Independent Freight Agent - Ocean Import, Iron & Steel (Commission-Only)

Sales department
Chicago, IL, US
Commission

If you run an independent Iron & Steel import book and want pure economics with no base and no approval chain, this track pays 40% of gross profit in Year 1 and 33% thereafter, with no cap. Your accounts stay attributed to you from day one, and Skypace's operations team executes delivery while you keep selling.

About Skypace

Skypace serves shippers whose freight programs depend on consistent execution across repeated ocean movements, multiple service providers, and constant commercial pressure on cost, timing, and space allocation. For these companies, performance is shaped by how systematically pricing, allocation, and milestone visibility move alongside the shipment itself.

Skypace operates a global operating environment where this coordination is built into the workflow as a structural standard. Shippers, carriers, drayage providers, and internal teams operate through a shared data structure that accumulates context, supports timely decisions, and preserves the operational record across the shipment lifecycle.

Today, this model supports more than 150 customers across 18 countries through direct integrations with top 10 ocean carriers, among them MSC, Maersk, CMA CGM, COSCO, and Hapag-Lloyd. The operating environment optimizes shipper performance across freight cost, communication discipline, error reduction, booking speed, and visibility into how each participating party performs against commitment.

Operational data accumulates as a clean, structured record that supports continuous process improvement today and becomes foundational as supply chains integrate AI-driven decision agents into planning, execution, and exception handling.

Why this role exists

California and Houston already run commission-only and project tracks. This track extends the model to independent Iron & Steel import through West Coast and Southeast gateways railed inland to Chicago and the Midwest, a segment where independent agents run portable books. Skypace provides negotiated carrier allocation, anti-dumping documentation, mill test certificate handling, and freight audit defense, and transparent pricing, so the agent sells while operations executes.

Work hours: Independent contractor, Central time zone

Experience: 5+ years (60 months)

Base salary: Approximately $200,000 Year 1 commission at a $500,000 GP book (40% rate)

Incentive: Commission-only contractor. Year 1: 40% of GP, no cap, no base. Year 2 and beyond: 33% of GP. Bonus accelerator: 10% of GP on three highest GP months.

Qualifications:

5+ years in ocean freight sales or independent freight agency with an existing book of iron & steel importer accounts

Book scope of $500,000 or more in annual gross profit, or a credible documented path within Year 1

At a $500,000 GP book the Year 1 rate of 40% supports approximately $200,000 in agent earnings

Fluency in anti-dumping and countervailing duty exposure, mill test certificate handling, and heavy-cargo planning

Direct relationships at owner-operator, plant logistics, or procurement level

Independent CRM operation

Responsibilities:

Activate and grow an independent portfolio of Midwest Iron & Steel importer accounts

Track overall portfolio performance and expand the book

Partner with the procurement and account management teams to build more competitive service proposals for customers across pricing, technology, and scale

Track attribution in CRM from day one of activation, with operations executing delivery

Skills:

Independent freight agency

Ocean freight import sales, iron and steel import, anti-dumping documentation

Mill test certificate handling

Freight audit

Account portfolio growth

Independent contractor operation

How the operation runs

Skypace operates on a proactive monitoring discipline. Milestones are tracked through live data across the entire shipment ecosystem. When a deviation in schedule, cost, or capacity surfaces within the operating environment, Skypace initiates the next operational action before the client encounters the problem.

The instant-quote and online booking engine compresses commercial response time from days to minutes. Carrier MQC commitments hold during peak season, which is the period when allocation decides whether a shipper's seasonal cycle preserves its margin or absorbs unplanned cost.

The quote engine surfaces every accessorial at the quote stage, including peak surcharges, GRI, port congestion fees, drayage components, and specialty equipment or reefer plug charges where applicable. The number the client sees at quote stands on the invoice. Skypace treats pricing integrity as a commercial discipline that holds from quote through to settlement.

Job application form

Candidate Assesment
Given the high volume of applicants, we truly appreciate those who recognize the value of the supply chain transformation that Skypace brings as both a forwarder and a technology partner for our clients. Based on your experience and understanding of the position, please share your thoughts on how you believe your career and professional experience would evolve if you joined Skypace in this role.

Required Screening Questions

Please describe your largest iron & steel account: origin market, US gateway, approximate annual volume, and how soon you could move the first shipment to Skypace.
If you have any questions for our team after reviewing the role and Skypace, feel free to leave them below (optional).
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