25.3.2026 | Technology

As container volumes grow and supply chains become more integrated, the role of the traffic office is evolving. What was once mainly a road-planning function is now shifting towards a coordination role that encompasses road, rail, terminals, and customer operations.

UK ports handle approximately 9.6 million TEU each year, with transport planners coordinating movements between ports, depots, rail terminals and distribution centres. As networks increase and customer expectations rise, planning teams are finding themselves at the centre of increasingly complex operations.

Shifts in vessel arrival times, terminal congestion, rail schedules, and customer requirements mean that daily plans can change multiple times throughout the day. Planners must constantly update schedules, manage driver and vehicle utilisation, oversee customer communication, and ensure that deliveries and collections continue to run smoothly.

Vehicle Booking Systems (VBS), while improving terminal flow, have also added another layer of coordination, requiring planners to manage precise time slots while balancing driver hours, traffic conditions, and changing port operations.

As a result, the responsibilities of the traffic office have increased significantly. Today’s planners are not merely scheduling trucks; they are overseeing operational flow throughout various parts of the supply chain.

Steve Collins, Managing Director of Fargo Group, believes the role has changed considerably over the past decade.

“The traffic office has always been the nerve centre of a haulage operation, but the volume of information planners now handle has increased substantially. Operators are managing far more interactions, higher expectations for visibility, and stricter operational timeframes across the supply chain.”

According to Jim Slade, Customer Success Director at Fargo Group, the way planners communicate and coordinate has also evolved.

“Traffic offices might seem quieter than before, but their level of coordination has risen significantly. Planners frequently handle multiple conversations simultaneously – via phone, email, and messaging platforms – while also keeping an eye on driver utilisation and service performance.”

Meanwhile, many operators report that recruiting experienced traffic planners is becoming more difficult. The role now requires operational knowledge, customer service skills, and the ability to make quick decisions based on constantly changing information, a combination that is increasingly hard to find.

For operators working around major container gateways such as Felixstowe, London Gateway and Southampton, and increasingly coordinating movements to inland rail terminals, effective planning is becoming even more essential as operations accelerate and become more interconnected.

Darren Walne, Managing Director at 3PL, states that the main challenge for planners is obtaining the correct information at the appropriate time.

“A planner’s day rarely goes exactly as planned. Availability can change, terminals can become congested, and customers still expect timely deliveries. The biggest challenge is gathering the right information quickly enough to make the best operational decision.”

How technology is reshaping the traffic office

As operational demands rise, many operators are looking at how technology can support planning teams in managing higher volumes of activity and information.

Modern transport systems are increasingly integrating information from multiple sources, including vehicle tracking, terminal systems, rail services and customer orders, allowing planners to see a broader operational picture and respond more quickly to change.

Dan Falvey, Product Director at Fargo Group, believes visibility across the wider network is becoming essential.

“Planning container movements now involves coordinating trucks, equipment, terminals and rail services. Technology can bring that information together, giving planners greater visibility of the network and helping them respond more quickly when changes occur.”

This reflects a wider shift across the industry, where operators are moving away from systems focused purely on road transport and towards platforms that support intermodal operations across road, rail and terminal environments.

Alongside this broader operational view, new forms of operational intelligence are also beginning to play a role within planning systems. Rather than focusing solely on reporting, many operators are now seeking tools that support planners as decisions are made, helping them manage exceptions, allocate resources, and handle large volumes of operational information more efficiently.

The aim of these systems is not to replace planners, but to reduce administrative workload and provide better operational insight, allowing planners to focus on keeping freight moving efficiently.

Steve Collins believes the industry is moving towards closer coordination across the supply chain.

“Container transport does not operate in isolation. Trucks interact with terminals, rail services, depots and ports, and each part of that ecosystem influences overall efficiency. The industry is moving towards more connected operational platforms that provide visibility across these operations.”

As container transport becomes more connected across road, rail and terminal operations, the traffic office is becoming a central control point within logistics businesses.