A freight forwarder is the travel agent and project manager for cargo: you find the best route, price it, book space with carriers, prepare the paperwork, and keep the customer informed until the goods are delivered. You do not need a degree to start (about a quarter of workers have a high school diploma), but you do need to be accurate with numbers and documents and calm when shipments go wrong. This roadmap takes you from learning how freight moves, to working an entry-level operations or customer service desk, to pricing, negotiating and handling complex or regulated cargo. Everything here
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Every stage from beginner to expert, with lessons, practice drills, projects, interview questions and free resources. Free with a Rolearch account.
Stage 1 of 3 · about 8 weeks
Understand how a shipment moves from seller to buyer, who does what, and read the core documents and cost terms without panic.
Modes of transport and the shipment journey
Every decision you make (price, speed, risk) depends on the mode: ocean (FCL full container, LCL shared container), air, truck (FTL/LTL), rail. If you know why a pallet of electronics goes by air and a pallet of tiles goes by sea, you can advise customers.
Incoterms 2020
Incoterms decide who pays for what and who carries risk at each point. Most disputes between buyer and seller come from misunderstanding them, and you will quote based on them every day.
Shipping documents
A shipment without correct paperwork is stuck at the port and costing money. The core task of the job is preparing bills of lading, commercial invoices, packing lists and certificates of origin accurately.
Freight math: chargeable weight, CBM and cost
Carriers bill on the greater of actual or volumetric weight. Getting this wrong means a wrong quote and lost margin.
Excel and professional email basics
Excel and Outlook are your daily tools. Clear, short, accurate emails with dates and numbers prevent mistakes.
Then 2 more stages (about 36 weeks in all) with lessons, drills, projects, 6 interview questions with strong answers and free resources.