Kurt Tellesch

Corporate Contributions

Kurt is the general manager of short haul at West Group Logistics, a division of Total Transportation Services. With more than twenty-eight years of transportation experience coming by way of operations management, sales, sales management, training, and administrative skills and abilities, Kurt is seen as an expert in the field by both his internal and external customers.

• Responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Truck Load division.
• Currently have 30 direct reports include local and regional company drivers, dispatch, billing, payroll, clerical, and equipment control.
• Primary office is at the Fontana yard where the majority of the tractors and drivers originate from when dispatched.
• Accountable for the maintenance of all company tractors and fleet of 100+ trailers.
• Primary focus has been on recruiting, hiring, and processing of new company drivers, with a secondary emphasis of bringing aboard new LMC partner carriers. (Licensed Motor Carriers).
• Strong emphasis on safety and working with the Director of Safety to ensure DOT compliance and Best/Safe Work Practices.

Just before coming to West Group Logistics, Kurt was a Terminal Operations Manager for the largest facility in the Reddaway network, where he assisted in managing the day to day operations of over 100 Union pick-up and delivery drivers, 80 dock workers and a clerical staff of 33. Duties here also included but were not limited to: payroll management of all union and non-union staff, operational costs and maintenance of the facility, capturing of accessorial revenues, recruiting/hiring/training and on-boarding of drivers/dock/clerical, assisting Human Resources with all FMLA and H.R. related occurrences, management of driver B.I.T. files and overall terminal audit compliance for YRCW.

Early Career

Shortly after receiving an Honorable Discharge from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1991, Kurt Tellesch began his transportation career working the dock and as a sorter for United Parcel Service. Within the first year, Kurt was promoted into supervision where he was a training manager and managed every area of the San Diego facility operation including a driver center which contained 50+ package car drivers. The next step in Kurt’s transportation career came by way of an outside sales position with Roadway Express in the Los Angeles market. Kurt was promoted twice within the first two years and became a Major Account Manager for both Los Angeles and the Inland Empire facilities. He then took this experience to other industries where he sold specialized less-than-truckload/truckload moves, air and ocean-domestic and international business and was also the Sales Manager for another less-than-truckload carrier in the Los Angeles Market.