Will AI replace Freight Forwarders?
AI reaches most of this job’s work.
60/100
Very high exposure
More exposed to AI than 92% of US workers.
- AI already used in
- 7% of the work
- As AI tools mature: up to
- 85% of the work
What the job involves
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.
Where AI reaches the work
The job’s main tasks, heaviest first, by how far AI reaches them.
Already happening(2)
- Verify adherence of documentation to customs, insurance, or regulatory requirements.
- Monitor or record locations of goods in transit.
Within reach(24)
- Keep records of goods dispatched or received.
- Inform clients of factors such as shipping options, timelines, transfers, or regulations affecting shipments.
- Pay or arrange for payment of freight or insurance fees or other charges.
- Determine efficient and cost-effective methods of moving goods from one location to another.
- Prepare shipping documentation, such as bills of lading, packing lists, dock receipts, or certificates of origin.
and 19 more
Out of reach(5)
- Provide shipment status notification to exporters, consignees, or insurers.
- Reserve necessary space on ships, aircraft, trains, or trucks.
- Obtain or arrange cargo insurance.
- Make arrangements with customs brokers to facilitate the passage of goods through customs.
- Assist clients in obtaining insurance reimbursements.
Also called
Freight Forwarder · Air Cargo Agent · Air Freight Forwarder · Air Export Agent · Air Export Coordinator · Export Coordinator · GSA Coordinator (General Services Administration Coordinator) · Import Agent
Related jobs
What these numbers mean
The score is the share of this job’s work, weighted by how important and frequent each task is, that AI could do in half the time: tasks an AI model could do alone count in full, tasks that need software built on AI count half.
“AI already used” is the share of the work in tasks where people are recorded using AI today. “As AI tools mature” counts every task AI could halve, with or without extra software.
The percentile compares the score with every job’s, weighted by how many people in the US do each one. Exposure means AI could change how the work is done, not that the job goes away. These are estimates for the typical job, not predictions.
Sources
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
- GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs (task labels), Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), OpenAI and University of Pennsylvania
- Anthropic Economic Index: labor market impacts (task penetration), Anthropic
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (national and metropolitan areas), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics