How to become Freight Forwarder in 2024

Freight Forwarder Research rates, routings, or modes of transport for shipment of products. Maintain awareness of regulations affecting the international movement of cargo. Make arrangements for additional services, such as storage or inland transportation.

Freight Forwarder is Also Know as

In different settings, Freight Forwarder is titled as

  • Air Export Agent
  • Air Export Coordinator
  • Export Coordinator
  • Ocean Export Coordinator
  • Ocean Forwarder
  • Relocation Coordinator
  • Route Specialist
  • Special Services Agent

Education and Training of Freight Forwarder

Freight Forwarder is categorized in Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed

Experience Required for Freight Forwarder

Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.

Education Required for Freight Forwarder

These occupations usually require a high school diploma.

Degrees Related to Freight Forwarder

Training Required for Freight Forwarder

Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Related Ocuupations

Some Ocuupations related to Freight Forwarder in different industries are

What Do Freight Forwarder do?

  • Select shipment routes, based on nature of goods shipped, transit times, or security needs.
  • Determine efficient and cost-effective methods of moving goods from one location to another.
  • Reserve necessary space on ships, aircraft, trains, or trucks.
  • Arrange delivery or storage of goods at destinations.
  • Arrange for special transport of sensitive cargoes, such as livestock, food, or medical supplies.
  • Assist clients in obtaining insurance reimbursements.
  • Calculate weight, volume, or cost of goods to be moved.
  • Prepare shipping documentation, such as bills of lading, packing lists, dock receipts, or certificates of origin.
  • Consolidate loads with a common destination to reduce costs to individual shippers.
  • Inform clients of factors such as shipping options, timelines, transfers, or regulations affecting shipments.
  • Keep records of goods dispatched or received.
  • Maintain current knowledge of relevant legislation, political situations, or other factors that could affect freight shipping.
  • Monitor or record locations of goods in transit.
  • Negotiate shipping rates with freight carriers.
  • Obtain or arrange cargo insurance.
  • Pay or arrange for payment of freight or insurance fees or other charges.
  • Prepare invoices or cost quotations for freight transportation.
  • Recommend or arrange appropriate merchandise packing methods, according to climate, terrain, weight, nature of goods, or costs.
  • Verify proper packaging and labeling of exported goods.
  • Verify adherence of documentation to customs, insurance, or regulatory requirements.
  • Arrange for applicable duties, taxes, or paperwork for customs clearance.
  • Complete customs paperwork.
  • Make arrangements with customs brokers to facilitate the passage of goods through customs.
  • Provide detailed port information to importers or exporters.
  • Provide shipment status notification to exporters, consignees, or insurers.
  • Refer exporters to experts in areas such as trade financing, international marketing, government export requirements, international banking, or marine insurance.
  • Analyze shipping routes to determine how to minimize environmental impact.
  • 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.
  • Consider environmental sustainability factors when determining merchandise packing methods.
  • Recommend shipping solutions to minimize cost or environmental impacts.
  • Review the environmental records of freight carriers to inform shipping decisions.

Qualities of Good Freight Forwarder

  • Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
  • Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
  • Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
  • Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
  • Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
  • Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
  • Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
  • Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
  • Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
  • Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
  • Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
  • Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
  • Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
  • Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
  • Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
  • Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
  • Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
  • Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
  • Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
  • Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
  • Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
  • Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
  • Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
  • Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
  • Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
  • Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
  • Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
  • Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
  • Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
  • Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
  • Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
  • Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
  • Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
  • Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
  • Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
  • Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
  • Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
  • Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
  • Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.

Tools Used by Freight Forwarder

  • Desktop computers
  • Laptop computers
  • Laser facsimile machines
  • Multi-line telephone systems
  • Personal computers

Technology Skills required for Freight Forwarder

  • AESDirect
  • Arcline ArcFreight
  • CargoWise ediEnterprise
  • CEDAS Gateway
  • Email software
  • IES Ecellerate
  • Kewill Global Trade and Logistics
  • Manufacturing resource planning MRP software
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Word
  • Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne
  • Order management software
  • Package tracking software
  • QuestaWeb TradeMaster QW
  • RedBerry Logistics
  • Riege Software International Procars
  • SAP software
  • Star Tec Software Hercules Export
  • Tailwind Management Systems Tailwind
  • TMW Enterprise Transportation Management Systems
  • Web browser software
  • Word processing software