ARE YOU PAYING TO MUCH?

Understanding freight classes does not need to be a complex and time-consuming thing.  In fact, we here at FreightClasses.net feel it is our duty to provide a walk-through to help everyone understand the fundamentals of freight classification.

You’ve probably arrived at this website because, either you are currently selling products, or, you are planning to do so in the near future.  For this purpose, you may have arrived already aware of the importance of understanding freight classes.

(for either Shipping Classification, or Freight Classification, you’re at the right place).

Freight costs are determined by carriers according to the weight of your shipment relative the shipment's assigned freight class.

 WHAT ARE FREIGHT CLASSES?

 Shipping can be costly; and this is why understanding the system for classifying these prices is a useful thing for some making shipments to succeed in doing.  It is incredibly important that a shipper be aware of all available options within the shipping industry.  The most important aspect to understand is the freight classification system.  Freight Classifications determine the difficulty of shipping your goods.  How?  This is a long answer.

 But first,

WHO DECIDES FREIGHT CLASSES, ANYWAY? 

The freight class system is nationally endorsed by the NMFTA (“National Motor Freight Traffic Association”) in their publication, NMFC (“National Motor Freight Classification”).  All freight carriers adhere to the NMFC’s guidelines as a pricing tool in the shipment process. 

You, the seller, wants to know just how are freight carriers using this tool?

And you want to be able to project these costs!

You have found the right website. 

Welcome to FreightClasses.net –

 What kind of product are you shipping? 

The NMFC arranges commodities into eighteen classes, from the lowest – 50 – to the highest – 500 – FreightClass.net can help you determine which class your shipments belong to.  Are you shipping in bulk?  What size are your products?

The NMFC helps us calculate your freight quote by means of a comparison of goods depending on their movement through foreign, interstate, and intrastate commercial channels. Defining your freight, as a certain class is dependent on its placement among the numerous definitions provided by the NMFC – this much information helps freightclasses.net determine your Freight classification.  Lucky for you, the client, this much can also be simplified through freightclasses.net, as our freight quote provider formulates your options quicker, and with far more reliability than would be possible without.

Providing both carriers and shippers with standards by which to offer pre-negotiated pricing, the NMFC simplifies the comparative evaluation of goods through its classification system.  Imagine the complexity of comparing a shipment of cheap, bulky tin garbage cans that weigh little with an alternative shipment of, say, gold bullion: the comparative cost of shipping each by water, air, or road (your choice) becomes unmanageably complex.  For this reason the NMFC regulates the comparative nuances of the shipping industry.  We, the quote experts, interpret this system to your ultimate benefit.

 Remember, there is no getting around the National Motor Freight Traffic Association’s NMFC (National Motor Freight Classification Tariff) – we wouldn’t have it any other way –  the NMFTA does not exist for profit, its membership is made of the motor freight carriers of America; its regulator, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Surface Transportation board, a branch of the government in liaison with various other state and federal agencies, maintains the functionality of the NMFTA and its publications.  In accordance with the regulations of the NMFTA, the National Classification Committee (NCC), actually an autonomous branch of the NMFTA, meets four times yearly to tend the NMFC and the NMFTA memberships.  These meetings are open to the public, public speakers, and will take direction from any concerned citizens. 

Any carrier that refers to the NMFC in its contracts, classes, rules, or descriptions is held liable by federal law to adhere to the committee’s regulations and maintain an active membership in the NMFTA.

As previously stated - what is measured is the difficulty of shipping the goods (the transportability of those goods.

I.E. – Density, Stowability, Ease of Handling (special care?), and Liability (fragility = liability)

A description of these four characteristics will help aid your quote provider with the necessary information to determine your shipping class.

The NMFC also factors in the type of commodity being shipped, which is determined by a pre-defined number given to each type of commodity.  There is no need for the shipper to be aware of this number, only that the type of his or her shipment will affect the price of shipment.  Furthermore, as your freight class increases, the price of shipping in bulk significantly decreases.  The NMFC publication describes the nature of these classifications to a much fuller depth, explaining it all down to the formulas used to calculate these costs.  The NMFC publication is referred to by both carrier and quote provider in order to assess the cost of shipping your goods.   

The complexity of understanding the formulas which negotiate your freight class, factoring in the many different characteristics needed to indicate the appropriate assigned class, is what a freight quote provider can then use to obtain your freight class and freight quote.