Getting Freight Class Right
Learn how to accurately determine freight class to avoid costly billing adjustments. Understand the factors affecting freight class, use tools like FreightCenter's density calculator, and see real-world examples of common mistakes to ensure your shipments are classified correctly.
A bungled freight class can skew the price on your invoice, so Getting Freight Class Right is a crucial step for any shipper. A better understanding of freight class and getting freight class exactly right can save you time and money!
Freight class is a classification system created by the National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) to standardize freight classification. Shipping commodities are rated and grouped into 18 freight classes between 50 and 500. This rating system ensures established, transparent parameters for how carriers charge their shipping rates and allows shippers to compare shipping costs.
Thousands of commodities are assigned freight classes based on the following four factors:
- Density: Weight per cubic foot.
- Stowability: The placement and space required.
- Handling: The amount of care needed to transport the item safely.
- Liability: The shipment’s value and the cost to replace in the event of theft, damage, breakage or spoilage.
We provide competitive freight shipping prices and an all-inclusive, easy-to-use shipping experience for our customers. Exceeding our customers’ expectations results in thousands of satisfied customer reviews and repeat business. We believe in the power of our customer relationships. Check out FreightCenter reviews from real customers, and learn what they have to say about their freight shipping experience!
Awards and Endorsements
- 2021 Food Logistics’ Top Green Providers
- 2021 & 2018 Supply & Demand Chain Executives' Pros to Know: Matthew Brosious
- 2020 & 2019 Top Food Logistics’ 3PL & Cold Storage Provider Award
- 2020 & 2019 Business Observer’s Top 500 Companies on the Gulf Coast
- 2020 & 2017 SmartWay® Transport Partner
- 2020 & 2017 Food Logistics’ Champions: Rock Stars of the Supply Chain
- 2020 Best of Palm Harbor Awards for Local Businesses
- 2017 Green Supply Chain Award from Supply & Demand Chain Executive
- 2017 Tampa Bay Business Journal Heroes at Work
- 2016, 2015, & 2012 Food Logistics Top 100 Software and Technology Providers
- 2013 Tampa Bay Business 100 by Tampa Bay Business Journal
- 2013 Top 100 Great Supply Chain Partners by SupplyChainBrain
- 2012 TIA Samaritan Award Honorable Mention
FreightCenter provides a freight class lookup tool that includes many frequently shipped items so you can look up the freight class of your cargo. While it cannot provide a complete list, it gives freight class information for some of the most frequently shipped items to get an idea of a shipment’s freight class. While this is a tool, it should only be used as a guide, and we encourage you to confirm your class with one of our shipping experts before finalizing to avoid misclassification.
To obtain an accurate freight class, contact a shipping agent who has the ability and the resources to look up specific freight class and sub-class details for every type of commodity. Again, an experienced shipping agent or 3PL should be your final check on freight class before booking your shipment.
Some items are not classified by an NMFC number at all. When this happens, these items fall into a general category called NOI, Not Otherwise Indicated. When NOI is noted, freight class is determined by density.
Fortunately, FreightCenter’s freight class density calculator makes it easy for shippers to determine the suggested freight class by cargo density. It uses your shipment’s length, width, height, and weight to determine its density.
There are occasions when multiple items with different freight classes are packaged together. Some carriers use the highest freight class in the shipment, while others determine freight class by density. There is no way for you to know which carrier uses which method. That’s when you can count on your shipping agent or 3PL to help you get the freight class right.
Even with all this help, incorrect freight class is one of the top reasons for billing adjustments among shippers due to incorrect information being input into the tool. By examining three recent billing adjustments for freight class, we can point out what went wrong and how you can prevent making the same mistakes.
To create value for our customers by delivering customized shipping solutions that meet their unique needs and to fulfill shipping demands from simple to complex with expertise, guidance and ingenuity.
LTL shipping involves combining multiple small shipments from different customers onto one truck, allowing each customer to share the shipment cost. Trust the experts at FreightCenter to give you the best prices and the most comprehensive options for all your LTL freight shipping needs.
Truckload shipping, also known as full truckload (FTL), is a transportation option for freight that requires the entire trucks trailer space. Unlike LTL shipping, FTL shipping is reserved for larger commodities that exceed LTL weight and size limits, typically weighing more than 20,000 pounds or having dimensions that exceed 12 feet in length, 8 feet in width, and 8 feet in height. We deliver optimized solutions for full or partial truckloads and competitive dry van, flatbed, and refrigerated freight pricing. We can cover your full truckload shipping needs.
Nationwide Expedited Trucking services move your freight securely and rapidly. Your freight requires fast delivery; our freight shipping experts can get your shipment fast, whether in one large box or a full truckload.
Specialized is a transportation option for items that require specialized handling, equipment, or shipping conditions. Specialized shipments may include high-value cargo, oversized cargo, or cargo that require temperature-controlled transportation. The most reliable Specialized Freight Services rates from all the top carriers are just a few steps away. From white glove service to international shipping, we've got you covered.
You’ll also see how a little mistake here or there can cause a big problem. We will walk through some real world billing adjustments.
Remember that the carrier will continuously measure and weigh all packages with sophisticated equipment and technology that makes them exact. They do not rely on what is provided by the shipper. And when it comes to billing, the carrier is the “source,” and the shipper will be charged according to what the carrier shows as the correct, accurate weight and measurements.
The images used in these examples are screen grabs of our freight class density calculator, using the measurements provided by the shippers and carriers. The density number shown is a measure of pounds per cubic foot.
1. Estimating Package Dimensions
Our first example demonstrates how estimating the dimensions of the packaged freight is always a mistake.
Here we see the density and recommended freight class generated by the density calculator using the dimensions provided by the shipper.
In the billing adjustment, the carrier reported that the actual dimensions were somewhat different.
Notice that the weight used for both calculations was 525 pounds. The only differences were a few inches in the package’s length, width and height. But, because those seemingly minor differences reduced the density of the freight, they also raised the freight class.
The billing adjustment in this case was $66.61 more than a third of the original shipping bill.
2. Guessing the Weight
Some people figure if they can’t get the actual weight of their freight, they can guess high on it, which will have them covered. That might be true for shipping parcels, but it doesn’t work with freight. With freight shipping, when you guess high on weight, you’re thinking high on the density, which artificially lowers the freight class.
One option is to consider investing in a freight scale. The cost of investing in a scale that gives you the most accurate weight for your freight will help you avoid more billing adjustments and save you more money the more you ship.
It’s important to remember that the carrier will continuously measure and weigh shipments using their sophisticated tools. You could get hit with a billing adjustment when the carrier reports the actual weight, density, and freight class. Head spinning yet?
Here’s an example of how guessing the weight can cost you money, starting with the measurements provided by the shipper.
When we correct the length, width, and height to the actual measurements provided by the carrier, we see a decrease in density and a bump in freight class from 125 to 175.
But when we take the next step and correct the weight by subtracting 125 pounds, the freight class jumps to 250.
The difference in freight class from 125 to 250 is substantial. The billing adjustment for these corrections cost the shipper $151.03 on top of the original shipping fee of $406.08. It’s a good idea to invest in an industrial-size freight scale.
3. Relying on “Standard” Pallet Dimensions
Letting you in on a little secret – not all pallets are “standard” size. For example, on the FreightCenter LTL quote form, Section 4 is for “Items to be Shipped.” There is a drop-down for the type of packaging you used for your shipment, and the first three listings in that dropdown are for “Standard” pallet sizes. Those three options can help create a guesstimate of shipping costs, but a shipper should always confirm whether or not their pallets are “standard” size. As a rule of thumb, the most common-sized pallets are:
- 48”x40”
- 48”x48”
- 42”x42”
Pallets should always be measured, and any measurement that includes a fraction of an inch should be rounded up to the next whole inch. After measuring and you determined that your pallet is not a standard size, in our example, the fourth item on the packaging dropdown should be selected—Pallets (enter dimensions)—and the accurate measurements should be entered in the total dimensions area.
In this example, a customer shipping a sophisticated piece of industrial equipment thought his pallet was a standard pallet.
Here’s how the item was shipped, based on the shipper’s input.
The carrier reported that the measurements were quite different in the billing adjustment.
In this unfortunate case, the billing adjustment exceeded the original shipping cost based on the shipper’s input. We suggest triple checking the measurements of your palletized shipment, and as we can see here, don’t just assume you have a standard pallet or don’t guess the size of your pallet, as this can be a costly mistake.
Guaranteed competitive pricing every time you ship.
You Can’t Beat the Carrier’s Technology
You’ve probably picked up on a theme here. Being inaccurate in your measurements or guessing the weight can be an expensive mistake. In all three of these examples, the billing adjustment was due to the shipper not providing accurate measurements and weight. Making your best guess isn’t good enough.
Today’s carriers employ technology that makes them exact on all their figures. Forklifts have built-in digital scales, and every piece of cargo is weighed. As for the width, length, and height of your shipment, carriers use industry-specific measuring devices that incorporate lasers and computers to instantly report your cargo’s accurate measurements. There is no way to get around the carrier’s technology. It would help if you were correct.
