Employee retention has become one of the biggest challenges facing freight recruitment today. Competition for experienced freight forwarding professionals, customs specialists and freight sales professionals remains high, making it increasingly difficult for employers to retain experienced talent. While freight forwarding salaries have continued to rise, many businesses are discovering that salary alone is no longer enough to keep their best people. Average freight forwarding operations salaries have increased by 19% since 2020.
By most standards, that's a healthy level of salary growth.
According to recent analysis from Freight Appointments, average operations salaries increased from $57,389 in 2020 to $68,513 in 2025, while freight sales salaries surpassed $100,000 for the first time. Analysis of those conversations and recent placements across the United States freight forwarding market reveals a clear pattern: compensation remains important, but it is rarely the primary reason experienced professionals begin exploring the market. On paper, higher salaries should make attracting and retaining talent easier. However, our conversations with candidates suggest the reality is far more complex.
In reality, many freight forwarding operators continue to experience significant employee turnover.
After analysing hundreds of candidate conversations and placements across the United States freight forwarding market, a clear pattern has emerged: compensation remains important, but it is rarely the primary reason experienced professionals begin exploring the market.
The question is no longer whether salaries matter - they clearly do. The more useful question is what persuades experienced freight forwarding professionals to leave even when salaries continue to rise.
Career Progression Has Become More Valuable Than Salary Growth
The most consistent theme emerging from candidate conversations is progression.
Many operations professionals feel they have reached a ceiling within their organisation. They may have received incremental salary increases over several years but still feel no closer to broader responsibilities, leadership opportunities, or meaningful career development.
This is particularly common among experienced import and export operators who have become highly specialised within one area of the business.
For employers, this creates an important challenge.
A salary increase can often solve a compensation issue. It rarely solves a progression issue.
When employees cannot see a realistic pathway forward, external opportunities become increasingly attractive regardless of whether the financial uplift is significant.
The Industry's Best Operators Want Broader Responsibility
One of the more interesting trends emerging in 2026 is that many candidates are not necessarily seeking promotion.
They are seeking exposure.
Experienced operators frequently tell recruiters they want:
- A-Z shipment ownership
- Key account responsibility
- Cross-training across air and ocean freight
- Greater customer engagement
- Exposure to commercial decision-making
This reflects a broader shift within the market.
Professionals increasingly understand that broad operational exposure creates long-term career value.
Employers who continue to operate highly segmented teams may find retention becomes more difficult as candidates seek environments that allow them to develop wider skill sets.
Operational Burnout Remains a Significant Retention Risk
The freight forwarding industry has always demanded resilience.
However, many businesses continue to underestimate the cumulative impact of operational pressure on experienced teams.
Unlike salary discussions, burnout rarely appears overnight.
Instead, it develops gradually through:
- Consistently high workloads
- Limited support structures
- Customer escalation management
- Reactive operational environments
- Ongoing staffing shortages
Interestingly, candidates rarely describe burnout using that word.
Instead, recruiters hear phrases such as:
"I just don't enjoy the job anymore."
"I'm constantly firefighting."
"It feels like we're always short staffed."
By the time these conversations begin, retention risk is already high.
Leadership Quality Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage
Many freight businesses compete aggressively on salary.
Far fewer compete on leadership.
Yet candidate conversations suggest management quality remains one of the strongest influences on employee retention.
The difference is often visible when comparing businesses with similar compensation structures.
One business experiences consistent employee turnover, while another retains experienced operators for years.
The distinction is rarely salary.
More often, it is communication, support, recognition, and leadership credibility.
As the recruitment market becomes increasingly competitive, leadership quality is becoming a genuine differentiator.
Mergers Continue to Create Unexpected Retention Challenges
Consolidation continues to reshape the freight forwarding industry, with mergers and acquisitions becoming increasingly common.
While mergers and acquisitions often make commercial sense, they frequently create uncertainty within operations teams.
Candidates commonly cite concerns around:
- Organisational restructuring
- Leadership changes
- New policies and processes
- Team instability
- Cultural shifts
What's particularly notable is that turnover often begins long before any formal changes occur.
Uncertainty itself can be enough to encourage employees to explore alternative opportunities.
For businesses navigating acquisitions or integration projects, retention planning is becoming just as important as recruitment planning.
Stability Is Increasingly Influencing Career Decisions
Perhaps the most significant trend emerging from our conversations is the growing importance of long-term stability.
Following several years of economic volatility, many candidates are placing greater emphasis on long-term stability than short-term financial gain.
This is especially common among experienced professionals who have already achieved competitive salaries.
For these candidates, questions increasingly focus on:
- Business growth plans
- Leadership stability
- Organisational direction
- Long-term opportunities
- Investment in people and technology
In many cases, a candidate will accept a smaller salary increase if they believe the opportunity offers stronger long-term prospects.
What Employers Should Take Away From This
The freight forwarding salary market remains strong.
Operations salaries have increased 19% since 2020.
Sales salaries have increased 18%.
Air freight professionals continue to command a premium, while export operators typically earn more than their import counterparts.
Yet the data suggests an important lesson.
For many freight forwarding businesses, recruitment strategies remain heavily focused on compensation. While competitive salaries will always play an important role in attracting experienced freight forwarding professionals, retaining them requires a broader employee value proposition. Organisations that invest in career progression, leadership capability, operational support and long-term development are likely to be better positioned to retain experienced talent in an increasingly competitive freight recruitment market.
The employers achieving the strongest retention outcomes are increasingly those that view employee value propositions through a broader lens than compensation alone.
As competition for experienced freight forwarding professionals continues throughout 2026, that distinction is becoming more important than ever.
Looking for Market Insight on Freight Recruitment?
Freight Appointments specialises exclusively in freight forwarding, logistics and supply chain recruitment across North America, Europe, Australia and the UK.
Whether you're looking to benchmark salaries, improve employee retention or hire experienced freight forwarding professionals, our team can provide the market intelligence to support your hiring strategy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are freight forwarding operators leaving their jobs in 2026?
Based on candidate conversations conducted by Freight Appointments, the most common reasons include limited career progression, operational burnout, poor management, lack of broader responsibilities, organisational changes, and concerns around long-term stability. While salary remains important, it is often not the primary factor driving career moves.
Is salary the biggest reason freight forwarding professionals change jobs?
Not always. Although freight forwarding salaries have increased significantly in recent years, many candidates cite progression opportunities, workplace culture, leadership quality and work-life balance as stronger motivators when considering a new role.
Have freight forwarding salaries increased?
Yes. According to Freight Appointments placement data, average freight forwarding operations salaries increased from $57,389 in 2020 to $68,513 in 2025, representing 19% growth over five years. Freight sales salaries also increased from $88,061 to $103,947 during the same period.
Which freight forwarding roles pay the highest salaries?
Recent salary analysis found that freight sales professionals are among the highest-paid roles in the industry, earning an average salary of $103,947. Within operations, air freight professionals typically earn more than ocean freight operators, while export specialists often earn more than import specialists.
How can freight forwarding companies improve employee retention?
Successful employers focus on more than compensation. Clear career pathways, leadership development, cross-training opportunities, flexible working arrangements and positive workplace culture all contribute to stronger retention outcomes.
What skills are most in demand in freight forwarding?
Candidates with air freight expertise, multimodal experience, customs knowledge, specialist trade lane experience, customer relationship management skills and freight technology expertise continue to be highly sought after by employers.
Are freight forwarding companies struggling to hire?
Many businesses continue to face challenges attracting and retaining experienced professionals. Competition for skilled operators, customs specialists, freight sales professionals and leadership talent remains high across the freight forwarding sector.
How do I benchmark freight forwarding salaries?
Working with a specialist freight recruitment agency can provide access to current market salary data, hiring trends and candidate expectations. Regular salary benchmarking helps employers remain competitive when attracting and retaining talent.
Why are freight forwarding companies finding it difficult to retain staff?
Retention challenges are being driven by a combination of increased competition for experienced professionals, limited career progression opportunities, leadership quality, operational workload and changing candidate expectations. While salary remains important, many candidates now place equal value on long-term development, stability and workplace culture.
