The paper deals with the freight services market in Russia. The authors distinguished the main risks for freight forwarders and the factors that hinder the growth of the freight and logistics services market. They justified the cost functions against the distance of rail movement, trucking activities or river traffic and defined the optimal means of transport according to the cost minimization criterion. The authors of this paper specified strategic guidelines in the development of enterprises in the freight services market such as improving the quality service and the flexibility for cargo owners, developing the logistics infrastructure and making prompt decisions. The assessment method for evaluating shipping carriers` competitiveness according to the customer preferences, the complexity of provided services, the company`s position in the market and customer satisfaction was suggested. The choice of the optimal private strategy under risk and uncertainty for enterprise development in the freight services market was justified.