Export Freight Planner
At a freight forwarder, you plan outbound international shipment movements — selecting carriers, modes, and routings that move cargo on time and within cost, and the operational work that turns shipping decisions into bookings.
What it's like to be a Export Freight Planner
Most days revolve around booking-decision work and the carrier-rate sheets — analyzing shipment constraints (timing, weight, value, restrictions), modeling routing alternatives, working with carrier reps on space and pricing, building the booking plans the operation will execute. Cost per shipment, on-time performance, and routing-decision quality shape the visible measures.
The friction often lives in the carrier-space tension during peak seasons — ocean and air capacity tightens around peak shipping windows, and planners work the carrier relationships to secure space when the market's constrained. Variance across employers is real: large forwarders run with structured planning roles; smaller forwarders blend planning with coordination and customer-service work.
The role tends to fit folks who enjoy the routing puzzle, carry strong trade-lane knowledge, and work patiently with carrier reps and customer service. CSCMP, FIATA diploma, and growing trade-lane specialization anchor advancement. The trade-off is the cost-versus-service pressure that planning work carries and the seasonal peaks when capacity tightens.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
How this category is changing
Skills & Requirements
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