Everything odd about LTL pricing follows from one fact: your freight is not the only freight on the truck.
What we quote, and what we do not
Straight answer before anything else. SMKlog sells parcel labels only and does not arrange pallet or freight shipments. We do not broker freight; we do not own trucks, terminals or warehouses, we do not sell full truckload, and we do not handle international freight or the customs work that goes with it. Anything on this page describing what a carrier does is describing the carrier, not us.
How the network moves your pallet
A local truck collects and takes the load to a terminal. It is consolidated with other freight heading the same direction, moves between terminals on line-haul runs, then goes out on a local delivery truck at the far end. More handling than parcel per piece, far less than a dedicated truck per mile, and transit measured in days rather than in a scheduled arrival.
Why classification exists at all
When strangers share a trailer, the carrier needs one language for what everything is. The national classification system sorts freight by four transportation characteristics: density, or how heavy the freight is relative to the space it takes up; handling, or how easy it is to move across a dock and into or out of a trailer; stowability, or how effectively it can be stowed in a trailer for transport; and liability, or how likely the freight is to cause damage or be damaged. Those definitions come from nmfta.org, checked 2026-07-28.
Where LTL sits between the other two
Below roughly 150 lb a shipment belongs in parcel, where the doorstep is included and every piece is tracked. Above a full trailer load it belongs in truckload, where one shipper buys the whole vehicle. LTL owns the ground in between, and it is the only one of the three where you are quoted per shipment rather than per package or per truck.
Driver one: class, and the density that sets it
The published density scale below is used by a national LTL carrier and was checked 2026-07-28. Denser freight sits at a lower class and a lower rate, because it uses less trailer for the same revenue weight.
| Density, lb per cubic foot | Class |
|---|---|
| 50 or greater | 50 |
| 35 but less than 50 | 55 |
| 30 but less than 35 | 60 |
| 22.5 but less than 30 | 65 |
| 15 but less than 22.5 | 70 |
| 12 but less than 15 | 85 |
| 10 but less than 12 | 92.5 |
| 8 but less than 10 | 100 |
| 6 but less than 8 | 125 |
| 4 but less than 6 | 175 |
| 2 but less than 4 | 250 |
| 1 but less than 2 | 300 |
| Less than 1 | 400 |
The classification authority puts the consequence in one line: the denser and easier to move, the lower the class, and the lower the cost. Density alone does not settle everything, because a specific commodity may carry its own item number in the classification, but it is the number to work out first and the one a quote will ask you for.
Driver two: everything either end asks for
Accessorials are quoted on top of the freight charge and vary by carrier. These definitions are the carrier own wording, from odfl.com, checked 2026-07-28. No amounts appear on that page, so none are given here.
| Service | Published definition |
|---|---|
| Liftgate | specialized equipment used to load or unload shipments when your location does not have a dock |
| Non-commercial or residential delivery | deliveries to residences, schools, airports, or other non-commercial locations |
| Time-specific delivery | if your shipment requires delivery by a certain date or time |
| Detention | when a driver is held longer than the standard allowed time |
| Inside delivery | when freight needs to be brought beyond the dock or threshold |
| Redelivery | when a shipment can't be received on the first attempt |
| Oversized or overweight freight | charges for shipments exceeding standard dimensions or weight, plus reweighed freight |
That last row is the one that catches new shippers. Carriers reweigh and remeasure freight in their terminals, and a shipment described lighter or denser than it turns out to be gets reclassed and rebilled after delivery. Accurate dimensions at quote time are not a courtesy, they are the cheapest thing on this page.
Where a shipment crosses into LTL territory
We pushed two loads through the parcel calculator on 2026-07-28 to record the boundary rather than describe it. Both ran Newark, NJ 07102 to Atlanta, GA 30303.
| Load | Estimated volume | Parcel rates | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 x 24 x 24 in, 150 lb | 0.284 cubic metres | none | Freight, not a parcel label |
| 48 x 40 x 48 in, 500 lb | 1.51 cubic metres | none | Freight, not a parcel label |
Neither of those is a failure; it is the system declining to sell a parcel label for cargo. SMKlog sells parcel labels only and does not arrange pallet or freight shipments.
LTL questions
What does LTL shipping mean?
Less-than-truckload: freight too large for a parcel network but not large enough to fill a trailer, moved on shared trucks through terminals. Shipments are usually palletized and are quoted per shipment rather than per package.
How is LTL freight priced?
From the freight class, the lane, fuel, and the accessorials at each end. Class comes mainly from density in pounds per cubic foot, and the classification authority summarises the effect as the denser and easier to move, the lower the class, and the lower the cost.
What are the four things that decide freight class?
Density, handling, stowability and liability. The classification authority defines them as how heavy the freight is relative to the space it takes up, how easy it is to move across a dock and into or out of a trailer, how effectively it can be stowed in a trailer for transport, and how likely the freight is to cause damage or be damaged.
Does SMKlog carry LTL freight itself?
No. SMKlog sells parcel labels only and does not arrange pallet or freight shipments. We do not own trucks, terminals or warehouses, and we do not sell full truckload or international freight.