Every missing field is an assumption the carrier makes in its own favour.
The same load, three different asks
The pricing guide Old Dominion publishes, read 2026-07-28, lists what a shipper should bring to an LTL rate conversation. A full trailer and a port move ask for different things, and sending an LTL shaped enquiry to a truckload carrier is the usual reason nobody calls back.
| Detail | LTL pallet | Full trailer | Container off a port |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | ZIP codes both ends | Full addresses with loading and receiving hours | Terminal, and the final delivery address |
| Weight | Gross weight of each handling unit, pallet included | Payload against an 80,000 lb gross vehicle ceiling | Container weight, and whether it needs an overweight routing |
| Size | Length, width and height of the wrapped load | Floor space in pallet positions or linear feet | Container size and type |
| What it is | Description with a class, and the NMFC item where you have it | Commodity, and whether anything can be stacked on it | Commodity, and any hold sitting against it |
| Documents | Bill of lading | Bill of lading and any load specific paperwork | Container and bill of lading numbers, vessel name and voyage, and the line that issued the bill |
| Timing | Pickup date and any delivery window | Appointment windows at both ends | Last free day at the terminal |
| The awkward part | Dock or no dock, residential, inside, appointment | Who loads, who unloads, and whether the driver waits | Chassis, and when the empty goes back |
The right hand column is the one people underestimate. A port move is priced against a clock that started when the container came off the vessel, and the Maher Terminals schedule at the Port of New York and New Jersey allows four working days of free time on a general cargo container, read 2026-07-28. A request that leaves out the last free day is asking for a price without saying how much time is left to use it.
What makes a quote worthless
A weight with no dimensions
LTL rating needs both. A carrier given only pounds assumes a density and quotes against the assumption, and the terminal later replaces the assumption with a measurement. One of those two numbers ends up on the invoice, and it is not the assumption.
Dimensions taken before wrapping
The trailer sees the finished load. Overhang, the pallet deck and the bulge in the stretch wrap are all part of what the carrier has to fit, and none of them exist in a measurement taken on the workbench.
An address with no character
Residential, school, construction site, military base, self storage, airport, mine or quarry: carriers publish a separate item for each because each costs them differently. A street address alone does not say which one it is, so say it yourself.
A delivery date with no window
Appointment requirements, receiving hours and a consignee who only unloads on Tuesdays are all priced. Naming them turns a quote into something a carrier can commit to; withholding them turns it into a redelivery charge.
What we do with a request
We sell US domestic parcel labels directly. For a 24 x 18 x 14 in carton at 40 lb on the Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922 to Dallas, TX 75201 lane on 2026-07-28, the cheapest ground price our calculator returned was $48.08, in seconds, with nobody reading the request. A pallet does not work that way, and we do not pretend otherwise. SMKlog sells parcel labels only. Pallet, truckload and container moves we say plainly are not ours to sell.
Asking for a quote
What information do I need for a trucking quote?
Origin and destination, gross weight including packaging and pallet, the dimensions of the wrapped load, a description with the freight class, the pickup date, and every accessorial at both ends.
Can I get a trucking quote without dimensions?
You can get a number, but not a reliable one. The carrier rates the shipment on density and will weigh and measure the load at a terminal, so a quote built on assumed dimensions is corrected on the invoice.
Is a trucking quote binding?
Treat it as an estimate produced from what you supplied. Carriers reserve the right to inspect and reweigh freight, and accessorials needed at pickup or delivery are added after the fact.
Do you quote full truckload?
No. SMKlog sells parcel labels only and does not arrange pallet or freight shipments. If a load needs a whole trailer, the calculator shows no rates rather than quoting it as something it is not.