Cargo and freight agents
SOC Code: 43-5011
Cargo and freight agents carries a 60% AI exposure score (High automation risk), with a median annual wage of $49,900 and +8.5% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 100,600 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 60% AI exposure, Cargo and freight agents sits 23 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 94% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
47/100
Cargo and freight agents, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage F $49,900
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth A+ +8.5%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) F 60% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Cargo and freight agents in the High band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry with non-declining BLS pace
Cargo and freight agents keeps an HS / some college bar (333 of 832) and sits in Fast growth (67 of 832). Lower formal gates with a non-shrinking employment line - skill and AI desks matter more than credentials here.
Where Cargo and freight agents sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Cargo and freight agents sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
60% Higher than most higher than 94% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Cargo and freight agents vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Cargo and freight agents is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Cargo and freight agents's High automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score in the 40–70% range indicates meaningful automation pressure on specific task categories, but the role as a whole still requires human judgment for coordination, exception handling, or client interaction.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 43-5011) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Cargo and freight agents be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Cargo and freight agents. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Negotiate shipping rates with freight carriers.
- 2. Arrange for special transport of sensitive cargoes, such as livestock, food, or medical supplies.
- 3. Arrange for applicable duties, taxes, or paperwork for customs clearance.
- 4. Inform clients of factors such as shipping options, timelines, transfers, or regulations affecting shipments.
- 5. Prepare shipping documentation, such as bills of lading, packing lists, dock receipts, or certificates of origin.
- 6. Complete customs paperwork.
- 7. Recommend or arrange appropriate merchandise packing methods, according to climate, terrain, weight, nature of goods, or costs.
- 8. Refer exporters to experts in areas such as trade financing, international marketing, government export requirements, international banking, or marine insurance.
- 9. Prepare invoices or cost quotations for freight transportation.
- 10. Select shipment routes, based on nature of goods shipped, transit times, or security needs.
Key Skills Required
- Reading Comprehension
- Coordination
- Monitoring
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Speaking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Negotiation
- Service Orientation
Knowledge Areas
- Transportation
- Administrative
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management
- English Language
- Computers and Electronics
- Public Safety and Security
- Geography
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Mathematics
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Cargo and freight agents?
Cargo and freight agents has an AI exposure score of 60%, indicating a high level of automation risk. Some tasks in this role can be augmented or partially automated by AI, but core responsibilities require human judgment.
What is the job outlook for Cargo and freight agents?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Cargo and freight agents is projected to grow by 8.5% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 100,600 workers.
What skills are needed for Cargo and freight agents?
Key skills for Cargo and freight agents include Reading Comprehension, Coordination, Monitoring, and others. Typical entry-level education is High school diploma or equivalent.
How much do Cargo and freight agents earn?
The median annual wage for Cargo and freight agents is $49,900, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Cargo and freight agents?
The typical entry-level education for Cargo and freight agents is High school diploma or equivalent. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Short-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Cargo and freight agents?
Cargo and freight agents roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
High automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. A majority of tasks in this occupation are susceptible to AI automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Cargo and freight agents: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (60% here).
- Credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks · AI exposure 60%
- Data entry keyers · AI exposure 60%
- Eligibility interviewers, government programs · AI exposure 60%
- Gambling cage workers · AI exposure 60%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+8.5% here).
- Occupational health and safety technicians · growth +8.5%
- Statisticians · growth +8.5%
- Stockers and order fillers · growth +8.5%
- Nurse anesthetists · growth +8.6%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 24 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Cargo and freight agents' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Cargo and freight agents side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).