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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Cargo and Freight Agents?
Task-level automation exposure for Cargo and Freight Agents: 24 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
50%
weighted task index
24 of 24 tasks scored
Median Salary
$52,260 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Medium
97,670 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+6.2%
employment change
9,000 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 51 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$28,600 – $76,250
Highest medians
District of Columbia $76,250
New Hampshire $67,660
South Dakota $64,340
Nebraska $62,500
Washington $60,760
Lowest medians
Puerto Rico $28,600
Virgin Islands $29,400
Guam $38,360
Hawaii $42,400
Kansas $42,500
State figures come from the 43-5011 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 50%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 22%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 37%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 13%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 2/100
Low
O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.
Constituent Task Mix
24 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 55%
11 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 14%
3 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 32%
10 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Constituent Tasks
#8188 · Core · 40% automatable
Negotiate and arrange transport of goods with shipping or freight companies.
interpersonal — Operational coordination requires live human orchestration
Negotiate financial arrangements. Coordinate operational activities.
#8192 · Core · 75% automatable
Determine method of shipment and prepare bills of lading, invoices, and other shipping documents.
data analysis — Routing analysis from shipping data; human approves
Analyze shipping information to make routing decisions.
#20271 · Core · 60% automatable
Track delivery progress of shipments.
information retrieval — Tracking via systems is digital; physical reconciliation needs humans
Track goods or materials.
#8190 · Core · 60% automatable
Advise clients on transportation and payment methods.
decision support — Suggests methods; physical constraints need human check
Recommend packing or shipping methods.
#8194 · Core · 85% automatable
Estimate freight or postal rates and record shipment costs and weights.
data analysis — Shipping cost calculation from rates and weights
Calculate shipping costs.
#8201 · Core · 85% automatable
Keep records of all goods shipped, received, and stored.
data analysis — Record shipping information into structured fields
Record shipping information.
#20272 · Core · 70% automatable
Notify consignees, passengers, or customers of freight or baggage arrival and arrange for delivery.
text generation — Routine customer notifications largely automatable
Provide notifications to customers or patrons.
#8196 · Core · 60% automatable
Retrieve stored items and trace lost shipments as necessary.
information retrieval — Tracking via systems is digital; physical reconciliation needs humans
Track goods or materials.
#8195 · Core · 85% automatable
Enter shipping information into a computer by hand or by a hand-held scanner that reads bar codes on goods.
data analysis — Data entry into systems automatable
Enter information into databases or software programs.
#20274 · Supplemental · 80% automatable
Prepare manifests showing numbers of airplane passengers and baggage, mail, and freight weights, transmitting data to destinations.
data analysis — Maintain operational records in structured systems
Maintain operational records.
#8203 · Supplemental · 55% automatable
Arrange insurance coverage for goods.
decision support — Coverage arranged via systems; judgment and liability human
Arrange insurance coverage.
#8200 · Supplemental · 5% automatable
Install straps, braces, and padding to loads to prevent shifting or damage during shipment.
physical manipulation — Manual packing for shipping
Package objects for shipping.
#20273 · Supplemental · 80% automatable
Check import or export documentation to determine cargo contents and use tariff coding system to classify goods according to fee or tariff group.
information retrieval — Cross-checks shipping docs against records and rules
Verify shipping documentation.
#8202 · Supplemental · 33% automatable
Coordinate and supervise activities of workers engaged in packing and shipping merchandise.
interpersonal — Supervising clerical staff is relational management work
Supervise clerical or administrative personnel.
#20275 · Supplemental · 50% automatable
Contact vendors or claims adjustment departments to resolve shipment problems or contact service depots to arrange for repairs.
decision support — AI drafts shipping coordination; external negotiation human
Coordinate shipping activities with external parties.
#8199 · Supplemental · 30% automatable
Inspect and count items received and check them against invoices or other documents, recording shortages and rejecting damaged goods.
visual inspection — AI can cross-check orders; physical verification human
Inspect items for damage or defects. Inspect shipments to ensure correct order fulfillment.
#8208 · Supplemental · 5% automatable
Route received goods to first available flight or to appropriate storage areas or departments, using forklifts, hand trucks, or other equipment.
physical manipulation — Hands-on vehicle and equipment operation
Operate vehicles or material-moving equipment.
#8198 · Supplemental · 4% automatable
Direct delivery trucks to shipping doors or designated marshaling areas and help load and unload goods safely.
physical manipulation — Physical loading of materials or equipment
Load materials or equipment. Unload materials or equipment.
#8210 · Supplemental · 5% automatable
Assemble containers and crates used to transport items, such as machines or vehicles.
physical manipulation — Wood assembly requires hands-on fitting and fastening
Assemble wood products.
#8209 · Supplemental · 70% automatable
Maintain a supply of packing materials.
data analysis — Materials inventory records and forecasting automatable
Maintain inventories of materials, equipment, or products.
#8204 · Supplemental · 22% automatable
Direct or participate in cargo loading to ensure completeness of load and even distribution of weight.
interpersonal — Managing clerical staff is supervisory accountability
Load materials or equipment. Manage clerical or administrative activities.
#8197 · Supplemental · 5% automatable
Pack goods for shipping, using tools such as staplers, strapping machines, and hammers.
physical manipulation — Manual packing for shipping
Package objects for shipping.
#8206 · Supplemental · 12% automatable
Attach address labels, identification codes, and shipping instructions to containers.
physical manipulation — Attaching tags to containers is physical
Attach identification information to products, items or containers.
#8205 · Supplemental · 4% automatable
Open cargo containers and unwrap contents, using steel cutters, crowbars, or other hand tools.
physical manipulation — Physical loading of materials or equipment
Load materials or equipment.
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How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
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