- Communicating operational needs with the transport team
- Offering leadership and direction to the traffic assistants, warehouse operatives and yard supervisor
- Managing the shift alongside the Shift Manager
- Generate driver journey sheets from in-house computer systems and issue to drivers
- Produce reports, such as missing volume, debrief status and unconfirmed orders
- Collate weekly information for transport auditing purposes
- Make sure agency drivers are legal to work using the declaration and digi card scanning system.
Added to competitive rates of pay, the benefits are also great – including paid holiday, colleague discount at Sainsbury’s, Argos, and Habitat after three months. And if a longer-term career is what you’re interested in, there’s nothing stopping you moving on up. We never say no to ambition.
Overtime is readily available, giving the opportunity to work additional shifts frequently to help you budget for those holidays and special events in life. Holidays will be on a pro-rata basis.
If you’d like to be part of Sainsbury’s as a Transport Team Leader where we work plans to support a positive work/life balance, apply below.
Your benefits
- Guaranteed minimum hours for all rota patterns.
- 22 days holiday per year, increasing to 25 days after 5 years’ service all pre–Bank Holiday’s
- We operate shiny new kit and offer some of the best facilities of any employer.
- Season ticket loan after you’ve completed 12 weeks of service and passed your probation.
- Discount card after 4 weeks that gives you up to 15% off your Sainsbury’s or Argos or Habitat shop.
- Our Love It special offers, including gym memberships, restaurants, holidays, retail vouchers and more.
- Cycle to work scheme available.
- Full PPE provided.