Freight Forwarders

Transportation, Distribution and LogisticsO*NET 43-5011.01United States

Research rates, routings, or modes of transport for shipment of products. Maintain awareness of regulations affecting the international movement of cargo.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning

Median annual earnings: $52,268
Projected change: +10.4%
Typical education: Bachelor's degree
Employment: 104.61K jobs

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

The work

What freight forwarders do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

Negotiate shipping rates with freight carriers.
Arrange for special transport of sensitive cargoes, such as livestock, food, or medical supplies.
Prepare shipping documentation, such as bills of lading, packing lists, dock receipts, or certificates of origin.
Inform clients of factors such as shipping options, timelines, transfers, or regulations affecting shipments.
Arrange for applicable duties, taxes, or paperwork for customs clearance.
Complete customs paperwork.
Prepare invoices or cost quotations for freight transportation.
Select shipment routes, based on nature of goods shipped, transit times, or security needs.
Calculate weight, volume, or cost of goods to be moved.
Arrange delivery or storage of goods at destinations.
Arrange for transport, using a variety of modes, such as rail, short sea shipping, air, or roadways, to minimize carbon emissions or other environmental impacts.
Determine efficient and cost-effective methods of moving goods from one location to another.
Pay or arrange for payment of freight or insurance fees or other charges.
Reserve necessary space on ships, aircraft, trains, or trucks.
Keep records of goods dispatched or received.
Monitor or record locations of goods in transit.
Obtain or arrange cargo insurance.
Consolidate loads with a common destination to reduce costs to individual shippers.
Provide detailed port information to importers or exporters.
Provide shipment status notification to exporters, consignees, or insurers.
Verify proper packaging and labeling of exported goods.
Verify adherence of documentation to customs, insurance, or regulatory requirements.
Maintain current knowledge of relevant legislation, political situations, or other factors that could affect freight shipping.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile: $38,275
25th percentile: $45,672
50th percentile: $52,268
75th percentile: $63,403
90th percentile: $79,870

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $52,268 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+10.4%faster than average

2025104,612 jobs

2035 projected115,502 jobs

10,890 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

Bachelor's degree: 43.7%
High school diploma or less: 25.4%
Associate degree: 16.2%
Master's or Professional degree: 14.4%
Some college: 0.4%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

Loading And Unloading
Warehousing
Freight Forwarding
Invoicing
Supply Chain
Billing
Packaging And Labeling
Bill Of Lading
Lifting Ability
Logistics
Shipping And Receiving
Data Entry
Finance
Auditing
Forklift Truck
General Mathematics
Customs Broking
Merchandising
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Accounting

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Negotiation: Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Mathematics: Using mathematics to solve problems.
Systems Analysis: Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Systems Evaluation: Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

01Freight Forwarders786 postings
02Delivery Assistants286 postings
03Freight Auditors149 postings
04Support Center Supervisors133 postings
05Freight Analysts123 postings
06Operations Specialists119 postings
07Freight Managers98 postings
08Warehouse Agents80 postings
09Load Planners78 postings
10Operations Interns73 postings
11Delivery Drivers62 postings
12Interns59 postings
13Cargo Managers58 postings
14Freight Flow Managers56 postings
15Store Clerks54 postings
16Directors of Partnership Development51 postings
17Business Operations Interns48 postings
18Receiving Team Leads45 postings
19Warehousers45 postings
20Summer Interns44 postings

Top employers

01The Home Depot1,383 postings
02DSV310 postings
03FedEx250 postings
04Farmers Home Furniture139 postings
05Cardinal Health125 postings
06Albertsons122 postings
07Rl Carriers107 postings
08GPAC68 postings
09JB Hunt61 postings
10Teradata Operations50 postings
11Ollie's Bargain Outlet49 postings
12Atomus Limited48 postings
13World Market46 postings
14Deutsche Post DHL Group44 postings
15freighttas USA44 postings
16A&E Logistics41 postings
17United Rentals39 postings
18Estes Express Lines38 postings
19American Direct Courier37 postings
20Kaiser Permanente35 postings

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