Cargo and Freight Agents
Expedite and route movement of incoming and outgoing cargo and freight shipments in airline, train, and trucking terminals and shipping docks. Take orders from customers and arrange pickup of freight and cargo for delivery to loading platform. Prepare and examine bills of lading to determine shipping charges and tariffs.
- Median pay
- $52,260
- Doing it now
- 100,300
- By 2035
- Up 6.2%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
a year
across the country
9,000 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Negotiate and arrange transport of goods with shipping or freight companies.
- Advise clients on transportation and payment methods.
- Determine method of shipment and prepare bills of lading, invoices, and other shipping documents.
- Estimate freight or postal rates and record shipment costs and weights.
- Enter shipping information into a computer by hand or by a hand-held scanner that reads bar codes on goods.
- Retrieve stored items and trace lost shipments as necessary.
- Keep records of all goods shipped, received, and stored.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Business Operations Support and Assistant ServicesSee 44 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Organised and precise
Leading and persuading
Hands-on and practical
Careers like this one
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $52,260 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.