Freight Forwarder job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

16

O*NET task statements

Preparation

Job Zone 1-2 of 5

very little to some preparation

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS 2025–35 · broader occupation

Median pay

$52,260

BLS May 2025 · broader occupation

1. Negotiate shipping rates with freight carriers. importance 4.6 of 5
2. Arrange for special transport of sensitive cargoes, such as livestock, food, or medical supplies. importance 4.5 of 5
3. Arrange for applicable duties, taxes, or paperwork for customs clearance. importance 4.5 of 5
4. Inform clients of factors such as shipping options, timelines, transfers, or regulations affecting shipments. importance 4.5 of 5
5. Prepare shipping documentation, such as bills of lading, packing lists, dock receipts, or certificates of origin. importance 4.5 of 5
6. Complete customs paperwork. importance 4.5 of 5
7. Prepare invoices or cost quotations for freight transportation. importance 4.4 of 5
8. Select shipment routes, based on nature of goods shipped, transit times, or security needs. importance 4.4 of 5
9. Calculate weight, volume, or cost of goods to be moved. importance 4.4 of 5
10. Arrange delivery or storage of goods at destinations. importance 4.4 of 5
11. Arrange for transport, using a variety of modes, such as rail, short sea shipping, air, or roadways, to minimize carbon emissions or other environmental impacts. importance 4.4 of 5
12. Determine efficient and cost-effective methods of moving goods from one location to another. importance 4.3 of 5
13. Pay or arrange for payment of freight or insurance fees or other charges. importance 4.3 of 5
14. Monitor or record locations of goods in transit. importance 4.3 of 5
15. Keep records of goods dispatched or received. importance 4.3 of 5
16. Reserve necessary space on ships, aircraft, trains, or trucks. importance 4.3 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Getting Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Working with Computers and Making Decisions and Solving Problems.

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.

• Recommend or arrange appropriate merchandise packing methods, according to climate, terrain, weight, nature of goods, or costs.
• Refer exporters to experts in areas such as trade financing, international marketing, government export requirements, international banking, or marine insurance.
• Make arrangements with customs brokers to facilitate the passage of goods through customs.
• Recommend shipping solutions to minimize cost or environmental impacts.
• Review the environmental records of freight carriers to inform shipping decisions.
• Analyze shipping routes to determine how to minimize environmental impact.

Knowledge areas: Transportation, Administrative, Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management and English Language.

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 for the broader occupation.
• 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 and see how to become a freight forwarder.

The most common answer among freight forwarders surveyed by O*NET is a bachelor's degree (44%).

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

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Freight Forwarder to research rates, routings, or modes of transport for shipment of products.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- 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.
- Complete customs paperwork.
- Prepare invoices or cost quotations for freight transportation.
- Select shipment routes, based on nature of goods shipped, transit times, or security needs.
- Calculate weight, volume, or cost of goods to be moved.

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 coordination, reading comprehension and monitoring
- Working knowledge of Transportation and Administrative
- [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 the broader BLS occupation Cargo and Freight Agents, the median annual wage was $52,260 in May 2025. The broader occupation's median hourly wage was $25.13.

BLS counts the O*NET occupation Freight Forwarders within Cargo and Freight Agents and publishes no separate wage for it, so the figure is for that broader occupation.

BLS projects employment in the broader occupation 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 freight forwarder posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Negotiate shipping rates with freight carriers”, 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 freight forwarder work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (coordination and reading comprehension).