Learn about the basics of operations management by taking a class online or at your school. Discover how this skill can benefit a variety of careers. 

Take an operations management class. 

Get an inside look (literally) at the world of shipping and receiving as a camera records the whole shipping process from inside a package. Does having a hand in this process interest you?

Explore how items from all over the world get to you.

Dive into this overview of a popular organizational philosophy and get started on your own system to up your productivity and start getting things done!

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Get a glimpse into what a typical day might look like for a freight broker. Is this a career you're interested in?

Learn about a day in the life of a freight broker.

Cargo and Freight Agents

Expedite and route movement of incoming and outgoing cargo and freight shipments in airline, train, and trucking terminals and shipping docks. Take orders from customers and arrange pickup of freight and cargo for delivery to loading platform. Prepare and examine bills of lading to determine shipping charges and tariffs.

Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.

Conventional

Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.

Enterprising

Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.

Realistic

Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.

Social

Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.

Investigative

Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art.

Artistic

Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed

Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Actively looking for ways to help people.

Office and Administrative Support Occupations

Material Recording, Scheduling, Dispatching, and Distributing Workers

Negotiate and arrange transport of goods with shipping or freight companies.

Determine method of shipment and prepare bills of lading, invoices, and other shipping documents.

Advise clients on transportation and payment methods.

Estimate freight or postal rates and record shipment costs and weights.

Keep records of all goods shipped, received, and stored.

Notify consignees, passengers, or customers of freight or baggage arrival and arrange for delivery.

Retrieve stored items and trace lost shipments as necessary.

Enter shipping information into a computer by hand or by a hand-held scanner that reads bar codes on goods.

Prepare manifests showing numbers of airplane passengers and baggage, mail, and freight weights, transmitting data to destinations.

Cargo and Freight Agents

Overview

Career

What Cargo and Freight Agents Do

Other Job Titles Cargo and Freight Agents May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Cargo and Freight Agents

Overview

Career

What Cargo and Freight Agents Do

Other Job Titles Cargo and Freight Agents May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Education

Level of Education Attained by Cargo and Freight Agents

Majors Related to Career

Related Careers