What is a freight reclass?
What is a freight reclass? It is a carrier inspecting your freight, deciding it belongs in a different class than the one you declared, and rebilling the shipment at the corrected rate.
What is a freight reclass looking at
Dimensions and weight, which give density, and the commodity description against the classification. Carriers photograph the freight, measure it and record the result, so a reclass arrives with evidence attached.
The common causes are dull: a pallet measured taller than declared, overhang nobody accounted for, or a description too vague to defend. Class 70 rebilled as class 125 is not a small adjustment.
How to keep your class
Measure the built pallet at its widest and tallest point, including wrap and overhang. Describe the commodity the way the classification does. Put the class and, where you have it, the item number on the bill of lading.
If you are unsure, ask before shipping. Getting the class checked in advance costs nothing and removes the single most expensive surprise in LTL.
Related terms
Quick answers
How long after delivery can a carrier reclass a shipment?
Corrections routinely arrive weeks after delivery, well after the freight has been received and the quote forgotten. Keep your dimensions and photographs until the invoice settles.
Can a reclass be reversed?
Sometimes. If your measurements and photographs contradict the carrier's inspection, it can be disputed with evidence. Guessing at the class is what makes disputes unwinnable.
Check the class first
We pre-audit the bill of lading before pickup, which is the only reliable way to make sure what is a freight reclass never applies to your shipment.