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Freight unloader vs freight forwarder

The differences between freight unloaders 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 $37,969 average annual salary of a freight unloader.

The top three skills for a freight unloader include pallets, pallet jack and sales floor. The most important skills for a freight forwarder are supply chain, customer service, and booking.

Freight unloader vs freight forwarder overview

Freight UnloaderFreight Forwarder
Yearly salary$37,969$38,215
Hourly rate$18.25$18.37
Growth rate6%-3%
Number of jobs13,2436,961
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age4043
Years of experience--

Freight unloader vs freight forwarder salary

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

Freight UnloaderFreight Forwarder
Average salary$37,969$38,215
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $47,000Between $27,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between freight unloader and freight forwarder education

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

Freight UnloaderFreight Forwarder
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 49%Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Freight unloader vs freight forwarder demographics

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

Freight UnloaderFreight Forwarder
Average age4043
Gender ratioMale, 86.9% Female, 13.1%Male, 55.1% Female, 44.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 20.6% Asian, 5.7% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%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 Percentage5%11%

Differences between freight unloader and freight forwarder duties and responsibilities

Freight unloader example responsibilities.

  • Provide regular assistance to supervisors to assist in store profitability and cleanliness.
  • Identify and read vendor packing slips, carrier shipping documents, UPC labels and other receiving documents.

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
  • Show more

Freight unloader vs freight forwarder skills

Common freight unloader skills
  • Pallets, 25%
  • Pallet Jack, 21%
  • Sales Floor, 15%
  • Customer Service, 13%
  • Unload Trailers, 9%
  • Truck Freight, 6%
Common freight forwarder skills
  • Supply Chain, 23%
  • Customer Service, 18%
  • Booking, 14%
  • Import Export, 8%
  • Delivery Orders, 6%
  • AES, 6%

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