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Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies in Canada Industry Data and Analysis
Over the last five years, the industry has reflected responses to evolving inventory strategies and shifting trade conditions. Companies have scaled back on earlier stockpiling practices intended to address supply concerns, moving toward leaner, more demand-driven inventory models. These changes reduced the need for extensive forwarding services, leading to more cost-conscious and flexible scheduling of goods movement. Companies responded by investing in system upgrades and partnering with supply chain management providers, giving customers enhanced tools for real-time order and demand monitoring. This approach has increased operational efficiency and improved the ability to manage varying volumes as inventory planning habits have evolved.
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What's included in this industry analysis
IBISWorld's research coverage on the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada includes market sizing, forecasting, data and analysis from 2015-2030. The most recent publication was released November 2025.
About this industry
What's this industry report about?
The Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada operates under the NAICS industry code 48851CA. This industry acts as an intermediary between shippers and carriers. These companies are generally called freight forwarders, marine shipping agents or customs brokers and can offer a combination of services that may span transportation modes. Companies in the industry also arrange and coordinate the transportation and storage of industry goods without providing actual transportation and storage services. Related terms covered in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada include less-than-truckload (ltl), less-than-container load (lcl), just-in-time (jit) and integrated logistic services.
What's included in this industry?
Products and services covered in Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada include Domestic freight transportation arrangement services, International freight forwarding and customs brokerage services and Other.
What companies are included in this industry?
Companies covered in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada include Kuehne + Nagel and UPS.
Performance
What's included in the Performance chapter?
The Performance chapter covers detailed analysis, datasets, detailed current performance, sources of volatility and an outlook with forecasts for the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada.
Questions answered in this chapter include what's driving current industry performance, what influences industry volatility, how do successful businesses overcome volatility, what's driving the industry outlook. This analysis is supported with data and statistics on industry revenues, costs, profits, businesses and employees.
Products & Markets
What's included in the Products and Markets chapter?
The Products and Markets chapter covers detailed products and service segmentation and analysis of major markets for the for the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada.
Questions answered in this chapter include how are the industry's products and services performing, what are innovations in industry products and services, what products or services do successful businesses offer and what's influencing demand from the industry's markets. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by product and service segmentation and major markets.
Geographic Breakdown
What's included in the Geographic Breakdown chapter?
The Geographic Breakdown chapter covers detailed analysis and datasets on regional performance of the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada.
Questions answered in this chapter include where are industry businesses located and how do businesses use location to their advantage. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by location.
Competitive Forces
What's included in the Competitive Forces chapter?
The Competitive Forces chapter covers the concentration, barriers to entry and supplier and buyer profiles in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada. This includes data and statistics on industry market share concentration, barriers to entry, substitute products and buyer & supplier power.
Questions answered in this chapter include what impacts the industry's market share concentration, how do successful businesses handle concentration, what challenges do potential industry entrants face, how can potential entrants overcome barriers to entry, what are substitutes for industry services, how do successful businesses compete with substitutes and what power do buyers and suppliers have over the industry and how do successful businesses manage buyer & supplier power.
Companies
What's included in the Companies chapter?
The Companies chapter covers Key Takeaways, Market Share and Companies in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada. This includes data and analysis on companies operating in the industry that hold a market share greater than 5%.
Questions answered in this chapter include what companies have a meaningful market share and how each company is performing.
External Environment
What's included in the External Environment chapter?
The External Environment chapter covers Key Takeaways, External Drivers, Regulation & Policy and Assistance in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada. This includes data and statistics on factors impacting industry revenue such as economic indicators, regulation, policy and assistance programs.
Questions answered in this chapter include what demographic and macroeconomic factors impact the industry, what regulations impact the industry, what assistance is available to this industry.
Financial Benchmarks
What's included in the Financial Benchmarks chapter?
The Financial Benchmarks chapter covers Key Takeaways, Cost Structure, Financial Ratios, Valuation Multiples and Key Ratios in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada. This includes financial data and statistics on industry performance including key cost inputs, profitability, key financial ratios and enterprise value multiples.
Questions answered in this chapter include what trends impact industry costs and how financial ratios have changed overtime.
Industry Data
What's included in the Industry Data chapter?
The Industry Data chapter includes 10 years of historical data with 5 years of forecast data covering statistics like revenue, industry value add, establishments, enterprises, employment and wages in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the market size of the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada in 2026?
The market size of the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada is $16.9bn in 2026.
How many businesses are there in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada in 2025?
There are 4,964 businesses in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada, which has grown at a CAGR of 2.5 % between 2020 and 2025.
How may import tariffs affect the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada?
The Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada is unlikely to be materially impacted by import tariffs with imports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
How may export tariffs affect the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada?
The Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada is unlikely to be materially impacted by export tariffs with exports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
Has the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada grown or declined over the past 5 years?
The market size of the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada has been declining at a CAGR of 0.1 % between 2020 and 2025.
What is the forecast growth of the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada over the next 5 years?
Over the next five years, the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada is expected to grow.
What are the biggest companies in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada?
The biggest companies operating in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada are Kuehne + Nagel and UPS
What does the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada include?
Domestic freight transportation arrangement services and International freight forwarding and customs brokerage services are part of the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada.
Which companies have the highest market share in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada?
The company holding the most market share in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada is Kuehne + Nagel.
How competitive is the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada?
The level of competition is low and increasing in the Freight Forwarding Brokerages & Agencies industry in Canada.
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