Forwarding manager to non-vessel operating common carrier
A forwarding manager already meets 58% of what the non-vessel operating common carrier role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
48.9/ 100
1 How much of what a non-vessel operating common carrier is expected to do is already part of a forwarding manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the non-vessel operating common carrier role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A non-vessel operating common carrier role treats 15 of its required skills as things a forwarding manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse shipping rates
- apply procedures to ensure cargo complies with customs regulations
- book cargo
- control trade commercial documentation
- coordinate export transportation activities
- coordinate import transportation activities
What stands in the way is 9 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 17 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A non-vessel operating common carrier role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a forwarding manager background worth leading with.
- already held oversee cargo storage requirements management skills
- already held book cargo communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held make bids in forward auctions communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held prepare bills of lading information skills
- already held keep up-to-date to current customs regulations information skills
- already held analyse shipping rates information skills
All 17 carried skills, including the 15 the non-vessel operating common carrier role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 16 missing skills fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn manage import export licenses required
- still to learn prepare freight shipment reports required
- still to learn weigh shipments required
- still to learn use maritime English required
- optional, not held act reliably optional
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- still to learn international tariffs required
- optional, not held international business optional
- still to learn cartography required
- optional, not held types of maritime vessels optional
- still to learn types of packaging used in industrial shipments required
- optional, not held vessel stability principles optional
- still to learn ensure compliance with shipment regulations required
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a non-vessel operating common carrier role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 cartography study this
- 02 ensure compliance with shipment regulations practise this
- 03 international tariffs study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 17 skills that carry over
- already held analyse shipping rates skill
- already held apply procedures to ensure cargo complies with customs regulations skill
- already held book cargo skill
- already held control trade commercial documentation skill
- already held coordinate export transportation activities skill
- already held coordinate import transportation activities skill
- already held handle shipment paperwork skill
- already held keep up-to-date to current customs regulations skill
- already held make bids in forward auctions skill
- already held manage freight payment methods skill
- already held oversee cargo storage requirements skill
- already held plan transport operations skill
- already held prepare bills of lading skill
- already held principles of cargo stowage knowledge
- already held set import export strategies skill
- already held negotiate logistics services skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn match vessels to shipping routes required
- optional, not held receive shipment packaging information optional
- optional, not held have computer literacy optional
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held receive shipment packaging information optional
- optional, not held types of maritime vessels optional
- optional, not held vessel stability principles optional
- optional, not held act reliably optional
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held have computer literacy optional
- optional, not held international business optional
31 held skills the non-vessel operating common carrier role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adapt to changing situations skill
- not needed by the target role administer multi-modal logistics skill
- not needed by the target role analyse supply chain trends skill
- not needed by the target role analyse work-related written reports skill
- not needed by the target role assess carriers skill
- not needed by the target role communicate commercial and technical issues in foreign languages skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with shipment forwarders skill
- not needed by the target role create a work atmosphere of continuous improvement skill
- not needed by the target role create import-export commercial documentation skill
- not needed by the target role develop efficiency plans for logistics operations skill
- not needed by the target role develop transportation cost metrics skill
- not needed by the target role ensure legal accreditation for forwarding agent operations skill
- not needed by the target role foster relationships with various types of carrier skill
- not needed by the target role freight transport methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role implement cost-effective cargo handling strategies on ships skill
- not needed by the target role implement short term objectives skill
- not needed by the target role inspect carrier documents skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with transportation services skill
- not needed by the target role manage carriers skill
- not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
- not needed by the target role manage medium term objectives skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate price skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate service with providers skill
- not needed by the target role non vessel operating common carrier regulations skill
- not needed by the target role oversee shipment routing skill
- not needed by the target role plan medium to long term objectives skill
- not needed by the target role prepare documentation for international shipping skill
- not needed by the target role provide advice to clients in terms of export restrictions skill
- not needed by the target role provide advice to clients in terms of import restrictions skill
- not needed by the target role supply chain management knowledge
- not needed by the target role work in a logistics team skill
6 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn cartography required
- still to learn international tariffs required
- still to learn types of packaging used in industrial shipments required
- optional, not held types of maritime vessels optional
- optional, not held vessel stability principles optional
- optional, not held international business optional
Common questions about this move
Can a forwarding manager become a non-vessel operating common carrier?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A forwarding manager already covers 58% of what a non-vessel operating common carrier is expected to do: 17 skills carry over, 15 of which the non-vessel operating common carrier role treats as required.
What skills does a forwarding manager need to become a non-vessel operating common carrier?
9 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is cartography.
How hard is the move from forwarding manager to non-vessel operating common carrier?
Its learning distance is 48.9 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.