The National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc.® (NMFTA)® Packaging Program was established to address one of the most persistent and costly problems in LTL freight—packaging that doesn’t perform. Through industry research, data aggregation, and direct advisory services, the program works to reduce damage claims, improve density, and bring greater consistency to how packaging is specified, evaluated, and classified across the LTL network.
Why the Program Exists
Poor packaging costs the less-than-truckload (LTL) industry billions of dollars a year in damage claims and wasted trailer space. Most of these losses are preventable, but shippers and carriers have historically lacked a neutral, authoritative resource to help them understand where the failures are happening and what to do about them.
NMFTA is uniquely positioned to fill that gap. As the organization behind the National Motor Freight Classification® (NMFC)®, we sit at the intersection of carrier requirements, shipper best practices, and industry standards. The Packaging Program formalizes that role.
What This Program Does
The program addresses LTL packaging at every level—the rules that govern it, the knowledge that informs it, the standards that guide it, and the advisory that puts it into practice.
Maintaining and Updating NMFC Packaging Standards
The NMFC establishes the contractually binding packaging rules, Items 100 through 999, that define a shipper’s packaging obligations and their liability exposure when freight is damaged in transit. As materials and supply chains evolve, so must the rules. The program is responsible for evaluating new packaging technologies, designs, and testing protocols against the physical demands of LTL distribution—and updating the NMFC accordingly.
Documenting and educating the general public about the handling and stowability challenges of the LTL Environment.
Most packaging decisions are made by people who have never seen the inside of an LTL trailer or terminal. The program bridges that gap—documenting the handling, environmental, and transport forces that freight endures across the distribution network and making that knowledge accessible to the shippers and manufacturers whose packaging decisions determine whether freight arrives intact.
Establishing packaging best practices for the LTL environment to help mitigate Cargo Claims
A cargo claim is often the first signal that something in the packaging decision was potentially misguided, but by then the damage is done. The program works upstream, translating field observations, claims patterns, and laboratory findings into published best practice standards for the LTL environment. The goal is to give shippers and manufacturers the guidance they need before freight moves, not after it arrives damaged.
Providing Direct Advisory to Shippers and Carriers
Knowing that packaging is failing is not the same as knowing why. The program offers fee-based advisory services for shippers and carriers, using the client’s own claims history, freight profile, NMFC packaging requirements, and packaging specifications as the starting point. The result is a grounded, evidence-based set of recommendations—specific to the client’s operation, delivered in writing, and theirs to act on.
More information available soon.
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