What is a Freight Agent?
A freight agent is an independent contractor who helps connect shippers with carriers willing to haul the freight. A freight agent works for a freight broker and plays a crucial role in the movement of freight, as a customer-facing salesperson of sorts who has to find available carriers to ship a client’s freight.
Freight Broker vs Freight Agent
The difference between a freight broker vs freight agent is that a freight broker has a freight broker license through the FMCSA and is liable for the transportation of the load. A freight agent does not require a license, does not assume the risk of a client’s creditworthiness in terms of invoice collections and does not require a freight broker bond.
Freight Agent Salary
A freight agent salary can be paid an hourly or annual salary and they can also earn a commission percentage based on the profit they are able to bring in for the freight broker. According to the national average freight, agent salary is $58,661 (based on 197 freight agent employee reports). Some freight agent salaries are only commission based so there are endless possibilities for earnings.
Let’s say that you’re a freight agent and you work for a freight broker who is willing to pay you 50 percent commission on the profit of moving a truckload. You found a shipper who is willing to pay up to $2,500 to move a load from Los Angeles to Denver as truck freight.
Using a load board you found a qualified carrier that will move haul the freight for $2,000. The $500 difference is the profit earned for the brokerage and your cut of 50 percent of $500 is a commission payment of $250. It’s no surprise to see that a freight agent can have a tremendous earning opportunity.
If being a freight agent doesn’t seem as lucrative, you can learn how to become a freight broker and even start your own freight broker company.
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