Freight Forwarders
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.
$52,260 a year (for the broader BLS group this job sits in).
of the working time. Estimate.
- 95%
- 3%
- 2%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 1%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 73%. Today's estimate: 83%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 31 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Determine efficient and cost-effective methods of moving goods from one location to another.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h | 87%Half by now | |
| Analyze shipping routes to determine how to minimize environmental impact.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 2.1 h50 min to 4.2 h | 72%Half by now | |
| Arrange for special transport of sensitive cargoes, such as livestock, food, or medical supplies.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | 77%Half by now | |
| Review the environmental records of freight carriers to inform shipping decisions.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | 77%Half by now | |
| Assist clients in obtaining insurance reimbursements.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 2.1 h38 min to 5 h | 55%Half by now | |
| Complete customs paperwork.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 50 min17 min to 2.5 h | 87%Half by now | |
| Maintain current knowledge of relevant legislation, political situations, or other factors that could affect freight shipping.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | 77%Half by now | |
| 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.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | 77%Half by now | |
| Consolidate loads with a common destination to reduce costs to individual shippers.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 50 min25 min to 2.5 h | 95%Half by now | |
| Recommend shipping solutions to minimize cost or environmental impacts.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 1.3 h38 min to 3.3 h | 90%Half by now | |
| Arrange for applicable duties, taxes, or paperwork for customs clearance.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 50 min17 min to 2.5 h | 87%Half by now | |
| Prepare shipping documentation, such as bills of lading, packing lists, dock receipts, or certificates of origin.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 38 min13 min to 2.1 h | 91%Half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Cargo and Freight Agents45% now, 45% by 2028
- Customs Brokers78% now, 93% by 2028
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks43% now, 43% by 2028
- Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors30% now, 30% by 2028
- Postal Service Clerks29% now, 29% by 2028
- Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance80% now, 94% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.