What does a freight agent do?
Freight agents are independent contractors who help shippers to connect with carriers willing to haul the freight. They work with a freight broker and play a role in the movement of freight, and have to find available carriers to ship a client's freight. Being a freight agent no longer requires a license, does not require a freight broker bond, and does not assume the risk of the client's creditworthiness in terms of invoice collections. The agents use load boards to find a carrier. This provides them with a marketplace to post their client's freight for potential carriers to agree to haul.
Freight agent responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real freight agent resumes:
- Manage and carry out specific program and regulatory activities such as enforcing hazmat and weight restrictions.
- Prepare, issue and submit documentation to ensure proper exportation of client FCL and LCL shipments.
- Solicit votes for annual and special shareholders meetings as well as for proxy fights.
- Work with AS400 data system to enter nd update shipment details, carrier status and tracking and tracing.
- Trace key transaction information such as HBL, commercial invoice and other require documents to determine if record is available.
- Provide guidance and clarification on proxy materials, voting methods and specific proposals.
- Direct inbound and outbound logistics operations, such as transportation or warehouse activities, safety performance, and logistics quality management.
- Verify the accuracy of split, LCL and air expedite shipments.
Freight agent skills and personality traits
We calculated that 75% of Freight Agents are proficient in Logistics, DOT, and Data Entry. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Detail oriented, and Math skills.
We break down the percentage of Freight Agents that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Logistics, 75%
Provided logistics services to the top automotive manufacturers in North America, South America, Europe, Japan and Australia.
- DOT, 4%
Schedule tractors and trailers for DOT inspections.
- Data Entry, 4%
Tracked more than 3500 transportation using the data entry program Joint Operation Planning and Execution System (JOPES).
- Freight Carriers, 3%
Developed relationships with national freight carriers.
- US Customs, 2%
Work closely with us Customs providing data on all shipments and flight itinerary's for freight Inspections.
- Air Cargo, 1%
Prepared air cargo, freight, and truck manifests.
Common skills that a freight agent uses to do their job include "logistics," "dot," and "data entry." You can find details on the most important freight agent responsibilities below.
Customer-service skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a freight agent to have is customer-service skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "material recording clerks may interact with customers in order to respond to problems or complaints." Freight agents often use customer-service skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "resolved billing questions and disputes, made customer call-backs/follow-ups, and data entry. "
Detail oriented. Many freight agent duties rely on detail oriented. "material and product inspecting clerks must pay attention to detail when checking items for defects, some of which are small and difficult to spot.," so a freight agent will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways freight agent responsibilities rely on detail oriented: "worked with as400 data system to enter nd update shipment details, carrier status and tracking and tracing. "
Math skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of freight agents is math skills. This skill is critical to many everyday freight agent duties, as "material recording clerks may need to calculate shipping costs or take measurements." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "presented property evaluations of real estate comps, demographics, and statistics. "
Communication skills. For certain freight agent responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "communication skills." The day-to-day duties of a freight agent rely on this skill, as "material recording clerks are frequently in contact with suppliers, vendors, or managers and need to convey their company’s needs effectively." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what freight agents do: "handled station ams and radio communications traffic as needed. "
The three companies that hire the most freight agents are:
- GLT Logistics142 freight agents jobs
- UPS8 freight agents jobs
- SMART Modular Technologies3 freight agents jobs
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Compare different freight agents
Freight agent vs. Transportation broker
An import/export specialist organizes and oversees product shipments domestically and internationally. They are responsible for preparing and processing all documents and permits, maintaining records of all transactions, assessing the products' qualities for import and export, and tracking shipments to ensure that they arrive at their destinations in a precise and timely manner. Moreover, an import/export specialist must maintain an active communication line with staff, coordinating to ensure that all products and procedures adhere to the company's standards and regulations.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between freight agents and transportation broker. For instance, freight agent responsibilities require skills such as "data entry," "us customs," "air cargo," and "freight shipments." Whereas a transportation broker is skilled in "customer service," "delivery appointments," "shippers," and "as400." This is part of what separates the two careers.
On average, transportation brokers reach similar levels of education than freight agents. Transportation brokers are 0.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 1.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Freight agent vs. Ocean import representative
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, freight agent responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "dot," "data entry," "freight carriers," and "air cargo." Meanwhile, an ocean import representative has duties that require skills in areas such as "customer service," "customs regulations," "customs brokers," and "air freight." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
In general, ocean import representatives achieve similar levels of education than freight agents. They're 2.8% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Freight agent vs. Importer exporter
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, freight agents are more likely to have skills like "dot," "freight carriers," "tms," and "freight shipments." But a importer exporter is more likely to have skills like "export," "import export," "customer service," and "itar."
Importer exporters earn the highest salary when working in the insurance industry, where they receive an average salary of $43,135. Comparatively, freight agents have the highest earning potential in the transportation industry, with an average salary of $34,476.Most importer exporters achieve a higher degree level compared to freight agents. For example, they're 5.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Freight agent vs. Import/export specialist
Even though a few skill sets overlap between freight agents and import/export specialists, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a freight agent might have more use for skills like "air cargo," "tms," "freight shipments," and "ltl." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of import/export specialists require skills like "import export," "export compliance," "customer service," and "invoice. "
In general, import/export specialists earn the most working in the automotive industry, with an average salary of $62,162. The highest-paying industry for a freight agent is the transportation industry.The average resume of import/export specialists showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to freight agents. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 4.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 1.0%.Types of freight agent
Updated January 8, 2025
