Export specialist vs freight forwarder

The differences between export specialists and freight forwarders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an export specialist has an average salary of $50,208, which is higher than the $38,215 average annual salary of a freight forwarder.

The top three skills for an export specialist include logistics, booking and forwarders. The most important skills for a freight forwarder are supply chain, customer service, and booking.

Export specialist vs freight forwarder overview

	Export Specialist	Freight Forwarder
Yearly salary	$50,208	$38,215
Hourly rate	$24.14	$18.37
Growth rate	5%	-3%
Number of jobs	1,414	6,961
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	-	-

Export specialist vs freight forwarder salary

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

	Export Specialist	Freight Forwarder
Average salary	$50,208	$38,215
Salary range	Between $35,000 And $70,000	Between $27,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City	Elizabeth, NJ	-
Highest paying state	New Jersey	-
Best paying company	Brookhaven National Laboratory	-
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	-

Differences between export specialist and freight forwarder education

There are a few differences between an export specialist and a freight forwarder in terms of educational background:

	Export Specialist	Freight Forwarder
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Export specialist vs freight forwarder demographics

Here are the differences between export specialists' and freight forwarders' demographics:

	Export Specialist	Freight Forwarder
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 38.1% Female, 61.9%	Male, 55.1% Female, 44.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 23.6% Asian, 16.8% White, 48.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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	11%	11%

Differences between export specialist and freight forwarder duties and responsibilities

Export specialist example responsibilities.

Manage OEM exports throughout Europe for a veterinary equipment manufacturer.
Prepare export documentation and hire freight forwarders with proven accuracy.
Interact with freight forwarders and transportation management personnel to ensure timely delivery of shipments.
Complete NAFTA and CAFTA certificates as required.
Handle customs clearance process such as, FDA, classification and Hazmat shipments.
Coordinate the release of goods with carriers, CBP, and other governmental agencies as required.

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

Export specialist vs freight forwarder skills

Common export specialist skills

Logistics, 17%
Booking, 6%
Forwarders, 5%
Import Export, 5%
Data Entry, 5%
Freight Forwarders, 5%

Common freight forwarder skills

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