Logistics agents, often referred to as freight agents, play a crucial role in the freight transportation industry. They wear many hats and can provide a valuable service to their customers with the backing of a larger company.
In recent years, it’s become a very lucrative career, and the need for logistics agents is only projected to grow. So who are these agents, and what role do they play in the logistics industry?
Who Are Logistics Agents?
There are several key characteristics that enable logistics agents to meet customers’ needs successfully. First and foremost, they need to be problem solvers who can perform under pressure. They must also demonstrate patience and provide quality customer service, even in stressful situations involving critical deadlines. Lastly, keen attention to detail and strong communication skills are essential.
Logistics agents don’t necessarily need a college degree, but business, management, finance, or engineering degrees can be beneficial and help provide additional insight. Working for a company in the logistics industry provides practical experience and is usually critical to their success.
What Do Logistics Agents Do?
As we said earlier, logistics agents work for brokers that facilitate freight transportation between two parties. Agents are responsible for negotiating rates and arranging transportation. They also give shippers valuable information about the shipping industry, saving them time and money.
Logistics agents are authorized to negotiate contracts with customers. As a result of their industry experience and relationships, they know which carriers offer reliable service and affordable rates, allowing them to advocate for the best deals possible for their customers. They are responsible for ensuring that items show up when they should and where they need to be. This process includes handling customer service related to deliveries and schedules, ordering, tracking, planning, and reporting freight.
Unlike freight brokers, freight agents don’t have their own operating authority and can’t legally arrange freight transportation independently. The only way for them to conduct business is by partnering with a freight broker. This partnership means that agents’ liability is typically less than the broker’s.
When choosing a brokerage, agents should find one with a reputation that aligns with the values they set for themselves. Each agent is responsible for building their customer base and earning money based on a commission percentage agreed upon with the freight broker. In most cases, brokers will ensure that their agents don’t overlap on customers.
Working as a logistics agent allows you to focus on what you do best — cultivating customer relationships. Freight brokers have more responsibilities, leaving less time to foster those relationships. Your value as an agent comes from your passion for your work and your heart for your customers.
How To Become a Logistics Agent
To become a UCW Logistics agent, you must have a minimum of six months of experience in freight brokerage sales and operations. You must also bring an established customer base that can produce more than $1,000,000 in sales each year. Lastly, you must demonstrate a deep motivation to succeed, exceptional organizational skills, and the personal drive to run your own business.
Experience the UCW Difference
Here at UCW Logistics, we believe that people deserve to be treated with respect. That mindset applies to both our customers and our internal team.
As a UCW agent, you would be part of a team that cares about doing the right thing. Part of that philosophy is providing our agents with the resources they need to succeed. If you become an agent with us, you’ll have access to a powerful, intuitive Transport Management System (TMS). You’ll have the support of an experienced team, including our finance team, agent support team, in-house brokers, and CSR agents, and you’ll receive generous splits that are flexible to fit your business model. With all of this at your disposal, you’ll have the freedom to operate your own agency while still enjoying access to 95+ years of experience, an existing fleet of trucks, and over a million square feet of warehouse space.
We’ve built a large carrier base, which you can access as you negotiate contracts. We offer quick-pay programs for carriers, making negotiations easier than ever before. In addition to our strong carrier network, we also provide marketing materials to help you attract new customers. Our quick processing of customers, credit applications, and new carriers makes onboarding new partners and customers fast and easy. But we don’t stop there.
Not only do we equip you with all the resources you need to ensure the success of your logistics career, but we also make sure you get paid before we even collect from the customer. Great work is worth recognizing, and we strive to do that through the consistent compensation of our agents.
Interested in becoming a logistics agent with UCW? Visit our New Agents page to learn more and get in touch with our team.
