AI Automation Index

Will AI Replace Freight Forwarders?

Task-level automation exposure for Freight Forwarders: 31 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.

E-E-A-T Verified

Developed & audited by Gini Loh

Automation Exposure

67% weighted task index

31 of 31 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 67%

Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.

Physical work 0%

Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.

Judgment & influence 55%

Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.

Routine administration 25%

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 0/100 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

31 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) 80%

25 tasks

Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 20%

6 tasks

Low exposure (below 35%) 0%

0 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

#17693 · Core · 35% automatable

Negotiate shipping rates with freight carriers.

interpersonal — Financial negotiation needs mandate and trust

Negotiate financial arrangements.

#17684 · Core · 75% automatable

Arrange for special transport of sensitive cargoes, such as livestock, food, or medical supplies.

data analysis — Routing analysis from shipping data; human approves

Analyze shipping information to make routing decisions.

#17700 · Core · 68% automatable

Arrange for applicable duties, taxes, or paperwork for customs clearance.

text generation — Compliance docs drafted; human owns regulatory accuracy

Prepare documentation for contracts, transactions, or regulatory compliance.

#17689 · Core · 62% automatable

Inform clients of factors such as shipping options, timelines, transfers, or regulations affecting shipments.

information retrieval — AI explains policies; human handles live questions

Explain regulations, policies, or procedures.

#17687 · Core · 68% automatable

Prepare shipping documentation, such as bills of lading, packing lists, dock receipts, or certificates of origin.

text generation — Compliance docs drafted; human owns regulatory accuracy

Prepare documentation for contracts, transactions, or regulatory compliance.

#17701 · Core · 75% automatable

Complete customs paperwork.

text generation — Complete program documentation from inputs

Complete documentation required by programs or regulations.

#17696 · Core · 68% automatable

Prepare invoices or cost quotations for freight transportation.

text generation — Compliance docs drafted; human owns regulatory accuracy

Prepare documentation for contracts, transactions, or regulatory compliance.

#17680 · Core · 75% automatable

Select shipment routes, based on nature of goods shipped, transit times, or security needs.

data analysis — Routing analysis from shipping data; human approves

Analyze shipping information to make routing decisions.

#17686 · Core · 85% automatable

Calculate weight, volume, or cost of goods to be moved.

data analysis — Shipping cost calculation from rates and weights

Calculate shipping costs.

#17683 · Core · 75% automatable

Arrange delivery or storage of goods at destinations.

data analysis — Routing analysis from shipping data; human approves

Analyze shipping information to make routing decisions.

#19830 · Core · 75% automatable

Arrange for transport, using a variety of modes, such as rail, short sea shipping, air, or roadways, to minimize carbon emissions or other environmental impacts.

data analysis — Routing analysis from shipping data; human approves

Analyze shipping information to make routing decisions.

#17681 · Core · 75% automatable

Determine efficient and cost-effective methods of moving goods from one location to another.

data analysis — Routing analysis from shipping data; human approves

Analyze shipping information to make routing decisions.

#17695 · Core · 55% automatable

Pay or arrange for payment of freight or insurance fees or other charges.

data analysis — Financial execution software-mediated; authorization human

Execute sales or other financial transactions.

#17692 · Core · 60% automatable

Monitor or record locations of goods in transit.

information retrieval — Tracking via systems is digital; physical reconciliation needs humans

Track goods or materials.

#17690 · Core · 85% automatable

Keep records of goods dispatched or received.

data analysis — Record shipping information into structured fields

Record shipping information.

#17682 · Core · 50% automatable

Reserve necessary space on ships, aircraft, trains, or trucks.

decision support — AI drafts shipping coordination; external negotiation human

Coordinate shipping activities with external parties.

#17694 · Core · 55% automatable

Obtain or arrange cargo insurance.

decision support — Coverage arranged via systems; judgment and liability human

Arrange insurance coverage.

#17688 · Core · 72% automatable

Consolidate loads with a common destination to reduce costs to individual shippers.

data analysis — AI analyzes operations to flag efficiency gains

Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency.

#17703 · Core · 62% automatable

Provide detailed port information to importers or exporters.

information retrieval — AI explains policies; human handles live questions

Explain regulations, policies, or procedures.

#17704 · Core · 50% automatable

Provide shipment status notification to exporters, consignees, or insurers.

decision support — AI drafts shipping coordination; external negotiation human

Coordinate shipping activities with external parties.

#17698 · Core · 80% automatable

Verify proper packaging and labeling of exported goods.

information retrieval — Cross-checks shipping docs against records and rules

Verify shipping documentation.

#17699 · Core · 80% automatable

Verify adherence of documentation to customs, insurance, or regulatory requirements.

text generation — Document compliance checking against requirements is automatable

Examine documents to verify adherence to requirements.

#17691 · Core · 78% automatable

Maintain current knowledge of relevant legislation, political situations, or other factors that could affect freight shipping.

information retrieval — AI curates updates; human maintains working knowledge

Maintain current knowledge related to work activities.

#17697 · Supplemental · 60% automatable

Recommend or arrange appropriate merchandise packing methods, according to climate, terrain, weight, nature of goods, or costs.

decision support — Suggests methods; physical constraints need human check

Recommend packing or shipping methods.

#17705 · Supplemental · 70% automatable

Refer exporters to experts in areas such as trade financing, international marketing, government export requirements, international banking, or marine insurance.

decision support — Routing referrals from criteria; human confirms fit

Refer customers to appropriate personnel.

#17702 · Supplemental · 42% automatable

Make arrangements with customs brokers to facilitate the passage of goods through customs.

interpersonal — Arranging operations requires live human negotiation

Confer with others to conduct or arrange operational activities.

#19832 · Supplemental · 60% automatable

Recommend shipping solutions to minimize cost or environmental impacts.

decision support — Suggests methods; physical constraints need human check

Recommend packing or shipping methods.

#19833 · Supplemental · 75% automatable

Review the environmental records of freight carriers to inform shipping decisions.

data analysis — Routing analysis from shipping data; human approves

Analyze shipping information to make routing decisions.

#19829 · Supplemental · 75% automatable

Analyze shipping routes to determine how to minimize environmental impact.

data analysis — Routing analysis from shipping data; human approves

Analyze shipping information to make routing decisions.

#19831 · Supplemental · 60% automatable

Consider environmental sustainability factors when determining merchandise packing methods.

decision support — Suggests methods; physical constraints need human check

Recommend packing or shipping methods.

#17685 · Supplemental · 72% automatable

Assist clients in obtaining insurance reimbursements.

text generation — Drafting and completing forms with human review

Assist individuals with paperwork.

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Community Sentiment

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Method

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

See the full method →

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