Cargo And Freight Agents

Cargo and Freight Agents

Description

Expedite and route movement of incoming and outgoing cargo and freight shipments in airline, train, and trucking terminals, and shipping docks. Take orders from customers and arrange pickup of freight and cargo for delivery to loading platform. Prepare and examine bills of lading to determine shipping charges and tariffs.

Tasks

Advise clients on transportation and payment methods.
Track delivery progress of shipments.
Notify consignees, passengers, or customers of freight or baggage arrival and arrange for delivery.
Determine method of shipment and prepare bills of lading, invoices, and other shipping documents.
Estimate freight or postal rates and record shipment costs and weights.
Keep records of all goods shipped, received, and stored.
Enter shipping information into a computer by hand or by a hand-held scanner that reads bar codes on goods.
Check import or export documentation to determine cargo contents and use tariff coding system to classify goods according to fee or tariff group.
Prepare manifests showing numbers of airplane passengers and baggage, mail, and freight weights, transmitting data to destinations.
Negotiate and arrange transport of goods with shipping or freight companies.
Install straps, braces, and padding to loads to prevent shifting or damage during shipment.
Assemble containers and crates used to transport items such as machines or vehicles.
Arrange insurance coverage for goods.
Direct or participate in cargo loading to ensure completeness of load and even distribution of weight.
Coordinate and supervise activities of workers engaged in packing and shipping merchandise.
Route received goods to first available flight or to appropriate storage areas or departments, using forklifts, hand trucks, or other equipment.
Direct delivery trucks to shipping doors or designated marshaling areas and help load and unload goods safely.
Open cargo containers and unwrap contents, using steel cutters, crowbars, or other hand tools.
Contact vendors or claims adjustment departments to resolve shipment problems or contact service depots to arrange for repairs.
Retrieve stored items and trace lost shipments as necessary.
Attach address labels, identification codes, and shipping instructions to containers.
Inspect and count items received and check them against invoices or other documents, recording shortages and rejecting damaged goods.
Maintain a supply of packing materials.
Pack goods for shipping, using tools such as staplers, strapping machines, and hammers.

Knowledge

Transportation: Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
Customer and Personal Service: Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Geography: Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Clerical: Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
Computers and Electronics: Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Abilities

Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

Work Activities

Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Processing Information: Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Analyzing Data or Information: Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.

Work Context

Telephone: How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
Electronic Mail: How often do you use electronic mail in this job?
Contact With Others: How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled: How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
Deal With External Customers: How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job?
Structured versus Unstructured Work: To what extent is this job structured for the worker, rather than allowing the worker to determine tasks, priorities, and goals?
Face-to-Face Discussions: How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
Spend Time Sitting: How much does this job require sitting?
Importance of Repeating Same Tasks: How important is repeating the same physical activities (e.g., key entry) or mental activities (e.g., checking entries in a ledger) over and over, without stopping, to performing this job?
Time Pressure: How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?

Interests

Conventional: Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Enterprising: Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Realistic: Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Social: Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
Investigative: Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Artistic: Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Work Style

Attention to Detail: Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Stress Tolerance: Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
Integrity: Job requires being honest and ethical.
Cooperation: Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Dependability: Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Self Control: Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Adaptability/Flexibility: Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Concern for Others: Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
Persistence: Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Social Orientation: Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.

Work Values

Relationships: Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Support: Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Independence: Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Achievement: Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Working Conditions: Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
Recognition: Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.

Related Occupations

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Food Servers, Nonrestaurant

Meter Readers, Utilities

Postal Service Mail Carriers

Weighers, Measurers, Checkers, and Samplers, Recordkeeping

Parking Lot Attendants

Lay Titles

Air Export Logistics Manager

Booking Clerk

Cargo Router

Container Coordinator

Customer Service Manager

Customs Broker

Dispatcher

Documentation Clerk

Drop Shipment Clerk

Export Traffic Department Manager

Freight Booker

Freight Broker

Freight Forwarder

Freight Receiver

Freight Representative

Freight Router

Head Shipper

Import Customer Service Manager

Import Customs Clearing Agent

Import Dispatcher

Intermodal Dispatcher

International Coordinator

Load Planner

Logistics Clerk

Logistics Coordinator

Logistics Service Representative

Logistics Technician

Ocean Export Account Manager

Ocean Import Representative

Operations Manager

Ramp Service Agent

Route Agent

Route Clerk

Ship Broker

Shipper Receiver

Shipping Agent

Shipping Coordinator

Shipping Processor

Traffic and Documentation Clerk

Traffic Specialist

Transportation Agent

Transportation Broker

Transportation Clerk

National Wages and Employment Info

Median Wages (2008):: $19.1 hourly, $39,720 annual.

Employment (2008):: 78,750 employees