Career
Cargo and freight agents
Arrange shipping for goods and freight.
$52,260
Median pay
+6.2%
Job growth, 2025–35
9,000
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job 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.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on information & systems, then persuasion & leadership?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Negotiate and arrange transport of goods with shipping or freight companies.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Speaking, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though short-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $52,260 a year and 9,000 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- General Office Occupations and Clerical ServicesCIP 52.0408
- Traffic, Customs, and Transportation Clerk/TechnicianCIP 52.0410
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Freight Forwarders
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks$45,260 · -7.6%
- Customs Brokers
- Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors$58,170 · +9.2%
- Postal Service Clerks$62,130 · -0.3%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.