Your work. Your records.
Cargo and Freight Agent Workplace Records
Freight agents coordinate transport, documentation and updates between customers and carriers. A workplace concern may involve a delivery outcome controlled by several parties. Explain the arrangement you handled and the information available when you acted, then separate those events from the employer’s response to your work.
Call now(800) 800-5555Free initial case evaluation. Representation depends on work state and case eligibility. This guide explains record preparation; it does not determine whether a legal claim exists.
A record map for your role
What to organize first
Routing sequence
List the initial method, change request and approving role without private shipment details.
Information timing
Note when missing or revised instructions arrived and the response you provided.
Employment feedback
Keep your own evaluation and reply with the relevant coordination period.
Start with the work you actually do
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.
O*NET classifies this occupation as Cargo and Freight Agents (43-5011.00). Its description covers a typical occupation, not every workplace or individual job. It does not establish employee status, overtime eligibility or employer misconduct.
- Negotiate and arrange transport of goods with shipping or freight companies.Source task 8188 · updated 08/2021
- Determine method of shipment and prepare bills of lading, invoices, and other shipping documents.Source task 8192 · updated 08/2021
- Track delivery progress of shipments.Source task 20271 · updated 08/2021
- Advise clients on transportation and payment methods.Source task 8190 · updated 08/2021
A reference point for your pay records
May 2025 wage estimates by state
Compare your pay records with published BLS estimates for Cargo and Freight Agents (SOC 43-5011). These describe an occupation across employers. They are not a required pay rate, an overtime calculation, or evidence of discrimination or unpaid wages.
Select your work state to see its published pay range. No personal pay information is requested or sent.
The 25th and 75th percentiles mark the middle half of the estimated wage distribution; the median is its midpoint. Actual pay can differ with experience, employer, location and duties. Hourly and annual figures are shown as published, without converting one into the other.
All published state estimates for this occupation
| State | Hourly 25th | Hourly median | Hourly 75th | Annual median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $21.99 | $26.39 | $29.48 | $54,890 |
| Alaska | $22.36 | $25.03 | $34.97 | $52,070 |
| Arizona | $18.76 | $23.98 | $28.38 | $49,880 |
| Arkansas | $21.85 | $24.28 | $28.24 | $50,500 |
| Connecticut | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Florida | $22.07 | $23.33 | $29.60 | $48,520 |
| Georgia | $21.85 | $24.70 | $29.82 | $51,380 |
| Hawaii | $17.80 | $20.39 | $27.74 | $42,400 |
| Idaho | $20.73 | $21.98 | $26.79 | $45,710 |
| Indiana | $19.63 | $24.05 | $31.44 | $50,020 |
| Iowa | $21.27 | $23.25 | $29.51 | $48,370 |
| Kansas | $15.28 | $20.44 | $22.13 | $42,500 |
| Kentucky | $19.80 | $22.23 | $28.13 | $46,230 |
| Louisiana | $21.73 | $23.53 | $29.75 | $48,940 |
| Maine | $22.70 | $24.20 | $29.23 | $50,340 |
| Michigan | $21.40 | $23.05 | $28.27 | $47,940 |
| Minnesota | $23.10 | $28.20 | $30.26 | $58,650 |
| Mississippi | $19.01 | $24.00 | $29.30 | $49,920 |
| Missouri | $19.11 | $24.44 | $31.51 | $50,840 |
| Montana | $22.42 | $28.48 | $31.90 | $59,240 |
| Nebraska | $24.67 | $30.05 | $37.74 | $62,500 |
| New Hampshire | $21.46 | $32.53 | $37.08 | $67,660 |
| New Mexico | $21.43 | $23.51 | $30.29 | $48,910 |
| New York | $22.87 | $28.87 | $38.86 | $60,040 |
| North Carolina | $20.79 | $23.08 | $29.67 | $48,000 |
| North Dakota | $23.08 | $26.07 | $45.83 | $54,230 |
| Ohio | $22.04 | $23.81 | $29.69 | $49,530 |
| Oklahoma | $15.83 | $24.01 | $32.28 | $49,940 |
| Pennsylvania | $19.46 | $23.84 | $33.40 | $49,590 |
| Rhode Island | $23.26 | $29.00 | $35.17 | $60,310 |
| South Dakota | $29.03 | $30.94 | $33.09 | $64,340 |
| Tennessee | $22.56 | $24.91 | $31.86 | $51,800 |
| Texas | $19.35 | $23.30 | $29.36 | $48,470 |
| Utah | $19.00 | $25.37 | $34.65 | $52,770 |
| Vermont | $22.87 | $22.87 | $29.10 | $47,560 |
| Virginia | $22.52 | $23.89 | $29.05 | $49,680 |
| West Virginia | $20.72 | $23.60 | $29.12 | $49,100 |
| Wisconsin | $23.14 | $27.54 | $31.72 | $57,290 |
| Wyoming | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
“Not published” preserves unavailable or suppressed source cells. “Above reporting limit” preserves a top-coded source value without inventing a number. A missing state estimate does not establish service eligibility. The data describe wage and salary employment; they do not measure self-employment income.
Source: BLS May 2025 state workbook · OEWS tables · BLS technical notes. Use your own schedule, pay statement and compensation terms to identify the question you want reviewed.
Identify arrangement and routing authority
Record the transport instruction, agreed method and role approving changes in carrier or timing. Note when updated information reached you. Distinguish a commitment you made from one supplied by a carrier, without assuming a final delay shows where the responsibility lay.
Trace documentation and workload changes
Describe missing information, revised shipping instructions or additional coordination relevant to your evaluation. Identify the performance target and reporting period. Use your own permitted assignment messages and time entries rather than exporting shipment histories to compare your work with others.
Keep cargo records controlled
Do not copy bills of lading, customer addresses, pricing agreements or cargo-security details into personal storage. Identify relevant record types and dates for review. Preserve your own warning and explanation separately, leaving the shipment documents unchanged and distinguishing verified events from status updates you received.
Choose your next step
Review the workplace retaliation guide, unpaid wages guide, or discrimination guide if those concerns fit your experience. A job title alone does not establish a claim.
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