At a railroad, trucking carrier, freight forwarder, or shipping operation, you call shippers and consignees to coordinate freight movements — pickups, deliveries, status updates, exception management, and the phone-based communication that freight operations depend on.
Most shifts run on the phone — outbound calls to shippers about pickup readiness, calls to consignees about delivery scheduling, calls about freight in transit when issues surface, and inbound calls from customers checking status. The caller works the transportation-management system (TMS), the carrier's dispatch platform, and the steady stream of communication that keeps freight moving. Calls handled and shipment-coordination effectiveness are the operating measures.
Variance across employers is real: at railroads the role tilts toward carload and intermodal coordination; at trucking carriers it's shipment-level customer contact; at freight forwarders it spans modes and international routes. The time-zone overhead of freight movements means freight callers often work shifts that cover early-morning or evening windows depending on the trade lanes the operation serves.
It fits people who are comfortable on the phone for full shifts, organized with freight detail, and steady through the exception handling freight coordination consistently involves. APICS CLTD and TMS-specific training anchor advancement. The trade-off is the always-on rhythm of freight in motion and the queue-bound nature of the work, especially during peak shipping periods.
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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.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Admin & Office roles →At a railroad, trucking carrier, freight forwarder, or shipping operation, you call shippers and consignees to coordinate freight movements — pickups, deliveries, status updates, exception management, and the phone-based communication that freight operations depend on.
Median pay for a Freight Caller is about $38K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $30K to $51K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Speaking, Active Listening, Time Management, Service Orientation, and Reading Comprehension.
Most people in this role hold a high school diploma.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 8.2% through 2034, with roughly 71,920 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Delivery Clerk, Deliverer, and Mail Carrier.
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