The sticker rate on an LTL tariff is almost meaningless on its own. The carrier knocks 60 to 80 percent off it, then adds fuel back on, then stacks accessorials, and the number that lands on the invoice looks nothing like the base rate you started from. This works the whole chain so the quote matches the bill.
Enter the shipment and the rate and see the real cost.
CargoEZ stores carrier rate cards, discounts, fuel tables and accessorials, and builds the LTL quote in one click instead of a spreadsheet. Built for freight forwarders.
How LTL pricing actually stacks
LTL, less than truckload, is priced in layers, and each one changes the number.
Gross linehaul = (weight ÷ 100) × base rate per 100 lb (CWT)
Net linehaul = gross × (1 − carrier discount)
Freight charge = the higher of net linehaul and the minimum charge
Total = freight charge + fuel surcharge + accessorials
The base rate per hundredweight comes from the carrier’s class tariff, set by the freight class of the shipment. Then the discount, which is the number that actually matters, because LTL carriers publish inflated tariffs and compete on how deep a discount they give. A 70 percent discount is normal, so a $850 gross linehaul becomes $255. Get the freight class wrong and the base rate changes, which is why class and cost are joined at the hip.
The minimum charge and the fuel surcharge
Two things catch people out on small or light shipments. The absolute minimum charge is a floor; once the discounted linehaul drops below it, you pay the minimum no matter how light the freight. A 50 lb carton does not cost a few dollars to move LTL, it costs the minimum, often $100 to $150. The calculator flags when the minimum is doing the pricing instead of the weight.
Fuel surcharge is the other layer. It is a percentage applied on top of the net freight charge, it moves weekly with diesel, and at 35 percent it adds a third again to the freight. It is not optional and it is not small, so a quote that leaves it out is wrong before it is sent.
Accessorials, the quiet margin killers
Liftgate, residential delivery, inside delivery, appointment and notification are each a flat add, and they stack fast. A residential liftgate delivery can add $200 to a shipment whose freight charge was only $300. The accessorials are where quotes go wrong most often, because the person quoting forgets to ask whether the consignee has a dock.
Freight class drives the base rate, so start there with the freight class calculator, and for the density behind the class use the CBM calculator. More tools are in the freight forwarding calculators section.