About this role
Position Overview
You’ll own the fuel-delivery operation for an established fuel distributor in Hawthorne, New Jersey. That covers residential heating oil, on-road and off-road diesel, commercial accounts, automatic delivery and will-call customers, DEF, and onsite fueling programs. Drivers, deliveries, customers, collections, fleet issues, and commercial growth all run through you.
This is not a dispatch job or an admin role. It’s an ownership role. Nobody will hand you a daily task list. You’ll spot what needs attention, fix it, and confirm it stayed fixed, well before senior management has to find it.
The stakes are real. In heating oil, a runout means a cold house and often a lost customer. A commercial account left to drift past 60 days turns into a write-off. You’ll report weekly to the Director of Operations, and you’ll be measured on results, not activity.
Key Responsibilities
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Daily Operations and Problem Resolution
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Run daily delivery execution with dispatch and drivers: assignments, route coverage, runouts, emergencies, call-first accounts, vehicle availability, and weather events.
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Make sure every delivery is completed safely, efficiently, and accurately.
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Own fuel-department problems from start to finish: missed deliveries, delivery errors, complaints, scheduling conflicts, and equipment issues. Investigate, solve, communicate, and confirm the fix.
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Anticipate problems and solve them before customers feel them.
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Driver Management
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Serve as the primary manager for fuel drivers, covering scheduling, PTO coverage, attendance, safety, vehicle inspections, and policy compliance.
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Set clear expectations for delivery procedures, customer service, and accurate documentation, then coach and correct when needed.
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Interview and evaluate prospective drivers and department staff, and conduct annual performance reviews.
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Delivery Efficiency and Fleet Readiness
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Track gallons per delivery, deliveries per driver, route efficiency, truck utilization, overtime, emergency deliveries, and failed deliveries.
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Find recurring problems and fix them. Improve delivery density and cut unnecessary mileage and labor.
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Keep a clear view of the fleet: preventive maintenance, driver inspection reports, repairs, downtime, and inspection requirements.
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Make sure every driver-reported issue gets documented and resolved, so trucks are ready when demand peaks.
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Customer Retention and Account Quality
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Own the customer-retention process. Spot at-risk customers early through pricing complaints, service problems, declined deliveries, and automatic-delivery removals.
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Call customers and resolve issues before accounts are lost. Track who you contacted, who stayed, who left, and why.
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Work property transfers promptly so new homeowners have a reason to stay.
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Monitor automatic-delivery and will-call accounts, find the cause of every runout, and convert the right will-call customers to automatic delivery.
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Follow up on call-first customers who repeatedly decline deliveries, and make sure they understand the risk of a runout.
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Keep customer records accurate: tank size and location, delivery instructions, contacts, delivery status, payment status, and special property conditions.
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Budget Accounts and Commercial Collections
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Monitor budget-plan customers for missed payments and delinquencies, and reach out before small problems grow.
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Work with the admin team to move customers to automatic payment.
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Own collection follow-up on commercial fuel accounts with an organized list showing balance, aging, contacts, commitments, and payments received.
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Prioritize accounts past aging thresholds and escalate serious credit risks. The goal is lower receivables, not more phone calls.
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Commercial Sales and Growth
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Build the commercial fuel business: on-road and off-road diesel, fleet and equipment fueling, DEF, onsite storage tanks, and temporary project fueling.
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Develop relationships with contractors, landscapers, trucking companies, municipalities, and construction firms.
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Maintain an active pipeline that tracks prospects, quotes, follow-ups, new accounts, and estimated versus actual gallons.
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Grow existing accounts by finding customers who need another product, more tanks, or additional locations.
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Reporting and Results
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Send a written weekly report to the Director of Operations covering retention, collections, commercial activity, budget accounts, runouts, driver and fleet issues, open problems, and next week’s priorities.
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Hit measurable targets for retention, runouts, delivery efficiency, new accounts, commercial gallons, receivables over 60 days, and fleet downtime.
Qualifications
Experience
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5+ years of management experience in heating oil, petroleum distribution, propane, commercial diesel, transportation, fleet management, dispatch, logistics, or home services.
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A track record supervising drivers or field employees, including experienced ones.
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Experience in commercial sales, collections, or customer retention is highly desirable.
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Technical Knowledge
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Working knowledge of DOT and CDL requirements and commercial vehicle operations.
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Comfort analyzing operational data such as runouts, delivery efficiency, receivables aging, and pipeline numbers.
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Understanding of automatic delivery, will-call, budget-plan, and call-first account programs.
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Strong organization and attention to detail in customer records and reporting.
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Leadership and Communication
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You work independently and act on what needs attention without waiting to be told.
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You follow every assignment through to completion.
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You can have difficult conversations with customers and employees, and handle them with respect.
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You raise problems promptly and bring a proposed solution when you do.
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You care more about measurable results than looking busy.
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Work Environment
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This is an on-site role based in Hawthorne, New Jersey. Your week will split between the office, the yard, and commercial customer visits.
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Fuel delivery is seasonal. Expect longer days and quick decisions during cold snaps, weather events, and peak heating season, and a steadier pace the rest of the year when commercial growth takes more of your time.