Workflows in scope
Track and trace and status updates are simpler to staff than billing preparation or multi-account customer service.
Freight broker outsourcing cost
What does it cost to outsource freight broker operations?
The honest answer starts with what the work costs you today. A U.S. coordinator earning the BLS median costs roughly $5,910 a month in compensation alone, before recruiting, supervision and turnover. A dedicated Optimus coordinator starts at $2,150 per agent per month. Here is how the three options compare.
Freight brokers · 3PLs · Transportation companies
You
- Rates and carriers
- Customer commitments
- Exception decisions
- Your systems and licenses
Optimus
- Recruiting and employment
- Payroll and benefits
- Supervision and QA
- Replacement hiring
Compare who pays for each line, not just the hourly rate.
Dedicated nearshore support
Starting at $2,150 / agent / month
Dedicated bilingual remote coordinators in Colombia, working alongside your U.S. operations.
Start with just one coordinator.
Included in your Managed Pod
- Recruitment and employment administration
- Named Optimus supervision
- Routine quality assurance
- Weekly performance visibility
- Monthly operational reviews and escalation support
Standard remote operations during agreed U.S. business hours. Office-based delivery, additional equipment such as a second monitor, extended coverage, specialized software and other requirements are quoted separately.
Get a free workflow splitStart with the fully loaded cost of a U.S. hire.
The salary is the smallest surprise. These are the lines a coordinator's real cost is built from.
| Cost line | Planning reference | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Wage | ~$4,356 per month ($25.13/hr × 2,080 hours ÷ 12) | BLS May 2025 median, Cargo and Freight Agents |
| Benefits and payroll costs | ~$1,554 per month | BLS ECEC June 2026: wages are 73.7% of total compensation at employers with 1–99 workers |
| Total compensation | ~$5,910 per month (~$70,923 a year) | Wage ÷ 73.7% |
| Recruiting and onboarding | Not included above | Job ads, interviews, training time, ramp-up |
| Supervision and QA | Not included above | The manager hours spent directing and checking the work |
| Turnover and coverage | Not included above | Vacations, sick days and the cost of replacing someone who leaves |
Illustrative planning figures from public BLS data, not Optimus pricing. The method and sources are in our outsourcing vs. hiring locally cost comparison.
Three ways to cover the same coordinator workload.
The hourly rate is not the comparison. The responsibilities behind it are.
| U.S. in-house hire | Freelance or VA agency | Dedicated nearshore coordinator | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advertised price | ~$5,910/month in compensation | Listings from about $4.50–$7 per hour (public VA-agency pages, October 2026) | Starting at $2,150 per agent per month (remote, U.S. business hours) |
| Who employs the person | You | The freelancer, or the agency | Optimus |
| Dedicated to your account | Yes | Varies; often shared | Yes |
| Supervision and QA | Your managers | Usually you | Named Optimus supervision in a Managed Pod |
| Replacement if they leave | You recruit again | Varies | Optimus recruits the replacement |
| Hours | Your hours | Often offshore time zones | North American business hours from Colombia |
| Works inside your TMS | Yes | Usually | Yes, with the access you grant |
VA pricing is shown as advertised starting rates on public pages, not quotes. Read each provider's terms for what is included.
What drives the price of a nearshore coordinator.
Optimus starts at $2,150 per dedicated agent per month for remote work during U.S. business hours. These are the factors that move the number from there.
Hours and coverage
Standard schedules follow Eastern, Central or Pacific business hours. Evenings, weekends and overnight coverage are scoped and priced separately.
Language and channels
Phone-heavy, bilingual carrier and driver contact needs different profiles than email and portal work.
Oversight model
A Managed Pod includes named supervision, QA and reporting. A Transition Pod leaves daily management with your team and costs less.
Volume pattern
Steady daily volume fits one person. Spiky volume may need coverage planning before it fits a single seat.
Office and equipment
Office-based delivery in Barranquilla and extra equipment, such as a second monitor, are quoted on top of the remote base price.
Systems and access
Working in your TMS and portals is standard. Specialized software, integrations or custom tooling are quoted separately.
Frequently asked questions
Scope, coverage hours and pricing are confirmed in your proposal.
How much does freight broker outsourcing cost?
It depends on the workflows, hours and oversight you need. The useful baseline is your in-house cost: a U.S. coordinator at the BLS median wage of $25.13 an hour costs roughly $5,910 a month in total compensation before recruiting, supervision and turnover. A dedicated Optimus coordinator starts at $2,150 per agent per month for remote work during U.S. business hours; your proposal confirms the final price before anything starts.
How much does a freight broker virtual assistant cost?
Public VA-agency pages in October 2026 advertised starting rates of about $4.50 to $7 an hour. Check what that rate includes: whether the person is dedicated to you, who supervises and checks the work, who replaces them if they leave, and which hours they cover.
How is outsourcing priced: per load, per hour or per month?
Providers use all three. Per-load and per-task pricing suits narrow, countable work. Per-hour pricing is common for freelancers. A dedicated coordinator is usually priced per person per month, which is how Optimus quotes, because the person works your queue during your hours.
How do I calculate the cost of outsourcing?
Add up what the work costs in-house: wage, benefits and payroll taxes, recruiting, the manager time spent supervising it, and the cost of coverage gaps and turnover. Compare that with the provider's monthly price plus the time your team will still spend on escalations and oversight.
What does the $2,150 starting price include?
A dedicated bilingual coordinator working remotely from Colombia during agreed U.S. business hours, with recruitment and employment administration, named Optimus supervision, routine quality assurance, weekly performance visibility, and monthly operational reviews and escalation support. Office-based delivery, extra equipment such as a second monitor, extended coverage and specialized software are quoted separately.
Is outsourcing cheaper than hiring a coordinator in the U.S.?
For recurring, rule-based work it usually is, once recruiting, supervision and turnover are counted. It is not cheaper for work that depends on judgment, pricing authority or customer relationships; that work should stay with your team.
Price the part of the job that can actually move.
Send one coordinator job description. We will return a free one-page split of what to keep in-house and what to delegate, within 2 business days, so any price you see is for real work.