Import specialist vs freight forwarder

The differences between import specialists and freight forwarders 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 $38,215 average annual salary of a freight forwarder.

The top three skills for an import specialist include data entry, logistics and us customs. The most important skills for a freight forwarder are supply chain, customer service, and booking.

Import specialist vs freight forwarder overview

	Import Specialist	Freight Forwarder
Yearly salary	$51,757	$38,215
Hourly rate	$24.88	$18.37
Growth rate	6%	-3%
Number of jobs	1,736	6,961
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	-	-

Import specialist vs freight forwarder salary

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

	Import Specialist	Freight Forwarder
Average salary	$51,757	$38,215
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $72,000	Between $27,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City	Uniondale, NY	-
Highest paying state	New York	-
Best paying company	The Judge Group	-
Best paying industry	Transportation	-

Differences between import specialist and freight forwarder education

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

	Import Specialist	Freight Forwarder
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Import specialist vs freight forwarder demographics

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

	Import Specialist	Freight Forwarder
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 33.1% Female, 66.9%	Male, 55.1% Female, 44.9%
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, 6.1% Unknown, 7.0% Hispanic or Latino, 23.6% Asian, 18.0% White, 44.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between import specialist and freight forwarder 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.

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

Import specialist vs freight forwarder skills

Common import specialist skills

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

Common freight forwarder skills

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