- The core task: negotiate and arrange transport of goods with shipping or freight companies. It heads the task list in the next section.
- Typical entry education: high school diploma or equivalent. 31% of survey respondents say a new hire needs a bachelor’s degree.
- Related work experience at entry: none. On-the-job training: short-term on-the-job training.
- Median pay for cargo and freight agents: $52,260. The 10th to 90th percentiles run $38,340 to $79,810.
- Projected change through 2035: 6.2%. Annual openings: about 9,000.
A freight broker arranges transportation between a shipper with goods to move and a carrier with a truck to move them, without owning the truck. O*NET’s task list for the occupation is the job in outline: negotiating and arranging transport with shipping or freight companies, deciding the method of shipment, preparing bills of lading and invoices, estimating rates, and tracking the shipment to delivery.
The business side is what sets brokering apart from the other jobs on this site. A broker sits between the shipper who pays and the carrier who is paid, so the work is as much sales and negotiation as logistics. A business that brokers truck freight also needs federal broker authority from FMCSA before it can operate, which the licensing section sets out.
The tasks O*NET rates most important for cargo and freight agents:
- Negotiate and arrange transport of goods with shipping or freight companies.
- Determine method of shipment and prepare bills of lading, invoices, and other shipping documents.
- Track delivery progress of shipments.
- Advise clients on transportation and payment methods.
- Estimate freight or postal rates and record shipment costs and weights.
- Keep records of all goods shipped, received, and stored.
Job titles in the same O*NET occupation: Air Export Specialist, Drop Shipment Clerk, Freight Broker, Intermodal Dispatcher, International Coordinator, Load Planner, Logistics Coordinator, Logistics Service Representative, Ship Broker and Traffic and Documentation Clerk. Source: O*NET
OnLine, 43-5011.00, read 2026-09-23.
O*NET’s task list for cargo and freight agents, the occupation that includes freight brokers, starts with the core of brokering: negotiating and arranging the transport of goods with shipping or freight companies. Around that sit deciding the method of shipment, preparing bills of lading, invoices and other shipping documents, and estimating freight rates and recording costs and weights.
Once a load is booked, the job is following it. Brokers track the delivery progress of shipments, advise clients on transportation and payment methods, and keep records of what was shipped.
A brokerage also has to be legal to operate. FMCSA requires a business that brokers truck freight to hold broker authority, file a surety bond or trust fund agreement, and designate a process agent, all set out in the licensing section.
Main Responsibilities
- Negotiate and arrange transport with carriers
- Decide the method of shipment
- Prepare bills of lading, invoices and other shipping documents
- Estimate freight rates and record costs and weights
- Track shipments to delivery
- Advise shippers on transportation and payment options
Who They Work With
Shippers on one side and carriers on the other: trucking companies, owner-operators and other freight companies the broker books.
Where And When They Work
Most brokerage work is office and phone work. In the OEWS data, freight transportation arrangement is the largest industry for the occupation by far.
Sources: O*NET OnLine, 43-5011.00, tasks; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Read 2026-09-23.
BLS counts freight brokers inside cargo and freight agents, the O*NET occupation that lists freight broker among its job titles; the Occupational Outlook Handbook’s index files the title under wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives instead. The figures here are for cargo and freight agents, and the wage survey counts employees, not self-employed brokers.
The median for cargo and freight agents is $52,260 a year. The middle half
earns $45,710 to $63,390, and the full range runs from $38,340 at the 10th percentile to $79,810 at the 90th, across
97,670 jobs. The freight broker salary page breaks that down by state, metro area,
industry and employer type.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, national. Read 2026-09-23.
BLS lists a high school diploma as the typical entry education for cargo and freight agents, and O*NET’s respondents were split between a bachelor’s degree, some college and a postsecondary certificate. A degree is not what licenses a broker; FMCSA authority is. A bachelor’s in supply chain management or logistics is useful for people who want to move from brokering into managing a brokerage or a logistics operation.
What BLS Says Entry Takes
Typical entry requirements for Cargo and Freight Agents, BLS Employment Projections | Typical entry education | High school diploma or equivalent |
|---|
| Related work experience | None |
|---|
| On-the-job training | Short-term on-the-job training |
|---|
BLS lists a high school diploma as typical for entry into the occupation and short-term on-the-job training as typical to become competent. A business brokering truck freight needs FMCSA authority before it can operate.
Majors
No major is required by the job itself; supply chain management, logistics and business are the fields that teach the rates, contracts and transportation modes a broker deals in.
Degree Levels That Lead In
What O*NET's respondents in the occupation said a new hire needs:
Education a new hire needs, O*NET 43-5011.00, top three answers | Education Level | Share Of Respondents |
|---|
| Bachelor’s degree | 31% |
|---|
| Some college, no degree | 19% |
|---|
| Post-secondary certificate | 18% |
|---|
Sources: BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2 (entry
requirements); O*NET OnLine, 43-5011.00, education section, top three
answers. The O*NET figures are survey responses from workers in the occupation, not a legal requirement.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
Broker Operating Authority (MC Number)
A business that arranges truck transportation of property or household goods for others, as a broker rather than as the carrier, registers for broker authority with FMCSA.
- Apply for broker authority through FMCSA’s Unified Registration System; FMCSA assigns an MC number.
- File proof of financial responsibility: a surety bond (Form BMC-84) or a trust fund agreement (Form BMC-85) in the amount of $75,000.
- File Form BOC-3 to designate a process agent; brokers may act as their own agent in the state where they write contracts.
- Pay the $300 application fee, which FMCSA says is non-refundable. FMCSA puts processing at about four to six weeks.
Source: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), read 2026-09-23.
Sources: titles from
O*NET OnLine; the licensing rules from Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
- Freight Forwarder. The same BLS occupation for international shipments; forwarders book ships and aircraft, brokers mostly trucks.
- Transportation Manager. The carrier-side manager a broker works with, and a common next step.
- Logistician. The planning role that coordinates the wider flow a broker’s loads are part of.
The qualities the Handbook names as important for cargo and freight agents:
- Negotiation. Every load is a rate agreed with a shipper and a carrier.
- Organization. Keeping many shipments, documents and deadlines straight.
- Communication. Advising shippers and keeping carriers informed.
- Problem-solving. Rebooking and rerouting when a load goes wrong.
O*NET lists the software the occupation uses and flags the technologies employers name most often in their job postings. For
cargo and freight agents, the ones it marks as in demand are Microsoft Office software and Microsoft Excel.
Source: O*NET OnLine, 43-5011.00, Software Skills. "In demand" and "hot" are
O*NET's own flags, based on how often employers name the technology in job postings. Read 2026-09-23.
BLS projects employment of cargo and freight agents to grow 6.2% over 2025 to 2035,
from 100,300 to 106,400 jobs. That is faster than the 3.5% projected for all occupations.
BLS expects about 9,000 openings a year. Of those, 3,700 (41%)
replace people leaving the labor force, 4,700 (52%) replace people
moving to other occupations, and 600 (7%) are new jobs. The
freight broker salary page sets out what BLS says is driving demand.
Sources: BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35;
EP Table 1.10. New jobs is total openings minus
separations. Read 2026-09-23.
What Degree Do You Need To Be A Freight Broker?
BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry education for cargo and freight agents. In O*NET's survey of the occupation, 31% of respondents said a new hire needs a bachelor’s degree, and 19% said some college, no degree.
How Long Does It Take To Become A Freight Broker?
BLS lists no related work experience as typical for entry, so the degree is the main time cost, followed by short-term on-the-job training.
How Much Does A Freight Broker Make?
BLS counts freight brokers inside cargo and freight agents, the O*NET occupation that lists freight broker among its job titles; the Occupational Outlook Handbook’s index files the title under wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives instead. The figures here are for cargo and freight agents, and the wage survey counts employees, not self-employed brokers. The median for cargo and freight agents is $52,260 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with the 10th to 90th percentile running $38,340 to $79,810.
Is Freight Broker A Good Career?
On the federal numbers: a median of $52,260, and BLS projects the occupation to grow 6.2% from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 9,000 openings a year.
Do You Need A License To Be A Freight Broker?
A business that brokers truck freight needs broker authority from FMCSA, along with a surety bond or trust fund agreement and a designated process agent, as the licensing section sets out.
Do You Need A Degree To Be A Freight Broker?
No. BLS lists a high school diploma as typical for entry into cargo and freight agents, and brokering is mostly learned on the job. A degree helps for moving into management.
What Is The Difference Between A Freight Broker And A Freight Forwarder?
A broker arranges transportation, mostly domestic trucking, between shippers and carriers. A forwarder arranges international shipments by ship and air and handles the export and customs documents; in ocean trades the Federal Maritime Commission licenses forwarders.
Pay for cargo and freight agents by state, metro area and industry.
Moves international shipments: books ocean and air space, prepares export and customs documents, and arranges duties.
Programs read from each school’s own page, with tuition where the school states it.
Programs read from each school’s own page, with tuition where the school states it.
