What is Like to Be a Freight Agent Day to Day?

Given the amount of discussion and advertising on the Internet these days, especially with the economy going through restructuring, and a number of people finding the need to locate a different career path, freight agents and working in the freight management business has become extremely popular. The question that a lot of folks ultimately will have though is, what's it like working as a freight agent day to day?

Those who are successful in the field are convinced they made the right choice. But that confidence is usually not enough for folks who don’t know anything about working as a freight agent. So here's a run-down of a typical agent's day.

Personal Dedication Matters Every Day

First off, right from the first minute of the day, an agent is going to get hit with an incredible amount of variation in regard to their day's work. One hour could be sorting out how to find the right tankers for an irrigation company. The second could be placing available refrigerated trucks with food companies that have upcoming shipments. The third hour could be training, and right before lunch another speed order on handling an auto transport for a dealership could be in play.

Every shift involves an agent developing the relationships between clients and suppliers to produce transport solutions. This last part is essential given the fact that the agent is the go-between who connects the two and makes orders happen.

Agents are not Struggling with a Daily Grind

Most agents dedicate themselves to the field and have found that they still have a notable family life balance every week, but they’re also generating a respectable income that takes care of everything as well. Each day brings a new call and channel to figure out, match a client to a resource, and provide a schedule for logistics that works.

Direct Training Creates Good Agents

Some days have regular training and improvement as well. When the ordering schedule is slowing down, training on new systems and information features may very well take up the morning or afternoon. A key difference comes with hands-on application. Training can frequently involve direct experience and guidance from an experienced freight broker or agent working a new hire into the routines that work best. Then, the next day, the agent applies the training and sorts out the glitches in their practical understanding of the lessons. Advancing in the industry often begins with broker licensing, which opens the door to working independently or running a freight brokerage. Obtaining a license ensures legal compliance and gives brokers the authority to negotiate freight services directly with shippers and carriers.

Success in a Freight Agency is What you Make of It

Ultimately, successful freight agents find that they do their daily best working in teams and offices where they mesh with the culture. These are go-getter people who are focused on developing new business, new markets, and new opportunities. So every day is a new challenge and a chance to step up productivity; there isn’t a sense of downtime and just kicking back clock-watching.

The daily demand doesn't allow time for office politics of one-upmanship either. Instead, everybody in a successful freight agent business is working towards the overall benefit of the group as well as finding synergies. That may include tossing orders back and forth between which agent has the better match-up for the client demand needed at the time. The type of freight doesn't matter; the people make the difference. 

Is the freight agent role perfect for everybody? No. There are going to be some who are better suited to other occupations than the daily performance expectations. However, the field is open to anybody who wants to make a mark for themselves, as well as a career change where they really have more control over their own success.