There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a freight forwarder. For example, did you know that they make an average of $18.37 an hour? That's $38,215 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 1% and produce 46,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

What Does a Freight Forwarder Do

There are certain skills that many freight forwarders have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed communication skills, customer-service skills and detail oriented.

How To Become a Freight Forwarder

If you're interested in becoming a freight forwarder, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 48.1% of freight forwarders have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 6.3% of freight forwarders have master's degrees. Even though most freight forwarders have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Freight Forwarder Career Paths

Average Salary for a Freight Forwarder

Freight Forwarders in America make an average salary of $38,215 per year or $18 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $54,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $27,000 per year.
Average Freight Forwarder Salary
$38,215 Yearly
$18.37 hourly

What Am I Worth?

salary-calculator

Roles and Types of Freight Forwarder

There are several types of freight forwarder, including:

Cargo Agent

Role:

A cargo agent is one of the most important parties involved in ocean freight. This agent advises on different relevant destination charges. He/she pays taxes, tariffs, and duties on behalf of the cargo owner. The cargo agent monitors the movement of the goods and cooperates with the port authorities during goods inspection. Plus, he/she keeps and presents the necessary documents like the packing list, commercial invoice, etc., to the customs authority.

Since a cargo agent handles import, export, and cross trades shipments, he/she or she needs strategic skills, organizational skills, management skills, business skills, networking skills, multitasking skills, and logistics skills. You must secure at least a high school diploma to work as a cargo agent. Most of these agents, however, learn about their duties informally, through training. A cargo agent earns an average of $28,473 annually, and that is $14 per hour.

  • Average Salary: $35,411
  • Degree: High School Diploma

Export Coordinator

Role:

An export coordinator sees the export process from the start to the end. They serve as middlemen between suppliers, forwarders, and agents to obtain the latest shipment information. Export coordinators also prepare bills and documents needed for shipping. It is their responsibility to communicate policies, shipping options, and other information to the clients.

You will often need to verify documents submitted by clients and provide the transportation companies with vital information to meet the needs of the customers. As an expert coordinator, you may be required to settle disputes and issues related to missing or damaged items, shipping delays, and other issues that may arise during the shipping process.

The minimum requirement for this position is a bachelor's degree or a high school diploma in business management or business administration. Besides this, you must possess good interpersonal skills, be organized, confident, and communicate effectively with clients. Export coordinators earn an average annual salary of $43,257.

  • Average Salary: $43,911
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Import Coordinator

Role:

Import coordinators are responsible for overseeing the delivery of incoming goods and ensuring that they comply with customs regulations. They do this by tracking and documenting shipments, advising clients, categorizing shipments by tariff coding system, and using appropriate packaging to prepare items for shipment. Import coordinators earn an average salary of $39,000 annually or roughly $19 per hour.

Import coordinators are in charge of the logistics of transporting goods into the country. They administer the delivery of all cargo and process all custom releases. They also ensure work is done within a required timeframe and assist supervisors to resolve transaction issues. They are also responsible for providing optimal customer services to all clients and maintaining status reports for all shipments.

Import coordinators typically hold a bachelor's degree in global business management, international finance, or other related fields. They are expected to possess excellent communication skills and be able to speak a foreign language. Some employers also prefer candidates with a deep understanding of the global economy.

  • Average Salary: $46,843
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

States With The Most Freight Forwarder Jobs

Number Of Freight Forwarder Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California531$40,863
2Pennsylvania442$41,533
3Texas346$41,096
4New York322$46,515
5New Jersey273$40,354
6Florida260$34,740
7Georgia257$37,893
8Illinois248$39,494
9Ohio229$40,664
10Michigan202$39,547
11Washington149$40,865
12Maryland133$39,180
13Tennessee124$34,618
14Virginia122$39,326
15Missouri114$30,332
16North Carolina113$39,914
17Minnesota110$40,701
18Massachusetts106$41,516
19Colorado105$36,389
20Indiana102$38,592
21Arizona98$38,242
22Oregon87$41,301
23Wisconsin87$39,252
24Connecticut85$41,888
25Alabama77$37,849
26Utah77$36,704
27South Carolina74$39,072
28Oklahoma70$37,692
29Louisiana59$30,932
30Kansas56$38,386
31Iowa56$38,723
32Kentucky49$33,592
33Arkansas45$39,630
34New Hampshire39$42,765
35Idaho38$40,580
36Maine35$42,700
37Mississippi35$30,716
38Nevada29$32,425
39Rhode Island24$33,095
40Nebraska23$30,303
41New Mexico20$41,010
42West Virginia17$36,464
43Delaware17$33,149
44Montana17$29,779
45Vermont15$40,012
46Hawaii15$34,638
47Alaska14$34,432
48Wyoming11$39,150
49South Dakota9$30,309
50North Dakota8$37,337

Freight Forwarder Education

Freight Forwarder Majors

34.5 %

Freight Forwarder Degrees

Bachelors

48.1 %

Associate

23.3 %

High School Diploma

16.5 %

Top Skills For a Freight Forwarder

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 23.3% of freight forwarders listed supply chain on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and customer-service skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Freight Forwarder Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Freight Forwarder templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Freight Forwarder resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

Freight Forwarder Resume
Freight Forwarder Resume
Freight Forwarder Resume
Freight Forwarder Resume
Freight Forwarder Resume
Freight Forwarder Resume
Freight Forwarder Resume
Freight Forwarder Resume
Freight Forwarder Resume
Freight Forwarder Resume
Freight Forwarder Resume
Freight Forwarder Resume
Freight Forwarder Resume
Freight Forwarder Resume
Freight Forwarder Resume
Freight Forwarder Resume

Freight Forwarder diversity

Freight Forwarder Gender Distribution

Male
Male
55%
Female
Female
45%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among freight forwarders, 44.9% of them are women, while 55.1% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among freight forwarders is White, which makes up 44.5% of all freight forwarders.

  • The most common foreign language among freight forwarders is Spanish at 32.0%.

Online Courses For Freight Forwarder That You May Like

Advertising Disclosure  

1. Fundamentals of Logistics, Supply Chain & Customer Service

udemy
4.5
(2,289)

Learn Logistics, Supply Chain and Customer Service. 3 Courses in 1...

2. Freight Broker Training

udemy
4.6
(1,515)

Learn How To Become A Freight Broker...

3. Broker U - Gateway to Becoming a Freight Broker

udemy
4.6
(484)

Online Freight Broker Training - Learn the skills necessary to become a Freight Broker or agent...

Show More Online Courses For Freight Forwarder
Job type you want
Full Time
Part Time
Internship
Temporary

How Do Freight Forwarders Rate Their Jobs?

5/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Freight Forwarder Reviews

5.0
Mar 2019
Pros

It's logical - it makes sense. You go through a whole process for each booking and when it releases/sails you know your job is done.

Cons

Mostly sitting, repetitive


Working as a Freight Forwarder? Share your experience anonymously.
Overall Rating*
Career Growth
Work/Life balance
Pay/Salary

Top Freight Forwarder Employers

Most Common Employers For Freight Forwarder

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1UPS$47,736$22.955
2Razor$45,091$21.682
3CEVA Logistics$43,727$21.023
4JAS Worldwide$42,079$20.233
5FedEx$41,229$19.822
6Expeditors$41,028$19.732
7Cargill$40,812$19.623
8Livingston International$40,754$19.592
9Direct Transport Services$39,669$19.072
10Kintetsu World Express, Inc.$39,477$18.982

Freight Forwarder Videos

Becoming a Freight Forwarder FAQs

Freight Forwarder Vs. Broker

A freight forwarder arranges the shipping of freight for customers, while a broker or freight broker coordinates the connection between shippers and carriers but does not handle freight directly.

Search For Freight Forwarder Jobs