Import specialist vs freight agent

The differences between import specialists and freight agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an import specialist has an average salary of $51,757, which is higher than the $34,524 average annual salary of a freight agent.

The top three skills for an import specialist include data entry, logistics and us customs. The most important skills for a freight agent are logistics, DOT, and data entry.

Import specialist vs freight agent overview

	Import Specialist	Freight Agent
Yearly salary	$51,757	$34,524
Hourly rate	$24.88	$16.60
Growth rate	6%	-3%
Number of jobs	1,736	32,620
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	-	-

What does an import specialist do?

An import Specialist in the United States handles freight shipments coming to the country. They detect and assist in preventing violation of the country's customs laws. Their primary responsibility is to enforce the import/export regulations of the United States to prevent the entry of illegal drugs and products into the country. They are tasked with ensuring that weapons or weapon parts do not make it through the border. Additionally, they carry out physical checks and go through cargo manifests on the database while also explaining import/export policies to foreign shippers.

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.

Import specialist vs freight agent salary

Import specialists and freight agents have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Import Specialist	Freight Agent
Average salary	$51,757	$34,524
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $72,000	Between $24,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	Uniondale, NY	New York, NY
Highest paying state	New York	New York
Best paying company	The Judge Group	TPI
Best paying industry	Transportation	Transportation

Differences between import specialist and freight agent education

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

	Import Specialist	Freight Agent
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Import specialist vs freight agent demographics

Here are the differences between import specialists' and freight agents' demographics:

	Import Specialist	Freight Agent
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 33.1% Female, 66.9%	Male, 61.9% Female, 38.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 6.6% Hispanic or Latino, 21.4% Asian, 18.2% White, 48.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 7.4% Hispanic or Latino, 19.3% Asian, 14.2% White, 51.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between import specialist and freight agent duties and responsibilities

Import specialist example responsibilities.

Work closely with government agencies, such as FDA and USDA.
Collaborate with foreign suppliers and freight forwarders on corrective action/preventive actions.
Communicate with external customers utilizing exceptional customer service to obtain missing or incomplete invoice statements require for U.S. Customs clearance.
Classify products with HS classification for NAFTA purposes.
Process special commodities such as FDA regulate articles, ADD/CVD entries.
Document the declaration sheet of Hazmat material for the current flight.

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Freight agent example responsibilities.

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.

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Import specialist vs freight agent skills

Common import specialist skills

Data Entry, 12%
Logistics, 10%
US Customs, 9%
Invoice, 5%
Delivery Orders, 4%
Forwarders, 4%

Common freight agent skills

Logistics, 75%
DOT, 4%
Data Entry, 4%
Freight Carriers, 3%
US Customs, 2%
Air Cargo, 1%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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