Courier vs freight forwarder

The differences between couriers and freight forwarders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a freight forwarder has an average salary of $38,215, which is higher than the $36,228 average annual salary of a courier.

The top three skills for a courier include delivery service, safety policies and rehabilitation. The most important skills for a freight forwarder are supply chain, customer service, and booking.

Courier vs freight forwarder overview

	Courier	Freight Forwarder
Yearly salary	$36,228	$38,215
Hourly rate	$17.42	$18.37
Growth rate	11%	-3%
Number of jobs	13,088	6,961
Job satisfaction	5	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	39	43
Years of experience	12	-

Courier vs freight forwarder salary

Couriers and freight forwarders have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Courier	Freight Forwarder
Average salary	$36,228	$38,215
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $44,000	Between $27,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	-
Highest paying state	Connecticut	-
Best paying company	Columbia University in the City of New York	-
Best paying industry	Transportation	-

Differences between courier and freight forwarder education

There are a few differences between a courier and a freight forwarder in terms of educational background:

	Courier	Freight Forwarder
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Courier vs freight forwarder demographics

Here are the differences between couriers' and freight forwarders' demographics:

	Courier	Freight Forwarder
Average age	39	43
Gender ratio	Male, 74.1% Female, 25.9%	Male, 55.1% Female, 44.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.3% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 6.2% White, 54.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 7.0% Hispanic or Latino, 23.6% Asian, 18.0% White, 44.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	11%

Differences between courier and freight forwarder duties and responsibilities

Courier example responsibilities.

Operate postage machine and other mailroom office machines.
Train and certify in safe transportation of hazardous materials (HIPAA and OSHA procedures).
Work closely with logistics company to provide superior customer service, ensure prompt and reliable service to all enlist patrons.
Provide customer service skills while transporting emergency medication patients.
Receive strong reviews for customer service, communications, dependability and attendance.
Station in Frankfurt, Germany and Washington

Freight forwarder example responsibilities.

Maintain relationships with customs brokers and freight forwarders and assist in reviewing such service providers.
Book material RO/RO, LCL, and FCL loads on ocean line carrier for international delivery.
Maintain TSA clearance in order to ship freight on passenger airlines.
Use LogiSuite to create airway bills & TSA documents for cargo exports.
Communicate with U.S. Customs and FDA officials when necessary to expedite the exam process.
Negotiate rates and contracts with air freight agents as well as LTL and FTL base carriers

Courier vs freight forwarder skills

Common courier skills

Delivery Service, 16%
Safety Policies, 12%
Rehabilitation, 12%
Traffic Laws, 8%
Demonstrates Proficiency, 7%
Customer Service, 7%

Common freight forwarder skills

Supply Chain, 23%
Customer Service, 18%
Booking, 14%
Import Export, 8%
Delivery Orders, 6%
AES, 6%