A freight agent is someone who coordinates and facilitates incoming and outgoing shipments for transportation companies and other businesses. The scope typically includes both air and sea freight complete with land transport deliveries.
Freight agents facilitate shipments of goods through airline, train, and trucking terminals and shipping docks. Agents ensure that shipments are picked up and delivered on time, with proper paperwork (bill of lading for sea freight and airway bill for airfreight) completed for each related segment, and fees are collected for these services rendered. For international shipments, agents prepare and verify customs and tariff forms.
Some other things cargo and freight agents do:
• Determine shipping methods and routes from pick-up location to final destination
• Advise clients on transportation and payment options through various imco terms namely, fob, cif, cfr, ex works, fca, dap, ddu, ddp etc
• Coordinate transportation and logistics details with shipping and freight companies
• Estimate, negotiate, and determine postal rates, shipment costs, and other charges
• Notify clients of cargo shipments, status enroute, and time of delivery
• Prepare bills of lading, invoices, and other required shipping documents
• Record information such as cargo amount, weight, dimensions, and time of shipment
• Trace lost shipments as necessary and assist with claims on cargo damage through insurer and survey
• Freight agents are bound by standard trading conditions in terms of trade and claims
Cargo and freight agents typically manage shipments for multiple clients at once. They often arrange their clients’ cargo and freight by destination, and send out many clients’ shipments simultaneously. Most cargo and freight agents store and use records on computers. They are assisted with software to provide online services like tracking and providing timely information on cargo status. They use the Internet to track shipments. Although freight agents sometimes pack items for shipping and take them to a loading dock or station, that is not their primary role. They frequently act as a one-stop service provider by rendering services as per customer’s request. Freight agents are often known to handle details as compared to shipping carriers who only handle freight.