So Here’s the Problem with Classifying LTL Freight Using Dimensioning Only

Keith Peterson - October 25, 2024

The process of classifying less-than-truckload (LTL) freight has typically been referred to as “complex,” but the team at National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc. (NMFTA) is working hard to change this.

While we work hard to ensure the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC®) is as user-friendly as possible—and have made great strides—some complexity is unavoidable to ensure all important factors are considered.

Because of this, there’s always a push from the shipper community to simplify things and classify freight solely on the basis of its dimensions—without factoring in key aspects like density, handling, stowabilty, and liability.

We get it—simplicity is appealing. We also prefer processes that are quick and easy when possible. But we’ve seen what happens when freight is misclassified because important factors are overlooked. Too many shippers have faced frustrations after relying solely on dimensions and rushing through the process, only to deal with the consequences later.

In a recent discussion, the NMFC interpretations team pinpointed some of the pitfalls shippers face when they use straight dimensioning instead of the more comprehensive NMFC.

A Rundown of Top Issues:

Building Loads. If everything that’s 48-by-40-by-48 weighed 500 pounds, building a load would be a breeze. But that’s not how it works. A front-end loader bucket and a pallet of sports equipment have the same density, but very different characteristics for handling, stowability, and liability. The bucket will require much more effort and care to handle and store properly in the trailer. A classification based entirely on dimensioning doesn’t prepare the carrier for that fact.

Volume and weight are two entirely different characteristics, and each must be taken into account in different ways when building a load.

Liability: Hazards of Hazmat. Relying solely on dimensions tells you nothing about the issues presented by hazardous materials, which present significant liability issues. Often a high-density item receives a very favorable classification because it’s relatively stable in the trailer. But all bets are off when that dense item is a drum or Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC) containing hazardous material. Such items can only be placed in certain spots and must be separated from a wide variety of other types of items. For example, food and poison cannot be anywhere near each other, so the presence of any type of hazmat presents the carrier with a significant stowing issue.

If hazmat materials are classified using dimensioning only, it can lead to dangerous oversights, such as the risk of thermal runaway in products like pressure-sensitive chemicals.

Handling and Stowability. It’s easy to determine the density of a 20-foot steel girder. But the handling and stowability issues presented by such an item are myriad. Its sheer footprint eliminates many stowing options. You can’t stack it on top because of its shape. Even the process of getting it on the trailer is going to affect the workflow of everyone else in the vicinity. Straight dimensioning can’t account for any of that.

And this is only considering the challenge of getting the girder onto a trailer. When cross-docking is factored into the equation, the resulting impact on other people and other items is even more pronounced.

And once you’ve got a long, heavy item like this loaded onto a 53-foot trailer, every other item must be worked around it.

The NMFC takes all these factors into consideration when rendering a classification for such an item, so shippers know exactly what to expect and how to respond. Straight dimensioning doesn’t, and the consequences are obvious.

Variables Created by Packaging. Two items can have the same dimensions, and even the same weight, but that doesn’t mean you would handle or stow them in the same way – especially if they are packaged differently.

Double- or triple-wall boxes and wooden crates will handle differently than single-wall corrugated fiberboard. Two different boxes with the same external packaging could have different cushioning, which will also impact how items should be handled and stowed. If you make a mistake by putting  two incompatible items next to each other, because one is not in heavy-duty packaging, you could risk damage to that item.

Again, dimensioning alone doesn’t tell you this.

The Smart Move for Shippers

It’s wise to invest time and resources into making sure you correctly classify each item you ship, based on density, handling, stowability, and liability. When shippers know this information from the beginning, it alleviates a wide variety of problems.

There are machines on the market that can do the dimensioning, and there’s value to that as part of the process. But classifying freight based solely on dimensioning will never be a good solution, because there is simply more to transporting freight than dimensions.

We’ll keep working to make the classification system easier to use. Shippers need to do their part by making sure they know all the information. That’s how we’ll get accurate classifications and, as a result, safely transported freight.

In case you missed it: Major changes are set for the NMFC in 2025 so ensure your operation is prepared. Here’s a helpful page: https://info.nmfta.org/2025-nmfc-changes.

Keith Peterson
Keith Peterson

Keith Peterson has more than two decades of experience in technical operations, customer success management, and both product and customer support. Currently serving as the Director of Operations for the National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc. (NMFTA)™, he plays a pivotal role in helping to advance the industry through classification and digitization.

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