Cargo Broker

A typical day tends to involve sourcing loads, calling carriers, negotiating rates, dispatching, and tracking shipments through pickup and delivery. You'll often work multiple loads simultaneously while a driver in Ohio runs late and a customer in Texas needs an ETA. Margin pressure is constant because both shippers and carriers can shop the load elsewhere in minutes.

Coordination is mostly with shippers, motor carriers, dispatchers, drivers, and warehouse staff at both ends. Things go wrong often enough that crisis management is part of the rhythm — breakdowns, weather delays, dock holdups, paperwork issues. You're often the only person with full visibility into a shipment's status.

People who tend to thrive here are fast on the phone, comfortable with constant negotiation, and able to hold many threads in their head at once. If you need quiet focus time or predictable hours, the always-on rhythm can grind. If you find satisfaction in solving freight puzzles all day and getting paid on the spread, the work can feel surprisingly entrepreneurial.