Driver Manager (OTR) Last-Mile Logistics

Location: Cape Town

Remuneration: R23000 CTC

Job Purpose

As a Driver Manager (OTR) for the dedicated logistics team, you are the on-road commander for a dedicated pool of owner-drivers. You own their daily performance, compliance, and welfare from the moment they scan out at the hub to the moment their last parcel is delivered. Your team operates exclusively on specialized delivery systems (Flex and Mentor), and you are accountable to strict OTDR and service-level standards every shift.

This role is ringfenced to a dedicated logistics operation. You do not share systems, processes, or driver pools with business-as-usual (BAU) operations. Each Driver Manager (DM) manages approximately 17 drivers at launch, scaling as delivery volumes grow. You report to the Team Lead and work closely with the Dispatcher/OTR Tracker to protect OTDR in real time.

Authority Levels

Operational Control: Authority to direct, manage, and performance-manage the owner-drivers assigned to your pool.

Real-Time Decision Making: Authority to make real-time on-road decisions: rerouting, stop reassignment, and driver escalation during the live delivery window.

De-escalation Off-boarding: Authority to off-board drivers from your pool who fail to meet performance or compliance standardsescalating to the Team Lead for formal action.

Risk Management: Authority to flag OTDR at-risk situations directly to the Dispatcher/OTR Tracker for immediate tracking intervention.

Roster Control: Authority to approve or deny driver leave and availability changes for your pool, notifying Driver Support to update the roster.

Key Responsibilities

1. Driver Management Onboarding

Own your driver pool: manage daily attendance, pre-shift readiness, and Flex/Mentor app compliance before dispatch.

Lead platform-specific onboarding for new owner-drivers: Flex app setup, Mentor behaviour scoring, route familiarisation, and standard delivery compliance.

Conduct weekly individual driver performance reviews using Flex and Mentor datacoach underperformers and recognise high performers.

Manage the driver pool within the 25:1 DM ratioescalate to the Team Lead when volume growth requires additional DM headcount.

2. On-Road Operations

Monitor your driver pool in real time using Flex and Mentortrack stops, identify at-risk deliveries, and intervene before an OTDR breach.

Coordinate with the Dispatcher/OTR Tracker on reroutes, breakdowns, address failures, and missed stops during the live delivery window.

Handle in-shift driver escalations: vehicle breakdown, app failure, customer dispute, unsafe address, or failed deliveryresolve or escalate within 20 minutes.

Ensure all return-to-hub (RTS) parcels are physically and digitally closed out at the end of each shiftno unclosed exceptions overnight.

3. Compliance Performance

Monitor driver behaviour via Mentor: speeding, harsh braking, phone usage, and compliance scoresaddress all red flags within 24 hours.

Ensure 100% POD compliance for your driver pool: every delivery must have a valid photo or signature before it is marked complete.

Maintain current driver documentation for your pool: PDP, drivers licence, vehicle insurance, and contractor agreementsflag expirations 30 days in advance.

Produce a daily performance summary for your pool to the Team Lead: OTDR, exceptions, Mentor scores, and driver attendance.

4. Human Resource Management

Manage the day-to-day performance of ~17 owner-driversescalate formal disciplinary processes to the Team Lead.

Work with Driver Support on driver communications, roster updates, and onboarding paperwork.

Bring recurring driver-raised issues (route quality, app reliability, payment queries) to the Team Lead for escalation.

5. Quality, Safety Environment

Enforce company and platform vehicle and road safety standards for every driver in your poolzero tolerance for driving under the influence or phone use while driving.

Report any vehicle incident, accident, or near-miss involving a driver in your pool to the Team Lead within 1 hour.

Ensure all Mentor safety coaching is completed within 48 hours of a triggered alert.

Minimum Qualifications and Experience

Required Education: NQF Level 6 preferred (Financial literacy and data reporting capability essential). Relevant industry experience will be considered.

Relevant Experience: 3 years in logistics, fleet management, or last-mile delivery operations.

Technical Requirement: Direct experience with Amazon Flex and Mentor platforms is an absolute, non-negotiable requirement for this position.

Essential Skills: Proficient in navigating Flex and Mentor; comfortable reading OTDR dashboards and producing daily performance summaries. Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to manage outsourced contractors firmly but fairly.

Licencing: Valid South African drivers licence.

Additional Shift Responsibilities

Monitor the Driver WhatsApp line throughout the shiftrespond to driver queries within 10 minutes during the active delivery window.

Coordinate with Driver Support to update the driver availability roster daily before 07:00.

Complete a full driver pool OTDR and Mentor review at the end of each weekpresent findings to the Team Lead every Monday.