How Accurate Shipping Data Is Transforming LTL Outcomes

The LTL industry has embraced precision. With dimensioners now standard on many carrier docks and the NMFTA’s shift to density-based classification for the majority of freight, the margin for error on shipment data is thinner than ever. Across all carriers, shippers that still rely on outdated measurement practices are still facing re-rates. This is happening on as many as one in four shipments, which leads to unpredictable invoices and weaker carrier relationships.

Accuracy and transparency have a significant impact on P&L. Shippers who invest in better data practices are seeing immediate returns: tighter cost forecasting, faster transit times, stronger carrier partnerships, and even the ability to offer all-in pricing to their own customers.

But that doesn’t mean shippers need to invest in expensive new infrastructure. Better training and a partnership with an effective carrier make a massive difference when it comes to avoiding unexpected invoices and re-rates.

The New Rules of LTL Classification

The catalyst behind much of this shift is the NMFTA’s overhaul of the National Motor Freight Classification system. When Docket 2025-1 took effect on July 19, 2025, roughly 2,000 commodity listings moved from traditional commodity-based classification to a standardized density scale. The updated system replaced the old 11-tier density model with a more granular 13-tier structure, and the NMFTA estimates that 70 to 80 percent of LTL freight are now classified by density alone.

That means that the precise weight and cubic dimensions of every pallet are now the primary drivers of freight class (and by extension, cost). Where the old system sometimes allowed vague commodity descriptions to stand in for exact measurements, the new framework demands specificity. That change rewards shippers who get their data right at the point of origin.

At the same time, the measurement technology on carrier docks has matured considerably. Commercial dimensioners have become much more widespread and affordable over the last five years. Many carriers now run every shipment through automated dimensioning systems and digital scales at the terminal. As a result, there’s a much higher likelihood that there could be discrepancies between a shipper’s bill of lading and the carrier’s measurements.

The Cost of Inaccurate Classifications 

When a carrier’s measurements don’t match what a shipper declared, the shipment gets re-rated (typically re-weighed, re-dimensioned, or re-classified) and the invoice changes. Some shippers have reported that as many as 25 percent of their loads were coming back with re-weighs or re-classifications before they addressed the root cause.

The direct financial impact is obvious, but the indirect costs are often larger. Every re-rated invoice has to be flagged by accounting, investigated by logistics, and in many cases escalated to finance or senior leadership. The review time for a single disputed invoice can often take extra time that eventually adds up to a significant drain on staff productivity across multiple departments. Unpredictable shipping costs also erode the accuracy of financial projections and make it harder for logistics teams to negotiate effectively with carriers, since their own baseline data is unreliable.

There is also a service dimension that gets overlooked. Inaccurate data can cause loads to not fit on trailers as planned. When a piece of freight doesn’t match its declared dimensions, it may be the shipment that has to wait for the next truck, which means delays.

These avoidable costs land at a time when LTL shipping is already getting more expensive. The Producer Price Index for long-distance LTL services rose 5.4 percent year-over-year, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Carriers are holding firm on pricing even in a soft demand environment. The LTL rate-per-pound index climbed 280 basis points year-over-year as of 2025, marking six consecutive quarters of increases.

Shippers who are already absorbing general rate increases and rising fuel surcharges can’t afford to layer preventable re-rate charges on top. Getting shipment data right at the origin is one of the few levers shippers can pull to control costs that are otherwise moving in one direction.

Shippers Who Fixed Their Data Saw Immediate Results

The encouraging reality is that the problem is highly solvable, and the payoff is fast. Several companies that have invested in data accuracy have reported dramatic turnarounds.

Douglas Dynamics, a manufacturer of work truck attachments, discovered that roughly 25 percent of its shipments had incorrect weight, excessive length, or wrong classification once it implemented a transportation management system that gave the company visibility into re-rates for the first time. After trialing a dimensioner at one facility in the fall of 2024, re-rates based on weight and length dropped to just one percent. The company recouped the cost of the system within months.

Bestorq, an industrial equipment supplier, was seeing as many as 25 percent of shipments come back with re-weighs or re-classifications, consuming significant staff time every month. After addressing the issue, not only did re-classifications drop, but the company now has a reliable data baseline to use when discussing any discrepancies with carriers.

KaTom, a restaurant supply company, found a path to better outcomes without investing in dimensioning hardware at all. By consolidating its shipping data into a single view and analyzing where and how frequently items were moving, the company discovered it could pool West Coast-bound shipments into full drop trailers to a carrier distribution center, then break them down for final LTL delivery. The result was faster transit times and a 30 percent reduction in overall shipping cost for those lanes.

ULINE took the concept even further. By maintaining consistently accurate shipment data over time, the shipping supplies company was able to work with its carrier to build accessorial fees into an annualized flat rate, eliminating individual accessorial charges entirely and enabling simplified, all-in pricing for its customers. That kind of arrangement is only possible when both sides trust the underlying data.

Better Data Builds Better Partnerships

When carriers know exactly what they’re picking up, they can plan loads more confidently, allocate resources more efficiently, and deliver more predictable results. Accurate shippers become easier to work with, which opens the door to more collaborative rate negotiations, more direct routing, and long-term partnerships that benefit both sides.

Old Dominion Freight Line, named the number-one national LTL carrier for quality by Mastio & Company for a record 16th consecutive year, has built its approach around this principle. With a 99 percent on-time delivery rate and one of the lowest claims ratios in the industry, OD’s operational model depends on knowing what’s on every trailer.

That gives shippers a simple opportunity to maximize value. The more accurate the data that shippers provide, the more OD can do in terms of load optimization, direct routing, and predictable service.

Improving data accuracy doesn’t have to be a massive capital project. For many shippers, the most effective first step is ensuring that dock staff are trained to measure the maximum length, width, and height of every shipment. Those measurements should flow into a bill of lading digitally rather than on paper. Understanding how to calculate density (weight divided by cubic volume) is now essential knowledge for anyone involved in the shipping process, given the NMFTA’s classification changes.

In the case of higher-volume operations, modern dimensioners can automate the measurement process entirely and integrate with TMS and ERP systems, but even a tape measure and a certified scale will provide better results than nothing at all.

OD’s Solutions Specialists work directly with shippers to identify data gaps, optimize packaging and classification, and build the kind of transparent, data-driven relationship that benefits both sides of the dock. Whether you’re just starting to digitize your BOLs or looking to fine-tune an advanced operation, the conversation starts with your carrier.

Click here to learn more about Old Dominion Freight Line.

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