Today freight agent jobs are gaining more and more popularity. This is due to many reasons – more and more people are switching to remote work, sending and other processes are becoming more popular. We will try to tell you what kind of work it is and what features it represents.
What are freight agent jobs?
According to the standard proforma of a liner agency agreement approved by controlling structures, the functions of a liner agent are: announcement of the line schedule, quotation of rates, distribution of line tariffs at the request of cargo owners and their adjustment, booking of cargo, acceptance of cargo for transportation, conclusion of contracts with stevedoring, talman, warehouse and surveyors companies.
Organization of vessel handling within the line schedule, information of cargo owners about the position of the vessel (cargo), organization of cargo transshipment under a through or multimodal bill of lading, production and issuance of cargo documents, freight collection, assistance to the ship owner in connection with the line conference. What is to be done:
- acceptance, delivery of cargo;
- receipt, placement of cargo from / to the warehouse;
- work with documents;
- acceptance and delivery of cargo from (to) aircraft, delivery of cargo to customers, storage of cargo in a warehouse, placement of cargo in a warehouse;
- control over the correctness and mandatory warehousing of cargo;
- weighs empty containers, inspects the cargo for compliance with the packaging, weighs the cargo, size, transfers the cargo for inspection, draws up the sender’s applications;
- controls the stowage of the received cargo.
Handling of ships is paid by the agent at the expense of the shipowner and is always carried out in the same, permanent area of the port (berth of the line). Delivery / acceptance of cargo at another berth is possible for the cargo owner only by special agreement with the agent of the line in the presence of a large consignment of cargo. As a rule, agents take cargo to the warehouses of the line (port) and provide free storage until the vessel arrives.
In the ports of unloading, the cargo is also taken from the vessel to the warehouse, from where it is then issued to the recipients. The agent draws up bills of lading and manifests for the cargo accepted for transportation and signs the bills of lading on behalf of the captain. All this makes it possible to increase the intensity of cargo operations, eliminate unproductive downtime and re-mooring of the vessel in the port, ensure timely preparation of cargo and documents, i.e., creates conditions for fulfilling the schedule.
What skills are required for a freight agent?
Key expectations are following:
- experience with primary transport documentation is desirable (experience as a freight forwarding agent is an advantage);
- secondary or higher education;
- MS Office – confident user, ability to work with PC, office equipment;
- ability to multitask, stress tolerance;
- developed communication skills, ability to work in a team and responsible attitude to tasks.
A complex and time-consuming duty of a liner agent is the calculation and collection of freight due to the wide range of goods transported, the need to take into account a complex system of allowances and discounts from tariff rates, the presence of a large number of independent cargo owners and individual cargo consignments.
Can you become a freight agent with no experience?
Of course, without any experience, it will not work to start working in this direction. You will have to complete a minimum training course in order to know how to properly handle documentation.
Can you be a freight agent from home?
Yes, and entry level freight agent jobs work from home is not that high and you can get it in a short period of time.
You can go freight broker training with us. We not only train specialists in courses, but also create professional teams, as well as provide direct services. If you want to get more information in this area, we recommend that you contact our representatives.