Freight Transportation Arrangement
Description
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in arranging transportation of freight between shippers and carriers. These establishments are usually known as freight forwarders, marine shipping agents, or customs brokers and offer a combination of services spanning transportation modes but do not directly provide shipping services.
Hierarchy
| Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 48 | Transportation and Warehousing 2-digit sector | The Sector as a Whole The Transportation and Warehousing sector includes industries providing transportation of passengers and cargo, warehousing and storage for goods, scenic and sightseeing transportation, and support activities related to modes of transportation. Establishments in these industries use transportation equipment or transportation-related facilities as a productive asset. The type of equipment depends on the mode of transportation. The modes of transportation are air, rail, water, road, and pipeline. The Transportation and Warehousing sector distinguishes three basic types of activities: subsectors for each mode of transportation, a subsector for warehousing and storage, and a subsector for establishments providing support activities for transportation. In addition, there are subsectors for establishments that provide passenger transportation for scenic and sightseeing purposes, postal services, and courier services. A separate subsector for support activities is established in the sector because, first, support activities for transportation are inherently multimodal, such as freight transportation arrangement, or have multimodal aspects. Secondly, there are production process similarities among the support activity industries. One of the support activities identified in the Support Activities for Transportation subsector is the routine repair and maintenance of transportation equipment (e.g., aircraft at an airport, railroad rolling stock at a railroad terminal, or ships at a harbor or port facility). Such establishments do not perform complete overhauling or rebuilding of transportation equipment (i.e., periodic restoration of transportation equipment to original design specifications) or transportation equipment conversion (i.e., major modification to systems). An establishment that primarily performs factory (or shipyard) overhauls, rebuilding, or conversions of aircraft, railroad rolling stock, or ships is classified in Subsector 336, Transportation Equipment Manufacturing, according to the type of equipment. Many of the establishments in this sector often operate on networks, with physical facilities, labor forces, and equipment spread over an extensive geographic area. Warehousing establishments in this sector are distinguished from merchant wholesaling in that the warehouse establishments do not sell the goods. Excluded from this sector are establishments primarily engaged in providing travel agent, travel arrangement, and reservation services that support transportation establishments, hotels, other businesses, and government agencies. These establishments are classified in Sector 56, Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services. Establishments primarily engaged in providing rental and leasing of transportation equipment without operator are classified in Subsector 532, Rental and Leasing Services. Establishments primarily engaged in providing medical care with transportation are classified in Sector 62, Health Care and Social Assistance. |
| 488 | Support Activities for Transportation 3-digit subsector | Industries in the Support Activities for Transportation subsector provide services which support transportation. These services may be provided to transportation carrier establishments or to the general public. This subsector includes a wide array of establishments, including air traffic control services, marine cargo handling, and motor vehicle towing. The Support Activities for Transportation subsector includes services to transportation, separated by type of mode serviced. The Support Activities for Rail Transportation industry includes services to the rail industry (e.g., railroad switching and terminal establishments). Ship repair and maintenance services not done in a shipyard are included in the Other Support Activities for Water Transportation industry. An example would be floating drydock services in a harbor. Excluded from this subsector are establishments primarily engaged in providing factory conversion and overhaul of transportation equipment, which are classified in Subsector 336, Transportation Equipment Manufacturing. Establishments primarily engaged in providing rental and leasing of transportation equipment without operator are classified in Subsector 532, Rental and Leasing Services. Also, establishments primarily engaged in providing travel arrangement and reservation services are classified in Industry Group 5615, Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services. |
| 4885 | Freight Transportation Arrangement 4-digit industry group | Industries in the Support Activities for Transportation subsector provide services which support transportation. These services may be provided to transportation carrier establishments or to the general public. This subsector includes a wide array of establishments, including air traffic control services, marine cargo handling, and motor vehicle towing. The Support Activities for Transportation subsector includes services to transportation, separated by type of mode serviced. The Support Activities for Rail Transportation industry includes services to the rail industry (e.g., railroad switching and terminal establishments). Ship repair and maintenance services not done in a shipyard are included in the Other Support Activities for Water Transportation industry. An example would be floating drydock services in a harbor. Excluded from this subsector are establishments primarily engaged in providing factory conversion and overhaul of transportation equipment, which are classified in Subsector 336, Transportation Equipment Manufacturing. Establishments primarily engaged in providing rental and leasing of transportation equipment without operator are classified in Subsector 532, Rental and Leasing Services. Also, establishments primarily engaged in providing travel arrangement and reservation services are classified in Industry Group 5615, Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services. |
| 48851 | Freight Transportation Arrangement 5-digit NAICS industry | See industry description for 488510. |
| 488510 | Freight Transportation Arrangement 6-digit U.S. detail | This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in arranging transportation of freight between shippers and carriers. These establishments are usually known as freight forwarders, marine shipping agents, or customs brokers and offer a combination of services spanning transportation modes but do not directly provide shipping services. |
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Classification References
- 01Establishments primarily engaged in tariff and freight rate consulting services are classified in U.S. Industry 541614, Process, Physical Distribution, and Logistics Consulting Services.
Index Items
Agents, shipping
Customs brokers
Freight forwarding
Marine shipping agency
Shipping agents (freight forwarding)
How Item Can Help
Optimizes freight brokerage workflows by automating carrier selection, rate comparison, and load consolidation to reduce operational costs and improve on-time performance.
Manages the complex coordination of multiple fulfillment channels to ensure seamless order routing and accurate status updates across distributed shipping partners.
Provides actionable insights into shipping trends, carrier reliability, and cost volatility to enable strategic negotiation and proactive supply chain planning.
External Resources
Census.gov NAICS Detail
Official US Census Bureau definition and scope for NAICS 488510.
Freight Watchers
A non-profit trade association and service provider for trucking companies and freight shippers offering networking and supply chain tools.
U.S. Department of Transportation - Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
A US government agency responsible for regulating hazardous materials transportation and safety standards across the freight logistics industry.
FreightWaves
A leading industry directory and data platform providing real-time freight market intelligence, rate trends, and shippers of last resort.
