Freight trucker vs freight forwarder

The differences between freight truckers and freight forwarders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a freight trucker has an average salary of $51,559, which is higher than the $38,215 average annual salary of a freight forwarder.

The top three skills for a freight trucker include CDL, DOT and truck freight. The most important skills for a freight forwarder are supply chain, customer service, and booking.

Freight trucker vs freight forwarder overview

	Freight Trucker	Freight Forwarder
Yearly salary	$51,559	$38,215
Hourly rate	$24.79	$18.37
Growth rate	-	-3%
Number of jobs	152,235	6,961
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	41	43
Years of experience	-	-

Freight trucker vs freight forwarder salary

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

	Freight Trucker	Freight Forwarder
Average salary	$51,559	$38,215
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $108,000	Between $27,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between freight trucker and freight forwarder education

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

	Freight Trucker	Freight Forwarder
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Freight trucker vs freight forwarder demographics

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

	Freight Trucker	Freight Forwarder
Average age	41	43
Gender ratio	Male, 81.9% Female, 18.1%	Male, 55.1% Female, 44.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 4.5% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%	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	3%	11%

Differences between freight trucker and freight forwarder duties and responsibilities

Freight trucker example responsibilities.

Utilize DIAD equipment to verify package recipient and obtain recipient signature if necessary.
Utilize DIAD equipment to verify package recipient and obtain recipient signature if necessary.

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

Freight trucker vs freight forwarder skills

Common freight trucker skills

CDL, 96%
DOT, 2%
Truck Freight, 1%
Customer Service, 1%
Sales Floor, 0%
Mile Radius, 0%

Common freight forwarder skills

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

Freight Trucker vs. similar jobs

Freight Trucker related careers

Freight Trucker related jobs

What similar roles do

Helper/Driver responsibilities

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Freight Trucker
Freight Trucker vs Freight Forwarder

Updated January 8, 2025

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