- The core task: negotiate shipping rates with freight carriers. It heads the task list in the next section.
- Typical entry education: high school diploma or equivalent. 44% 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 forwarder arranges international shipments for the people who own the goods. O*NET’s tasks describe it: negotiating rates with carriers, preparing bills of lading, packing lists, dock receipts and certificates of origin, completing customs paperwork and arranging duties and taxes, and telling clients about the options, timelines and regulations that affect a shipment.
The difference from a freight broker is geography and paperwork. A domestic broker arranges truckloads; a forwarder books space on ships and aircraft and handles the documents that let goods cross borders. In the ocean trades the Federal Maritime Commission licenses forwarders directly, which the licensing section covers.
The tasks O*NET rates most important for freight forwarders:
- Negotiate shipping rates with freight carriers.
- Arrange for special transport of sensitive cargoes, such as livestock, food, or medical supplies.
- Arrange for applicable duties, taxes, or paperwork for customs clearance.
- Inform clients of factors such as shipping options, timelines, transfers, or regulations affecting shipments.
- Prepare shipping documentation, such as bills of lading, packing lists, dock receipts, or certificates of origin.
- Complete customs paperwork.
Job titles in the same O*NET occupation: Air Export Agent, Air Export Coordinator, Export Coordinator, Freight Forwarder, GSA Coordinator, Import Agent, Ocean Export Specialist, Relocation Coordinator and Route Specialist. Source: O*NET
OnLine, 43-5011.01, read 2026-09-23.
O*NET’s task list for freight forwarders is international from the first line: negotiating shipping rates with carriers, arranging special transport for sensitive cargo such as livestock, food or medical supplies, and arranging the duties, taxes and paperwork for customs clearance.
The documents are the job. Forwarders prepare bills of lading, packing lists, dock receipts and certificates of origin, complete customs paperwork, and tell clients about the shipping options, timelines, transfers and regulations that affect a shipment.
The Federal Maritime Commission’s definition of an ocean freight forwarder says the same thing in regulatory terms: a business in the U.S. that arranges cargo movement to an international destination, books space on common carriers for shippers, and prepares and processes the shipment’s documents.
Main Responsibilities
- Negotiate shipping rates with ocean and air carriers
- Arrange special transport for sensitive cargo
- Arrange duties, taxes and paperwork for customs clearance
- Prepare bills of lading, packing lists, dock receipts and certificates of origin
- Advise clients on shipping options, timelines and regulations
Who They Work With
Exporters and importers who own the goods, ocean and air carriers, and the customs brokers who clear shipments at the border.
Where And When They Work
Office work tied to ports and airports. Freight transportation arrangement, the industry forwarding firms belong to, employs most of the occupation in the OEWS data.
Sources: O*NET OnLine, 43-5011.01, tasks; Federal Maritime Commission (FMC). Read 2026-09-23.
BLS has no separate wage for freight forwarders. O*NET places them inside cargo and freight agents, the same occupation behind our freight broker pages, so the occupation-wide figures here are shared with them. The freight transportation arrangement figure below is this page’s own.
That is the same figure our freight broker career page shows, because it is the same occupation in BLS data.
Among cargo and freight agents working in freight transportation arrangement, the industry forwarding firms belong to and where most of the occupation works, the median is
$54,730 a year across 53,390 jobs, with the 10th to 90th percentile running
$38,950 to $79,400.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific
estimates. The figure is for cargo and freight agents working in that
industry, not for the job title alone. Read 2026-09-23.
Across all industries, 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.
Among O*NET’s respondents for freight forwarders, a bachelor’s degree was the most common answer for what a new hire needs. Supply chain management, logistics and international business are the natural majors, and a working knowledge of shipping documents and trade rules is what the tasks above demand.
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 |
|---|
A bachelor’s degree was the most common answer among O*NET’s respondents for freight forwarders. A U.S.-based ocean forwarding business needs an FMC license and proof of financial responsibility before offering services.
Majors
Supply chain management, logistics and international business, the fields that cover trade documentation, transportation modes and customs.
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 43-5011.01, top three answers | Education Level | Share Of Respondents |
|---|
| Bachelor’s degree | 44% |
|---|
Sources: BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2 (entry
requirements); O*NET OnLine, 43-5011.01, education section, top three
answers. The O*NET figures are survey responses from workers in the occupation, not a legal requirement.
Federal Maritime Commission (FMC)
Ocean Transportation Intermediary (OTI) License
U.S.-based ocean freight forwarders, which arrange and document export shipments by common carrier on behalf of shippers, and non-vessel-operating common carriers (NVOCCs), which sell ocean transportation under their own bill of lading without operating ships.
- Obtain a license from the FMC before offering services in the U.S. trades (46 CFR § 515.3).
- Submit proof of financial responsibility for claims arising from transportation-related activities (46 CFR Part 515, Subpart C).
- NVOCCs must also publish a tariff showing their rates, charges and rules, open to public inspection (46 CFR § 520.3).
Source: Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), read 2026-09-23.
Sources: titles from
O*NET OnLine; the licensing rules from Federal Maritime Commission (FMC).
- Freight Broker. The same BLS occupation for domestic freight.
- Customs Broker. Forwarders arrange the paperwork a customs broker files; the two meet at the border.
- Logistician. The planning role behind the shipments a forwarder moves.
The qualities the Handbook names as important for cargo and freight agents:
- Attention to detail. A wrong document can hold a shipment at the border.
- Negotiation. Rates with carriers are set shipment by shipment.
- Communication. Keeping clients informed of options, timelines and rules.
- Organization. Tracking shipments across carriers and countries.
O*NET lists the software the occupation uses and flags the technologies employers name most often in their job postings. For
freight forwarders, the ones it marks as in demand are Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Office software and Microsoft Excel.
Source: O*NET OnLine, 43-5011.01, 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 Forwarder?
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, 44% of respondents said a new hire needs a bachelor’s degree.
How Long Does It Take To Become A Freight Forwarder?
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 Forwarder Make?
BLS has no separate wage for freight forwarders. O*NET places them inside cargo and freight agents, the same occupation behind our freight broker pages, so the occupation-wide figures here are shared with them. The freight transportation arrangement figure below is this page’s own. 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 Forwarder 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 Freight Forwarders Need A License?
In ocean shipping, yes: the Federal Maritime Commission requires U.S.-based ocean freight forwarders to hold an OTI license and file proof of financial responsibility before offering services.
What Is An NVOCC?
A non-vessel-operating common carrier: in the FMC’s definition, a carrier that sells ocean transportation under its own bill of lading without operating the ships. NVOCCs are licensed by the FMC alongside ocean freight forwarders.
Is A Freight Forwarder The Same As A Customs Broker?
No. A forwarder arranges the international shipment and its documents; a customs broker, licensed by CBP, clears the goods through customs and handles the duties.
Pay for cargo and freight agents by state, metro area and industry.
Matches shippers with carriers: finds the truck, negotiates the rate, arranges the load and tracks it to delivery.
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.
