Can you guarantee compliance with my retailer's routing guide?

No. We confirm with the carrier what it can do on your lane before booking, and your team stays responsible for the guide's labeling and paperwork rules.

Do you book distribution center appointments?

We pass the appointment process to the carrier and confirm what it can offer. The retailer sets the slot.

How is a mixed pallet priced?

The carrier prices the pallet on its lane, weight, class, accessorials and fuel. Give the full weight, outside dimensions and a product description.

Is volume LTL a fit for peak orders?

Volume LTL is worth pricing when a shipment has several pallets. Send the details and we compare it with standard LTL and partial truckload.

Retail Freight Shipping to DCs by LTL

At a glance

A retailer's routing guide sets how suppliers label, build and book freight into its distribution centers, and the supplier stays responsible for meeting it.
Late or non-compliant deliveries can lead to chargebacks from the retailer, so the appointment and labeling rules belong on the quote request.
Mixed pallets need an accurate weight and outside dimensions, since the carrier bills the pallet as built rather than by the products inside.

What does a routing guide mean for retail freight shipping?

A routing guide sets the rules for retail freight shipping into a retailer's network: carton and pallet labels, pallet height, advance ship notices and how to request an appointment. Some retailers name the carrier or require their own booking portal for certain shipments.

Send the routing guide or the relevant pages with the quote request. We confirm with the carrier what it can do on your lane before booking, and your team remains responsible for meeting the guide's labeling and paperwork rules.

How are mixed retail pallets classed?

Mixed retail pallets are classed by the NMFC items for the products on them, and carriers apply their own rules when products with different classes share a pallet. Many items use the 13-tier density scale from NMFTA Docket 2025-1, effective July 19, 2025, while some keep a commodity class.

Describe the main products on the bill of lading and give the pallet's full weight and outside dimensions. The density scale and worked example on this page show the calculation for a pallet of boxed housewares.

Freight class by density (lb per cubic foot)

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

Denser freight lands in a lower class, the basis for a lower rate. Source: NMFTA Docket 2025-1, 13-tier density scale, effective July 19, 2025. The scale applies to items the NMFC classes by density; some items keep a commodity class, so confirm the NMFC item for your product.

Worked example: a mixed pallet of boxed housewares

Measure the loaded pallet, pallet included: 48 × 40 × 60 inches = 115,200 cubic inches.
Convert to cubic feet: 115,200 ÷ 1,728 = 66.7 cubic feet.
Divide the weight by the cubic feet: 650 lb ÷ 66.7 = 9.8 lb per cubic foot.
Read the class off the density scale: 9.8 lb per cubic foot falls in class 100.

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

Illustrative numbers, not a quote or a class ruling. Class depends on the NMFC item for the product; the scale is NMFTA Docket 2025-1, 13-tier density scale, effective July 19, 2025.

How do you reduce chargebacks on distribution center deliveries?

Chargebacks on distribution center deliveries come down to the details the supplier controls: labels, pallet build, paperwork and a booked appointment. Build each pallet to the retailer's height and pallet-type rules and match the paperwork to the purchase order.

Pass the appointment details and any delivery window to us with the quote request. We confirm what the carrier can offer before booking, and the retailer sets the appointment, so we cannot promise the slot or protect you from a chargeback.

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.

Service	Fits	Confirm before booking
Standard LTL	Palletized freight that shares a trailer and moves through carrier terminals	NMFC item and class, pickup and delivery accessorials, delivery appointment
Volume LTL	Larger LTL shipments quoted as a one-off price for that shipment	Quote terms, space the freight takes, whether it still moves through terminals
Partial truckload	Shipments that share a truck with a few others	Whether the freight stays on one trailer, any planned transfers, transit estimate
Full truckload	Freight that fills a trailer, reaches its weight limit, or needs its own truck	Trailer type, loading and unloading time, appointments at both ends

How should suppliers plan for seasonal peaks?

Suppliers should plan for seasonal peaks by sending forecast volumes and ship dates before the season starts. Capacity on busy lanes tightens during retail peaks, and appointment slots at distribution centers fill early.

Compare services on each shipment's pallet count, dimensions and lane. A peak order that fills much of a trailer may price better as volume LTL or partial truckload, and we quote those options side by side.

What do you send for a retail and consumer goods freight quote?

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

Retailer name and the distribution center address
Routing guide pages on labeling, pallet build and appointments
Pallet count, dimensions and gross weight
Main products and NMFC item numbers, if you know them
Purchase order numbers for the bill of lading
Requested delivery window or appointment process
Stackable or not for each pallet
Expected peak-season volumes and ship dates

What do the freight terms on this page mean?

Routing guide: A retailer's rulebook for how suppliers label, build, book and deliver freight.
Chargeback: A deduction a retailer takes from a supplier's invoice for a late or non-compliant delivery.
Advance ship notice: An electronic notice a supplier sends before delivery listing what is on the shipment.
Mixed pallet: A pallet carrying more than one product or SKU.

Retail freight shipping