Industrial equipment shipping

How should you prepare machinery for industrial equipment shipping?

Machinery should be bolted to a skid or packed in a crate before industrial equipment shipping, with the lift points clear of the equipment. A skid built wider than the base keeps a lathe or compressor steady, and a crate protects gauges, panels and control boxes from forklift tines.

Drain fluids where the manufacturer allows it, secure moving parts and tag any side that must stay up. Spare parts and tooling travel better boxed on a separate pallet than loose inside the machine crate.

How is crated machinery classed for LTL?

Crated machinery is classed by the NMFC item for the equipment. Many items use the 13-tier density scale from NMFTA Docket 2025-1, effective July 19, 2025, and others keep a commodity class, so describe the machine by type and model on the bill of lading.

Measure the crate or skid at its outside edges, including the skid runners, and weigh it as packed. The density scale and worked example on this page show how those numbers turn into cubic feet and pounds per cubic foot.

Freight class by density (lb per cubic foot)

1. 0 to 1 lb/ft³Class 400
2. 1 to 2 lb/ft³Class 300
3. 2 to 4 lb/ft³Class 250
4. 4 to 6 lb/ft³Class 175
5. 6 to 8 lb/ft³Class 125
6. 8 to 10 lb/ft³Class 100
7. 10 to 12 lb/ft³Class 92.5
8. 12 to 15 lb/ft³Class 85 example below
9. 15 to 22.5 lb/ft³Class 70
10. 22.5 to 30 lb/ft³Class 65
11. 30 to 35 lb/ft³Class 60
12. 35 to 50 lb/ft³Class 55
13. 50 or more lb/ft³Class 50

Worked example: a crated air compressor on a skid

1. Measure the loaded pallet, pallet included: 60 × 36 × 50 inches = 108,000 cubic inches.
2. Convert to cubic feet: 108,000 ÷ 1,728 = 62.5 cubic feet.
3. Divide the weight by the cubic feet: 900 lb ÷ 62.5 = 14.4 lb per cubic foot.
4. Read the class off the density scale: 14.4 lb per cubic foot falls in class 85.

Run your own pallet through the freight class calculator, or read how freight class works.

What should you know about liftgates and non-stackable crates?

Liftgates have platform-size and weight limits that vary by carrier, so send the heaviest and longest piece in the shipment before booking. The carrier then confirms whether a liftgate can handle the machine or whether the site needs a forklift or dock.

Crates that cannot carry weight on top should be marked non-stackable on the quote request. A carrier cannot load other freight above that crate, and the lost space can be billed, so a correct declaration up front avoids a corrected invoice later.

Which service fits: LTL, volume LTL, partial or full truckload?

Standard LTL fits most palletized shipments that can share a trailer; volume LTL, partial truckload and full truckload fit larger loads or loads that need their own truck. Price the same shipment details across the four services, and confirm the points in the table before you book.

When does a machine move better as a truckload?

A machine moves better as partial or full truckload when its size, weight or handling needs take up much of a trailer or when it should stay on one trailer from pickup to delivery. Compare the options on the crate dimensions, weight, stackability and lane rather than a rule of thumb.

For partial truckload, confirm whether the freight stays on the same trailer and what transit estimate the carrier gives. Flatbed, permitted oversize or overweight moves and rigging fall outside what we offer, so ask us first when a piece is taller or wider than a standard trailer door.

What do you send for a industrial machinery and equipment freight quote?

A industrial machinery and equipment freight quote needs the 8 details below. Complete details let the carrier rate the shipment once, without a reweigh or reclass after pickup.

1. Machine type, make and model, and the NMFC item if you know it
2. Crated or skidded dimensions at the outside edges, runners included
3. Weight of each piece as packed, with the heaviest piece marked
4. Whether each crate is stackable or must ride with nothing on top
5. Forklift, dock or liftgate needs at pickup and delivery
6. Lift points, center of gravity or this-side-up markings
7. Separate pallets of spare parts or tooling, with their own dimensions and weight
8. Declared value, if you want to discuss cargo coverage

What do the freight terms on this page mean?

Skid

A heavy wooden base, often with runners, that a machine is bolted to so a forklift can lift it.

Liftgate

A powered platform on the back of a truck that lowers freight to the ground where there is no dock.

Non-stackable

Freight that cannot carry other freight on top, which uses the trailer space above it.

Over-dimensional

Freight larger than standard trailer limits, which needs permits and special equipment we do not offer.