The National Motor Freight Traffic Association’s (NMFTA) 2025 Fall Meeting brought members—less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers—and industry leaders together in Washington, DC for several days of impactful committee sessions, member engagement, and forward-looking discussions.
The meeting reflected NMFTA’s continued leadership in shaping the future of freight transportation through innovation, governance, and collaboration.
During the General Membership Meeting, members voted to revise NMFTA’s Articles of Incorporation to better align with the organization’s modern mission and evolving role in the transportation and supply chain industry. These important updates mark a milestone in NMFTA’s continued transformation and commitment to leadership within the freight community.
The approved revisions include:
- Aligning NMFTA’s mission with its modern purpose
The updates formally reflect NMFTA’s current mission—to serve not only motor carriers but also the broader supply chain ecosystem. This ensures our governance and initiatives continue to drive innovation, security, and efficiency across all facets of the freight transportation industry.
- Realigning the Board of Directors to strengthen core competencies
While the revision includes reducing the overall size of the Board, the true intent is to better align its composition with NMFTA’s key areas of focus: the LTL Council, the Weighing & Research Council, the Cybersecurity Council, and the Digital Standards Development Council (DSDC)™. This refined structure will enhance collaboration, create greater synergy among leaders, and enable more informed, strategic decision-making that moves the association forward.
- Creating a new non-voting Associate Member category
The addition of an Associate Member class opens the door for broader engagement with technology providers, third-party logistics providers (3PLs), shippers, and other vital industry partners. This step reflects NMFTA’s belief that meaningful progress depends on collaboration across the entire logistics ecosystem. By ensuring all stakeholders have a voice at the table, we can collectively build stronger standards, policies, and solutions that serve the evolving needs of our industry.
Throughout the Fall Meeting, NMFTA committees convened to share updates, gather member feedback, and align on strategic priorities. Sessions included:
- Carrier Procedures Committee – Key discussions included adopting new Best Practices language for situations where a vehicle is furnished but not used, which will appear in the next National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC®) Supplement. The committee also reviewed updates to the Model Agent Agreement to address discrepancies with an existing NMFC item, with further revisions planned for the next meeting. Modifications to the Standard Form for Presentation of Billing Disputes or Overcharge Claims were approved to align with current NMFC rules. Under new business, participants reviewed the Model Non-Disclosure Agreement and agreed no immediate changes were needed, but will develop new Best Practices for handling accessorial fees charged after delivery. The meeting concluded with a call for additional future topics.
- Classification Resources Committee – reviewed 10 classification items in total and advanced 8 of them to the Freight Classification Development Council (FCDC), providing recommendations for further consideration and action. Hazmat was discussed and NMFTA will work to have public meetings on next steps.
- Freight Classification Development Council (FCDC) – the Council and the public discussed the proposed changes in Docket 2025-2. Following the docket discussion, the FCDC gave a presentation on its plans for future updates to the NMFC.
- Digital LTL Council Committee – reviewed ongoing efforts that are driving digital transformation across the freight ecosystem. The session spotlighted: Preliminary Freight Charges (PFC) API Standard: marking successful workshop completion, setting the stage for broader adoption; In-Transit Visibility API Standard: on track for a Fall 2025 release, enabling improved shipment tracking and transparency; and upcoming API Standards: including Documentation API and Routing Guide (targeted for early 2026) to enhance interoperability and automation. Additionally, the committee discussed the transition of the Scheduling Standards Consortium (SSC) under the Digital Full Truckload (FTL) Council and reviewed the Digital Standards Development Council (DSDC) dashboard. A key takeaway emphasized the growing need to educate shippers on the operational and financial benefits of digitalization—from faster onboarding to streamlined communication and reduced manual errors.
- Weights & Research (W&R) Council Update – a report provided an update on the National Conference on Weights and Measures Annual Meeting, including items OTH-24.1 and OTH-25.1, and shared progress from the Packaging Committee. The team concluded by reaffirming the Council’s commitment to strengthening collaboration among carriers, manufacturers, and regulators to uphold the integrity of freight classification and measurement practices.
- Regulatory Policy Committee – An update was provided on legislative and regulatory matters. The Committee discussed the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)’s Request for Information regarding freight fraud, and the NMFTA followed up by preparing and submitting robust comments to the DOT on ways to prevent freight fraud and cybersecurity breaches. Also, committee member Tim Vander Pol submitted for the Committee’s consideration a proposal that the NMFTA request that the EIA provide weekly retail diesel fuel prices by state, similar to how the EIA provides retail gasoline data. The Committee approved the proposal, and the NMFTA submitted the request to EIA. The EIA promptly responded, and stated that although they cannot act immediately on this request, they will consider this request next summer during their scheduled review of their retail diesel fuel program. The NMFTA will follow up with EIA in the spring to remind them of the request.
For more information on NMFTA committees, initiatives, and resources, or to learn how your company can get involved, visit www.nmfta.org.
