As container volumes increase and networks become more interconnected, traffic planners are managing growing operational complexity across road, rail, and terminal operations. Industry voices explain how the role of the traffic office is evolving and how technology is beginning to support planners at the moment decisions are made.

UK ports handle approximately 9.6 million TEU annually, with transport planners coordinating each movement across ports, depots, rail terminals, and distribution centres (UK Department for Transport, Port Freight Statistics, December 2025).

Shifts in vessel ETAs, availability, terminal congestion, and rail schedules can quickly disrupt plans, requiring planners to make multiple adjustments throughout the day.

As a result, the responsibilities of the traffic office have grown considerably. Planners must now oversee driver utilisation, customer interactions, terminal activities, and network disruptions, while also managing slot availability through Vehicle Booking Systems (VBS). At the same time, ensuring vehicles and assets move efficiently.

Steve Collins, Managing Director of Fargo Group, believes the role of the traffic office has transformed significantly 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 significantly. Operators are managing far more interaction, higher expectations for visibility, and stricter operational timeframes across the supply chain.”

According to Jim Slade, Customer Success Director at Fargo Group, the flow of operational information through planning teams has also risen considerably.

“The amount of activity passing through a traffic office today is considerable. Planners are no longer simply handling emails and customer queries but are managing multiple channels at once - from phone calls and emails to live messaging platforms. While traffic offices may seem quieter, the level of coordination has increased, with planners often juggling several conversations simultaneously while continuing to monitor driver utilisation and service performance.”

At the same time, many operators report that recruiting experienced traffic planners is becoming increasingly difficult. Planning roles now require a combination of operational experience, customer awareness, and real-time problem-solving skills - a blend 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 speed up.

Darren Walne, Managing Director at 3PL, states that planners must continually adapt to changing conditions.

“A planner’s day rarely goes exactly as planned. Availability can shift, 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 examining how technology can support planning teams in managing activity across increasingly interconnected networks.

Dan Falvey, Product Director at Fargo Group, believes that enhanced operational visibility is becoming crucial for transport planners and operators alike.

“Planning container movements requires coordinating trucks, equipment, terminals, and rail services. Technology can integrate this information and enable planners to see the entire network and respond more swiftly to change.”

At Fargo Group, this broader operational perspective is reflected in the development of its platform. Fargo TOPS manages execution, while Fargo TERM oversees terminal and yard operations, allowing operators to coordinate activities across the wider intermodal network.

For many operators, this signifies a move away from traditional TMS that concentrated on road planning. Modern intermodal operations increasingly require visibility across terminals, rail services, and port environments.

Alongside this change, new types of operational intelligence are beginning to play a practical role in transport systems. Over the past decade, Fargo Group has gradually integrated decision-support tools into its platform to help planners manage complex intermodal operations.

What began as algorithm-driven planning support has evolved into more advanced capabilities that analyse operational behaviour, interpret network activity, and support decision-making directly within live workflows.

This evolution has now extended into artificial intelligence. Through its Fargo TOPS AI Assist technology, Fargo integrates machine learning directly into the planning environment to support tasks such as resource allocation intelligence and document processing.

Much of the debate around artificial intelligence in logistics has centred on analytics dashboards and reporting tools. However, operators are increasingly seeking intelligence that integrates directly into operational systems, supporting planners while decisions are being made rather than analysing events afterwards.

In the traffic planning environment, Fargo TOPS provides contextual insights directly within the allocation workflow. Planners can see indicators such as route familiarity, day-of-week working patterns, and historical route activity for specific drivers or vehicles, helping them make quicker, more informed decisions.

The platform also tackles one of the most labour-intensive tasks in container operations: transforming customer delivery and collection instructions into organised transport jobs.

Using machine learning, Fargo TOPS can recognise and extract key operational details from documents, automatically generating validated job order previews and significantly reducing the need for manual data entry.

Dan Falvey explains that the aim is not to replace planners but to reduce the administrative burden within the traffic office, allowing operators to focus on managing the complexities of modern intermodal operations.

“In this context, planners manage operational data from various sources throughout the day. Intelligent tools can support by handling that information, enabling planners to concentrate on operational decisions rather than manual administration.”

Steve Collins believes that the next phase of container logistics will involve closer coordination across operational environments throughout 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 networks become more interconnected across road, rail, and terminal operations, the ability to coordinate activity across these areas is becoming a critical operational capability.

For planners at the centre of these networks, the challenge remains the same: making fast, informed decisions to keep trucks, trains, and containers moving efficiently through the supply chain.

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