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Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies in the US Industry Data and Analysis
In recent years, freight forwarders and non-vessel-operating common carriers (NVOCCs) have operated in an environment marked by recurring margin pressure despite moderate revenue gains. Major ocean carriers have expanded direct-to-shipper services, compressing the role and revenue base of intermediaries by reducing reliance on traditional forwarding and agency networks. Scrutiny of fraudulent practices, including double brokering, has intensified, as unauthorized intermediaries divert commissions and undermine trust in contractual relationships. At the same time, fluctuating cargo space availability has pushed up the cost of securing shipboard slots. Elevated spot and contract rates have boosted gross revenue; however, much of this upside has been offset by higher capacity and transport payments to underlying carriers, limiting the expansion of pass-through profit for forwarders and NVOCCs.
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What's included in this industry analysis
IBISWorld's research coverage on the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States includes market sizing, forecasting, data and analysis from 2015-2030. The most recent publication was released December 2025.
About this industry
What's this industry report about?
The Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States operates under the NAICS industry code 48851. Freight forwarding brokerages and agencies coordinate the transport of goods between shippers and carriers. These businesses, commonly referred to as freight forwarders, marine shipping agents, or customs brokers, provide services that cover various transportation modes. Although they operate as intermediaries, the cost of arranging shipments is not counted as industry revenue. Related terms covered in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States include less-than-truckload (ltl), less-than-container load (lcl), just-in-time (jit) and integrated logistic services.
What's included in this industry?
Products and services covered in Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States include Domestic freight transportation arrangement services, International freight forwarding and customs brokerage services and Non-vessel operating common carrier services.
What companies are included in this industry?
Companies covered in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States include Deutsche Post Ag, United Parcel Service, Inc. and C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc.
Performance
What's included in the Performance chapter?
The Performance chapter covers detailed analysis, datasets, detailed current performance, sources of volatility and an outlook with forecasts for the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States.
Questions answered in this chapter include what's driving current industry performance, what influences industry volatility, how do successful businesses overcome volatility, what's driving the industry outlook. This analysis is supported with data and statistics on industry revenues, costs, profits, businesses and employees.
Products & Markets
What's included in the Products and Markets chapter?
The Products and Markets chapter covers detailed products and service segmentation and analysis of major markets for the for the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States.
Questions answered in this chapter include how are the industry's products and services performing, what are innovations in industry products and services, what products or services do successful businesses offer and what's influencing demand from the industry's markets. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by product and service segmentation and major markets.
Geographic Breakdown
What's included in the Geographic Breakdown chapter?
The Geographic Breakdown chapter covers detailed analysis and datasets on regional performance of the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States.
Questions answered in this chapter include where are industry businesses located and how do businesses use location to their advantage. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by location.
Competitive Forces
What's included in the Competitive Forces chapter?
The Competitive Forces chapter covers the concentration, barriers to entry and supplier and buyer profiles in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States. This includes data and statistics on industry market share concentration, barriers to entry, substitute products and buyer & supplier power.
Questions answered in this chapter include what impacts the industry's market share concentration, how do successful businesses handle concentration, what challenges do potential industry entrants face, how can potential entrants overcome barriers to entry, what are substitutes for industry services, how do successful businesses compete with substitutes and what power do buyers and suppliers have over the industry and how do successful businesses manage buyer & supplier power.
Companies
What's included in the Companies chapter?
The Companies chapter covers Key Takeaways, Market Share and Companies in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States. This includes data and analysis on companies operating in the industry that hold a market share greater than 5%.
Questions answered in this chapter include what companies have a meaningful market share and how each company is performing.
External Environment
What's included in the External Environment chapter?
The External Environment chapter covers Key Takeaways, External Drivers, Regulation & Policy and Assistance in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States. This includes data and statistics on factors impacting industry revenue such as economic indicators, regulation, policy and assistance programs.
Questions answered in this chapter include what demographic and macroeconomic factors impact the industry, what regulations impact the industry, what assistance is available to this industry.
Financial Benchmarks
What's included in the Financial Benchmarks chapter?
The Financial Benchmarks chapter covers Key Takeaways, Cost Structure, Financial Ratios, Valuation Multiples and Key Ratios in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States. This includes financial data and statistics on industry performance including key cost inputs, profitability, key financial ratios and enterprise value multiples.
Questions answered in this chapter include what trends impact industry costs and how financial ratios have changed overtime.
Industry Data
What's included in the Industry Data chapter?
The Industry Data chapter includes 10 years of historical data with 5 years of forecast data covering statistics like revenue, industry value add, establishments, enterprises, employment and wages in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the market size of the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States in 2026?
The market size of the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States is $127.7bn in 2026.
How many businesses are there in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States in 2025?
There are 75,407 businesses in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States, which has grown at a CAGR of 0.3 % between 2020 and 2025.
How may import tariffs affect the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States?
The Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States is unlikely to be materially impacted by import tariffs with imports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
How may export tariffs affect the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States?
The Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States is unlikely to be materially impacted by export tariffs with exports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
Has the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States grown or declined over the past 5 years?
The market size of the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States has been growing at a CAGR of 2.0 % between 2020 and 2025.
What is the forecast growth of the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States over the next 5 years?
Over the next five years, the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States is expected to grow.
What are the biggest companies in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States?
The biggest companies operating in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States are Deutsche Post Ag, United Parcel Service, Inc. and C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc.
What does the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States include?
Domestic freight transportation arrangement services and International freight forwarding and customs brokerage services are part of the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States.
Which companies have the highest market share in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States?
The company holding the most market share in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States is Deutsche Post Ag.
How competitive is the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States?
The level of competition is high and steady in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in the United States.
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