What the work involves, what it pays, and real lines you can start from. Answer a few small questions and leave with a resume.
Also called air freight forwarder, domestic freight forwarder, export freight forwarder and import freight forwarder.
$52,260
Median pay a year
97,670
People do this work
6
Resume lines ready for you
Pay and headcount are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lines are written from what the US Department of Labor records about this work.
An example
A Freight Forwarder resume, filled in
Every line below comes from the same public record as the rest of this page. The greyed parts are the ones only you can answer.
Freight Forwarder
Summary
Freight forwarder researching rates and routes for shipping products, negotiating with carriers, and preparing documentation for customs clearance and transportation arrangements
Experience
Freight Forwarder
Where you worked
Month Year to Month Year
Arranged for special transport of sensitive cargoes, such as livestock and medical supplies
Prepared shipping documentation, such as bills of lading and packing lists
Selected shipment routes based on goods and security needs
Calculated weight and cost of goods to be moved
Arranged delivery or storage of goods at destinations
Recommended shipping solutions to minimize costs and environmental impacts
Yours will not say this. It will say what you did, in your own words, and Rung writes it with you one question at a time.
Nothing to write from scratch
What to put on a Freight Forwarder resume
Real duties for this job, already written the way a resume reads. Inside Rung you choose the ones that were yours.
What did you do each day?
Choose what fits, or say your own.
Negotiated shipping rates with carriersArranged special transport for cargoPrepared shipping documents and invoicesInformed clients about shipping optionsSelected shipment routes for goodsCalculated weight and cost of goods
becomes
On your resume
Negotiated shipping rates with carriers to secure cost-effective solutions for clients
Prepared shipping documents and invoices, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements
These are written the way a resume line reads. Rung asks which ones are actually yours, keeps your own words, and never claims work you did not do.
Then it asks for one more thing
The line that could show more, and the fact that lands it.
Make it stronger
A few lines could show more. Each one is asked, and answered by choosing.
Mention if you negotiated rates for specific types of cargo.
The line
Negotiated shipping rates for sensitive medical supplies to secure cost-effective solutions for clients
Mention if you negotiated rates for specific types of cargo.
Pick one that fits
Rates for sensitive medical suppliesRates for livestock shipmentsRates for bulk food transport
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
Show what improved once the shipping documents were prepared.
The line
Prepared shipping documents and invoices, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements
Show what improved once the shipping documents were prepared.
Pick one that fits
Fewer delays in customs processingSmoother shipping operations overallBetter client satisfaction with timely deliveries
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
Every ready answer is in plain words, never a figure. Nothing is invented to fill a gap.
What it is made of
Skills for a Freight Forwarder resume
What this work is made of. Rung offers these and keeps the ones you claim.
What are you good at?
Analyzing shipping information
Preparing compliance documents
Recommending packing methods
Explaining procedures
Tracking goods or materials
Identifying opportunities
Examining documents
Verifying shipping documentation
Calculating shipping costs
Maintaining current knowledge
Recording shipping information
Completing required documentation
The work itself
What a Freight Forwarder does
The public record of what this job is, in one paragraph.
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.
What it pays
How much does a Freight Forwarder make?
Annual pay across the United States. The middle figure is the median: half earn less than that, and half earn more.
25th percentile
$45,710
Median
$52,260
75th percentile
$63,390
About 97,670 people do this work in the United States.
What it pays in each state
State
25th percentile
Median
75th percentile
AK
$46,520
$52,070
$72,730
AL
$45,740
$54,890
$61,320
AR
$45,450
$50,500
$58,740
AZ
$39,010
$49,880
$59,020
CA
$47,270
$57,690
$73,730
CO
$48,220
$51,390
$60,300
DC
$72,810
$76,250
$76,250
FL
$45,910
$48,520
$61,560
GA
$45,450
$51,380
$62,020
HI
$37,030
$42,400
$57,700
IA
$44,240
$48,370
$61,380
ID
$43,110
$45,710
$55,730
IL
$48,840
$59,750
$62,480
IN
$40,830
$50,020
$65,390
KS
$31,790
$42,500
$46,040
KY
$41,180
$46,230
$58,500
LA
$45,200
$48,940
$61,870
MA
$51,170
$58,680
$72,310
MD
$38,530
$48,730
$58,430
ME
$47,210
$50,340
$60,800
MI
$44,520
$47,940
$58,800
MN
$48,040
$58,650
$62,930
MO
$39,760
$50,840
$65,540
MS
$39,540
$49,920
$60,940
MT
$46,620
$59,240
$66,350
NC
$43,250
$48,000
$61,720
ND
$48,000
$54,230
$95,330
NE
$51,320
$62,500
$78,500
NH
$44,650
$67,660
$77,130
NJ
$49,470
$60,210
$69,860
NM
$44,570
$48,910
$63,010
NV
$40,950
$47,000
$60,960
NY
$47,570
$60,040
$80,820
OH
$45,840
$49,530
$61,760
OK
$32,930
$49,940
$67,140
OR
$43,730
$49,420
$58,500
PA
$40,470
$49,590
$69,480
PR
$23,180
$28,600
$29,740
RI
$48,380
$60,310
$73,150
SC
$48,480
$57,000
$66,290
SD
$60,390
$64,340
$68,830
TN
$46,920
$51,800
$66,280
TX
$40,260
$48,470
$61,060
UT
$39,520
$52,770
$72,080
VA
$46,850
$49,680
$60,420
VT
$47,560
$47,560
$60,530
WA
$52,190
$60,760
$72,520
WI
$48,130
$57,290
$65,970
WV
$43,100
$49,100
$60,560
Other names
Other names for this job
air freight forwarder, domestic freight forwarder, export freight forwarder, import freight forwarder, international freight forwarder, ocean freight forwarder, air cargo agent, air export agent, air export clerk, air export coordinator, cargo agent, export clerk.
This page is about the occupation Freight Forwarders. What this job involves and what it is made of come from O*NET 30.3, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, refreshed July 2026; Rung writes those records into the plain sentences you see. Pay comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release for 2025. Rung is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either agency. How Rung handles accuracy is on the accuracy page, and the full data credits are on the credits page.