If you have been thinking about becoming a freight agent or a freight broker agent, you may be wondering how freight agent jobs have been doing since the recession. Luckily, logistics is very much a recession-proof industry: Although logistics activity can be dampened in certain areas and at certain times, there will always be a need to move goods from one place to another. In the domestic sphere here in the U.S., logistics accounts for the movement of millions of pounds of foodstuffs every year. Around the world, logistics is crucial as countries and regions consolidate their economic efforts and move toward greater cooperation.
Let’s discuss some reasons the freight agent role is good for a new or seasoned professional:
Logistics is Still a Young Field from the Academic Perspective
While many fields are saturated with low-level academic degrees of dubious value, logistics is not one of them. Any experienced professional with a background in operations or supply chain management can find a way to transition to logistics, particularly as an agent for freight. If you have a few years of related experience, your existing connections can go a long way; if you are new to the field, then a related MBA has proven value and can help you get a fast start.
Logistics is Built on Connections and Experience
While it’s possible to get started as a freight broker agent and operate your own business with only a few years of experience, you will generally find that you benefit from three to five years in the same kind of small or medium-sized business that you aspire to operate. From there, most brokers make the decision to transition to a large international firm or to strike out on their own. Regional knowledge has great value and longevity in the field.
Freight Agents’ Work is Always Growing Somewhere
While it’s inevitable that logistics cannot be growing everywhere at all times, it is always growing somewhere. Once you have the basic skills and knowledge that you need, you will soon find that you have the fundamental tools to adapt your business to areas of growth. It is important that any aspiring agent be connected to others in the field and understands the capability of the companies in their space – with this understanding comes a great deal of flexibility.
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Assuming you have the experience or the academic credentials, it is still a good time to pursue the broker role in many areas. Successful broker agents have come from diverse backgrounds, some even rising from the ranks of truckers and other professionals that we might associate more with “tactical” facilitation than with strategic business success. As the need for competent logistics professionals grows worldwide, those who make the decision to get involved now will be better positioned for a wide variety of challenging – and potentially very lucrative – freight agent jobs.