Freight shipping guides for shippers, in plain English
The freight basics explained without the jargon. Read them here, or just send us the shipment and we handle it.
Nine freight shipping guides for shippers
Nine guides, real freight questions. Start wherever you’re stuck.
What to do after your container clears customs
The domestic-leg checklist for freight after your container clears customs.
What is drayage?
What drayage is, who does it, and how it connects to the rest of your domestic move.
Shipping to Amazon FBA by LTL
Freight class and routing basics for your first pallet shipment into Amazon.
What is freight class?
The number that drives your LTL price, with the full density chart and a live estimator.
How to choose a freight broker
Seven checks before you book, and the warning signs to walk away from.
How to ship a pallet
The whole process in six steps, from palletizing to delivery.
Standard pallet size and weight
Common U.S. and euro pallet sizes, empty weights, and what size does to your class.
What is a bill of lading?
The contract that travels with your freight, and why accuracy on it matters.
LTL vs FTL vs volume
A practical framework for choosing the right mode for your shipment.
How is LTL freight priced?
Class, weight, lane, and accessorials: the full picture behind your rate.
How to file a freight claim
What to do at the dock when freight arrives damaged or short, the paperwork, the deadlines, and what we handle.
Freight lanes we quote every week
What each corridor costs in time, which mode fits, and what to watch at either end. Transit figures are the usual carrier ranges for the distance, not guarantees.
Chicago to Atlanta freight
About 715 miles on I-65 and I-75, and one of the busiest corridors in the country.
Los Angeles to Chicago freight
About 2,016 miles, where import freight goes inland and rail becomes a real option.
Dallas to Atlanta freight
About 780 miles, effectively straight down I-20 between two strong markets.
Chicago to Dallas freight
About 960 miles, where the choice of mode starts to cost real money.
Atlanta to Miami freight
About 660 miles into a market that takes in more freight than it sends out.
Laredo to Chicago freight
About 1,400 miles north from the busiest land border crossing in the country.
Three calculators, no login
Work out a freight class, the trailer space your pallets take, or the mode that fits, before you ask for a quote.
Freight class calculator
Length, width, height, and weight in. Density and estimated class out, with a button that drops it straight into your quote.
LTL or truckload calculator
Pallet count and weight in. The mode that usually prices best out, with the reason in one line.
Linear feet calculator
Pallet size and count in. The linear feet of trailer space out, with the mode that usually fits.
Glossary: freight basics explained
Twenty-five words that come up on every shipment, in the order you tend to meet them.
- Shipper
- The party sending the freight, and usually the one who books it and fills out the bill of lading. What is a shipper in freight?
- Consignee
- The party receiving the freight. Their dock hours and delivery rules shape the whole move. What is a consignee?
- General freight
- Ordinary packaged goods that ride in a standard dry van, with no refrigeration, hazmat or oversize handling. What is general freight?
- Bill of lading (BOL)
- The contract that travels with the freight. It lists shipper, consignee, freight description, weight, class, and accessorials, and it governs a claim. What is a bill of lading?
- FOB (free on board)
- The term that sets when the buyer takes ownership of the freight, and the risk, at pickup (FOB origin) or at delivery (FOB destination). FOB meaning in shipping
- Freight allowed
- A payment term: the seller carries the freight cost, either paying the carrier or letting the buyer deduct it. What does freight allowed mean?
- Freight class
- A number from 50 to 500 that LTL carriers use to price a shipment, set mainly by density. Lower classes cost less. What is freight class?
- Density
- Pounds per cubic foot: total weight divided by the space the shipment takes up. The main input to freight class. What is freight density?
- NMFC
- The National Motor Freight Classification, the rulebook that assigns commodities their freight class. What is an NMFC code?
- Door to door
- Pickup at the shipper’s address and delivery at the receiver’s, with no terminal drop-off or collection. What is door-to-door freight shipping?
- Accessorial
- An add-on service beyond dock-to-dock pickup and delivery: liftgate, residential, inside delivery, appointment. Each carries a charge. What are accessorial charges?
- Liftgate
- A platform on the back of the truck that lowers a pallet to the ground. Needed wherever there is no loading dock. What is a liftgate fee?
- Appointment
- A scheduled delivery or pickup window. Many warehouses and every Amazon fulfillment center require one. What is a delivery appointment?
- Linear feet
- How much trailer length a shipment occupies. Standard 48 by 40 pallets load two across, so every two pallets take about four feet. What are linear feet in freight?
- LTL (less than truckload)
- Freight that shares a trailer with other shippers’ freight, usually 1 to 6 pallets, priced by class, weight and lane. What is LTL?
- Volume LTL
- A large LTL shipment, usually six pallets or more, priced by the LTL carrier at a negotiated rate instead of the standard class tariff. What is volume LTL?
- Partial truckload
- A shipment that shares a full trailer with one or two other loads and is priced like truckload. Fewer terminal stops than LTL. What is partial truckload?
- Spot rate
- A one-time truckload price quoted for a specific load on a specific day, as opposed to a contracted lane rate. What is a spot rate?
- Transit time
- Business days from pickup to delivery. An estimate unless you book a guaranteed service. What is freight transit time?
- PRO number
- The tracking number an LTL carrier assigns to a shipment. It is what you quote when you ask for a status. What is a PRO number?
- Proof of delivery (POD)
- The signed delivery receipt. Any damage or shortage noted on it is the foundation of a claim. What is proof of delivery?
- Reweigh
- A carrier re-checking a shipment’s weight on a certified scale. If it differs from the BOL, the invoice is corrected. What is a freight reweigh?
- Reclass
- A carrier inspecting freight and changing its class. Like a reweigh, it rebills the shipment at the corrected figure. What is a freight reclass?
- Drayage
- The short-haul move of a container from a port, rail ramp, or terminal to a nearby warehouse for unloading. What is drayage?
- Devanning
- Unloading a shipping container, usually restacking the freight onto pallets for the domestic leg. Also called deconsolidation. What is devanning?
Quick freight answers
What is a bill of lading (BOL)?
A bill of lading is the contract that travels with your freight. It lists the shipper, consignee, freight description, weight, class, and accessorials, and it governs liability if the shipment is lost or damaged. Read the full BOL guide.
What are accessorial charges?
Accessorials are add-on services beyond standard dock-to-dock pickup and delivery, such as a liftgate, residential pickup or delivery, inside delivery, or a scheduled appointment. Declaring them when you book keeps them off your invoice as a surprise later.
How long does LTL freight take?
LTL transit depends on the lane and the carrier’s service map, typically one to five business days for most domestic moves. Because pallets share trailers and pass through terminals, LTL is slower than a direct truckload. We give the expected transit time with every quote.
What drives the price of an LTL shipment?
LTL pricing is driven by freight class (from density), total weight, the origin-to-destination lane, any accessorials, and fuel. See the full pricing guide for the complete picture.
Every question we get asked, grouped by topic, lives on the FAQ page.
Skip the homework
Freight shipping guides for shippers are here when you want them. Send us your shipment and we handle the class, the BOL, and the accessorials. You just tell us what and where.