Freight Forwarder
What the work is
Arranges collection of imported cargo from customs and bond stores, and accepts and prepares shipments of cargo for domestic or international destinations.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Examines shipping documents and verifies cargo to be released
- Records customs clearance requirements and authorises collection of cargo
- Receives details of outgoing cargo, and arranges bookings of freight space and collection or delivery of goods
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a fictional freight forwarding office near a regional port, plus the planning desk of a nearby factory. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A container clears and is on its way to the customer a day earlier than promised
- You solve a paperwork tangle that three other people had given up on
- A factory run goes smoothly because the materials turned up in the right order
Hard days
- A shipment is stuck and every hour costs your customer more worry
- Documents that almost match, and a deadline that does not wait for them to
- A customer who wants the paperwork to say whatever is most convenient
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 571931, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.