Cargo and Freight Agents

Summary

Cargo and freight agents coordinate transportation with shipping companies.

Quick Facts: Cargo and Freight Agents
2010 Median Pay	$37,150 per year $17.86 per hour
Entry-Level Education	High school diploma or equivalent
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	None
On-the-job Training	Short-term on-the-job training
Number of Jobs, 2010	82,200
Job Outlook, 2010-20	29% (Much faster than average)
Employment Change, 2010-20	24,100

What Cargo and Freight Agents Do

Cargo and freight agents coordinate and facilitate incoming and outgoing shipments for transportation companies and other businesses.

Work Environment

Cargo and freight agents typically work in warehouses, stockrooms, or shipping and receiving stations. Most work full time.

How to Become a Cargo or Freight Agent

Those with a high school diploma usually qualify for cargo and freight agent positions. Workers typically train informally on the job.

Pay

The median annual wage of cargo and freight agents was $37,150 in May 2010.

Job Outlook

Employment of cargo and freight agents is projected to grow 29 percent from 2010 to 2020, much faster than the average for all occupations. Job prospects should be best for candidates with strong customer service and computer skills.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of cargo and freight agents with similar occupations.

O*NET

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Contacts for More Information

Learn more about cargo and freight agents by contacting these additional resources.

What Cargo and Freight Agents Do About this section

Cargo and freight agents prepare invoices.

Cargo and freight agents coordinate and facilitate incoming and outgoing shipments for transportation companies and other businesses.

Duties

Cargo and freight agents typically do the following:

• Determine shipping methods and routes from pick-up location to final destination
• Advise clients on transportation and payment options
• Coordinate transportation and logistics details with shipping and freight companies
• Estimate, negotiate, and determine postal rates, shipment costs, and other charges
• Notify clients of cargo shipments, status en route, and time of delivery
• Prepare bills of lading, invoices, and other required shipping documents
• Record information such as cargo amount, weight, dimensions, and time of shipment
• Trace lost shipments as necessary

Cargo and freight agents facilitate shipments of goods through airline, train, and trucking terminals and shipping docks. Agents ensure that shipments are picked up and delivered on time, paperwork is completed, and fees are collected. For international shipments, agents prepare and verify customs and tariff forms.

Agents typically manage shipments for multiple clients at once. They often arrange their clients’ cargo and freight by destination, and send out many clients’ shipments simultaneously.

Most cargo and freight agents store and use records on computers. They use bar codes and the Internet to track shipments and use spreadsheets to manage inventories.

Although cargo and freight agents sometimes pack items for shipping and take them to a loading dock or station, that is not their primary role. For more information on workers who specialize in that type of delivery work, see the profile on couriers and messengers.

Work Environment About this section

Cargo and freight agents work in warehouses and shipping centers.

Cargo and freight agents held about 82,200 jobs in 2010. Industries that employed the most cargo and freight agents in 2010 were as follows:

Cargo and freight agents typically work in warehouses, stockrooms, or shipping and receiving stations. Often, these worksites are not temperature-controlled. As a result, some agents spend time working in cold storage facilities or may be exposed to all types of weather on outdoor loading platforms.

Cargo and freight agents’ work can by physically demanding. Agents spend considerable time standing, walking, bending, and stretching. Additionally, agents may lift and carry small items around the worksite although equipment, such as a forklift, is often used for moving heavy cargo.

Injuries

Cargo and freight agents have a rate of injuries and illnesses that is higher than the average for all occupations. Injuries are usually minor and may include muscle strains, cuts, and bruises. The work is generally not dangerous as long as agents are careful and follow basic safety procedures.

Work Schedules

Most cargo and freight agents work full time. Some may work overtime when managing large shipments or short deadlines.

How to Become a Cargo or Freight Agent About this section

Agents must ensure that shipments are picked up and delivered on time.

High school graduates usually qualify for cargo and freight agent positions. Workers typically train informally on the job.

Education and Training

Employers prefer to hire cargo and freight agents who have a high school diploma or GED.

Cargo and freight agents normally start their careers working under an experienced agent and helping with basic tasks, such as weighing packages, organizing stockrooms, and double-checking addresses. As trainees gain experience, they gradually take on more responsibility. Over time, they begin working more independently and on more complicated tasks, such as tracking shipments en route and notifying clients of cargo pick-up or delivery.

Cargo and freight agents often use computer databases and spreadsheets for large portions of their work, and must be familiar with the necessary software. This may involve taking short-term training programs over the course of their careers.

Important Qualities

Bookkeeping skills. Accurate record keeping is essential for tracking shipment updates, inventories, client and payment records, and other information.

Computer skills. Agents use computer programs to store records, track inventory, and communicate with clients. They must be familiar with and feel comfortable using various software and programs.

Customer-service skills. Cargo and freight agents interact frequently with clients, logistics companies, and others in the shipping industry. They must be able to courteously and promptly provide shipment updates, price quotes, and other information upon request.  

Organizational skills. Cargo and freight agents must make sure that cargo arrives or is picked up at its destination on time. Agents must be able to plan shipments to ensure prompt delivery.

Pay About this section

The median annual wage of cargo and freight agents was $37,150 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $22,110, and the top 10 percent earned more than $58,400.

Most cargo and freight agents work full time. Some may work overtime when managing large shipments or short deadlines.

Job Outlook About this section

Employment of cargo and freight agents is projected to grow 29 percent from 2010 to 2020, much faster than the average for all occupations.

As the economy grows, the volume of cargo traffic will also increase. More cargo and freight agents will be needed to coordinate and manage these additional shipments, which increasingly involve multiple modes of transportation. In particular, the growing popularity of online shopping is likely to result in more goods being shipped across the country from central shipment centers and warehouses.

Large numbers of companies have begun outsourcing their shipping and logistics work to third-party firms, many of which employ large numbers of cargo and freight agents. This trend will likely increase demand for agents, resulting in further employment growth.

Job Prospects

Job prospects should be best for those with strong computer and customer-service skills. Some employers report difficulty finding workers who have these abilities.

Although job opportunities are expected to be good, employment of cargo and freight agents is sensitive to fluctuations in the economy. Workers may experience higher levels of unemployment when the overall level of economic activity falls.

Contacts for More Information About this section

For information about the freight and cargo industry, including training opportunities, visit

Transportation Intermediaries Association