As of July of this year, there are more than 90,000 freight forwarding brokerages and agencies in the United States. Each one of the freight broker professionals working in these brokerages and agencies at some point received training on how to broker freight in the trucking industry. If you’re new to the transportation industry and are interested in becoming a freight broker, the sheer number of training options available to you may feel overwhelming. In this blog, we outline the three main training options available to those who want to become freight brokers and the advantage offered by each type of training.
Take a Freight Broker Training Course (Online or In Person)
One popular option for freight broker training is to take freight broker courses at a traditional college, vocational school or university. For example, North Carolina State University offers freight broker courses as part of its continuing education program. In many cases, you have the option to take these freight broker training courses as in person classes or online. In addition to traditional colleges and universities, you can get trained through freight broker training schools. Training through a freight broker training school may be online, in person or hybrid.
One of the most respected (and well-known) freight broker training courses in the industry is the Transportation Intermediaries Association’s Certified Transportation Broker (CTB) program. TIA’s CTB program offers you the highest level of broker certification in the industry and may be required if you want to work for a third party logistics provider.
Apprenticeship Programs
Another option is to complete an apprenticeship in freight brokerage. The advantage of completing your training through an apprenticeship program is that you have the opportunity to immediately apply newly learned knowledge and skills in the real world. You also may be paid as part of the apprenticeship program. In addition to its CTB program, TIA offers a U.S. Department of Labor registered apprenticeship program in freight brokerage. As a TIA National Apprenticeship Programapprentice, you receive job-related training while working in a participating freight brokerage or 3PL business. Individual colleges, universities, businesses and regional associations also may offer freight broker apprenticeships.
On the Job Freight Broker Training
The third and final option for broker training is on the job training, which is one of the most popular ways to get trained in freight brokerage. Given the current labor market, a freight brokerage business or logistics company may be willing to pay you a full salary and generous benefits while you learn how to be a freight broker on the job. If you search for freight broker jobs in the greater Atlanta area on Indeed.com right now, there are more than 1,400 open jobs for which you don’t need previous freight brokerage experience, which means these employers will provide you with free on the job freight broker training.
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