Route Supervisor job description
A route supervisor manages a milk or produce collection route, checking vehicles, centres and timings every day. Dairies and agri firms need steady, on-time pickup and honest records along the route.
Why the role exists
The route supervisor oversees a set of collection centres and the vehicles that serve them. The person reports to an area or procurement manager and works with centre operators, drivers and plant receiving staff. A late tanker or a bad centre can sour milk and lose farmers' trust.
What the person does
- Plan the daily route and timings so each centre is visited and milk reaches the plant within the set window.
- Visit collection centres on the route and check testing, weighing, cleanliness and records.
- Check that tankers and vehicles are clean, sealed and fit to travel before loading.
- Compare centre records with plant receipts and investigate differences in quantity or quality.
- Support centre operators with training, equipment problems and farmer queries on the spot.
- Handle breakdowns, delays and rejected loads by calling the plant and arranging alternate transport.
- Onboard new farmers and centres in the route area and explain collection timings and payment cycles.
- Report daily route performance, shortages and issues to the area manager in a simple format.
Skills and tools
- Route planning and timing for twice-daily milk or produce collection
- Checking weighing scales, milk analysers and cooler temperatures at centres
- Reading dispatch slips and reconciling them with plant receipts
- Managing drivers and fixing small vehicle issues through the garage or fleet owner
- Spotting dishonest practices such as dilution, wrong readings and record tampering
- Handling farmers' complaints calmly and fairly
- Using a smartphone for location, reports and message groups
- Two-wheeler or vehicle travel over rural roads in all weather
Education and experience
Preferred, never a bar: equivalent experience counts.
- Preferred: school or diploma education, or equivalent experience on a dairy or produce collection route.
- Preferred: experience dealing with collection centres, drivers and transport schedules.
- Useful: valid driving licence and comfort with long daily travel.
- Useful: basic computer or phone skills for reports and reconciliation.
How the work is judged
- Share of centres visited and collections completed on schedule each day
- Gap between centre records and plant receipts for quantity and quality
- Milk or produce rejected or spoilt in transit on the route
- Cleanliness and record standards seen at centres during visits
- Farmer retention and the way complaints were resolved
Where the role can lead
- Senior route supervisor or area executive for a larger collection zone
- Area procurement manager for milk or agri produce
- Logistics, quality or plant receiving role in a dairy or processing unit
Interview questions to ask
Ask every candidate the same questions in the same order and score them against written anchors, so the decision rests on the work and not the impression.
- A tanker breaks down mid-route with milk on board. What do you do in the first hour?
- How do you find out whether a centre operator is recording readings dishonestly?
- Tell us how you plan a route so the farthest centre is not always served late.
- Quantity at the plant is lower than at the centres for three days. How do you investigate?
- How would you handle a group of farmers angry about a rate or a quality rejection?
- Describe how you keep a driver on time without pushing him to drive unsafely.
Hiring tips for this role
- Test reconciliation. Give sample centre and plant figures and ask the candidate to find the gap and say what to check next.
- Integrity and independence matter more than speed. Take references and agree rules on gifts, cash and relationships with centre operators.
- Confirm travel fit. The day starts early and covers rural roads in rain and heat, so check licence, vehicle and health for it.
- Vehicle and food safety needs depend on your setup and state. Confirm duties and limits with your own adviser.
Questions about hiring a route supervisor
The centre operator runs one collection point. The route supervisor oversees many centres and vehicles, checks their records and quality, and answers for the full route to the plant.
It depends on distances, road conditions and timings. Set a number that allows real visits and checks, not only phone calls, and review it as the route grows.
Often yes, at least a two-wheeler, to reach centres. If the company provides a vehicle and driver, state it clearly along with fuel and travel arrangements.
GullyHR agrees the job description with you, finds and screens candidates with collection route experience, and supports the offer. This is permanent hiring for your dairy or agri business.
Hiring a route supervisor?
GullyHR runs talent acquisition for permanent roles. We agree the job description with you, find and screen candidates against it, and support the offer through to joining. We recruit permanent employees. We do not supply contract or temporary staff.