Cargo Agent job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

9

O*NET task statements

O*NET occupation

Cargo and Freight Agents

O*NET-SOC 43-5011.00

Preparation

Job Zone 1-2 of 5

very little to some preparation

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$52,260

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Cargo and Freight Agents (O*NET-SOC 43-5011.00). O*NET 31.0 lists “Cargo Agent” for this occupation from O*NET job-incumbent data, the SOC Index and employer job postings. The 2 other listings come only from employer job postings, which TryHired does not count as evidence of an occupation on their own. Figures on this page are for that occupation. TryHired has no separate career page for this title yet.

1. Negotiate and arrange transport of goods with shipping or freight companies. importance 3.9 of 5
2. Determine method of shipment and prepare bills of lading, invoices, and other shipping documents. importance 3.7 of 5
3. Track delivery progress of shipments. importance 3.6 of 5
4. Advise clients on transportation and payment methods. importance 3.5 of 5
5. Estimate freight or postal rates and record shipment costs and weights. importance 3.4 of 5
6. Keep records of all goods shipped, received, and stored. importance 3.3 of 5
7. Notify consignees, passengers, or customers of freight or baggage arrival and arrange for delivery. importance 3.3 of 5
8. Retrieve stored items and trace lost shipments as necessary. importance 3.1 of 5
9. Enter shipping information into a computer by hand or by a hand-held scanner that reads bar codes on goods. importance 3.0 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Documenting/Recording Information, Handling and Moving Objects and Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Prepare manifests showing numbers of airplane passengers and baggage, mail, and freight weights, transmitting data to destinations.
• Arrange insurance coverage for goods.
• Install straps, braces, and padding to loads to prevent shifting or damage during shipment.
• Check import or export documentation to determine cargo contents and use tariff coding system to classify goods according to fee or tariff group.
• Coordinate and supervise activities of workers engaged in packing and shipping merchandise.
• Contact vendors or claims adjustment departments to resolve shipment problems or contact service depots to arrange for repairs.

Knowledge areas: Transportation, Geography, Public Safety and Security, English Language and Administration and Management.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, SAP software. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists short-term on-the-job training as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 1-2 of 5 (very little to some preparation). Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board.

The most common answer among cargo agents surveyed by O*NET is a bachelor's degree (31%).

Job title: Cargo Agent
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Cargo Agent.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- 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.
- Notify consignees, passengers, or customers of freight or baggage arrival and arrange for delivery.
- Retrieve stored items and trace lost shipments as necessary.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in speaking, active listening and reading comprehension
- Working knowledge of Transportation and Geography
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Office software]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

For Cargo and Freight Agents, the median annual wage was $52,260 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $25.13. BLS estimates about 97,670 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Cargo and Freight Agents to grow 6.2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 9,000 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

• Read a real cargo agent posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Negotiate and arrange transport of goods with shipping or freight…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only cargo agent work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (speaking and active listening): a real situation, what you did and what changed.