DETERMINATION OF FREIGHT CLASSES FOR RATING PURPOSES

In accordance with standard industry practice and pursuant to proper bill-of-lading requirements; shipment weights, commodity descriptions, and freight classifications are to be correct and must accurately reflect the shipments product and handling characteristics. When the commodity description on a bill of lading (BOL) fails to conform to item 360, section 2 of Classification Tariff NMF 100 such that the commodity(s) shipped cannot be identified, the shipment may be subject to inspection. Carrier maintains the right to inspect all freight it is tendered and may adjust shipment classification to ensure that carrier invoices are based on accurate freight characteristics.

Carrier will perform necessary inspections to ensure proper shipment characteristics are utilized for invoicing purposes. If the commodity is not identifiable upon immediate visual inspection, the carrier reserves the right to use density to assign an NMFC class based on the table below in order to protect the packaging integrity of the shipment in question.  When changes are deemed necessary, Carrier will document such changes on the invoice and/or will provide class change certifications as support. If the bill of lading lacks a valid commodity description as well as a valid NMFC class, the shipment may be subject to a minimum class of 125.

For the purpose of rating, carrier will utilize freight classes provided by the shipper on the bill-of lading. However, when inspection of a shipment reveals material inaccuracies between information contained on the bill-of-lading and actual shipment characteristics including but not limited to incorrect weight, missing/incomplete commodity descriptions, and/or oversized packaging, Carrier will modify the classification of the shipment to properly reflect actual shipment characteristics. When inspection of a shipment reveals material inaccuracies between BOL information and actual freight description and characteristics, the density-based freight classifications in the table below may also apply if an itemized list of commodities and weights cannot be determined.

Additional charges per carrier rules tariff item 996 may also apply.   

A vertical dimension (or height) of not less than 96 inches shall be used in determining the cube of any unit on top of which other freight cannot be loaded because of:

1. The nature of the article
2. Packaging or lack of packaging used
3. Palletization in "pyramided", "rounded off" or "topped off" manner
4. Specific instructions by the shipper on the bill of lading, or by the consignee, to the effect that no other freight is to be loaded on top of the article.

When Class modification is necessary due to shipment inspection, carrier will employ procedures below to determine appropriate classification for rating purposes based on a shipment’s density. Classification determined under this procedure will be applied in lieu of classification determined under the national Motor Freight Classification STB NMF 100 Series. The following table has been adapted from the NMFC Commodity classification Standards Board Density guidelines.

• Density (pounds per cubic feet) will be determined by dividing a shipment’s weight (including all packaging and pallets) by its total cube (length x width x height).
• Calculated shipment density will be reviewed against the table below to determine the appropriate corresponding freight class for shipment rating purposes.