The 65% Rule in LTL Shipping | Avoid Costly Freight Charges

The 65% rule in LTL shipping is a little known rule that can cause your freight charges to increase drastically due to your shipment being re-classed. This rule is listed differently by various carriers, such as, FedEx and A Duie Pyle, who call it their Item 680 Rule while others call it the Packing or Packaging Rule. Click here to view how FedEx Freight describes the 65% rule in LTL Shipping.

What is the 65% Rule?

The 65% rule in LTL shipping, is essentially when your shipment that is on a pallet, or shipping handling unit (SHU), takes up less than 65% of the capacity of that pallet or SHU. When this occurs, the Pounds Per Cubic Feet or PCF of the combined gross weight of the pallet and the goods being shipped will determine the actual costs for rating and NOT the actual class of the item. The outermost dimensions of the SHU will be calculated and then used to determine the Pounds Per Cubic Feet as a density factor. That density will then be used as the class to rate that particular shipment.

Why Do LTL Carriers Have the 65% Rule in LTL Shipping?

The rule is in place to guide shippers to properly package their shipments with the smallest pallets or SHU possible. This benefits everyone as when the shipments take up less space on the trucks, the carriers can load more shipments on their trucks, and thus keep the costs down. Conversely, when a shipper uses an oversize pallet or SHU, the carriers may at their discretion choose to implement the Packing Rule and charge more money based on the density of the shipment versus its actual class.

Example of the LTL 65% Rule

In this example as noted in our picture above, the dims are 40x48x45 with a weight of 160 lbs. and an actual class of 100 based on the commodity.

The item 680 Rule was applied since the goods utilized less than 65% of the pallet space. The density was than calculated at 40x48x45 = 86,400 divided by 1728 (1 cubic foot), that yields 50 cubic feet on the actual shipment.

The carrier then took 160 lbs. divided by 50 cubic feet and came up with a density of 3.2 PCF. The class on an item at 3.2 PCF is class 250. The rate was then recalculated as a cl250 item and the rate went up by almost 100%.

How to Avoid the 65% Rule in LTL Shipping

There is a very simple solution for avoiding this rule. When shipping your goods, use the smallest pallet or SHU possible. It would have been more cost effective for this client to cut down this pallet to a smaller size and then ship it out.

It is the shipper’s responsibility to know these rules, or partner up with someone such as Diversified Transportation Services who can help avoid these charges with the knowledge that we bring to the table with 30+ years of experience. The carrier rules tariffs are in place equally for everyone and while some may not agree, the rule is a fair one. If you keep your shipment as tight as can be on a pallet or SHU, you will be in great shape. If you waste space on the carrier’s truck, they have a process in place to be compensated for that wasted space.

Therefore, a small amount of time having DTS help you analyze your packaging can help you save money that funnels to your bottom line. More details are on our Shipping and Receiving guide.

If Density Is:	Apply Class For Rating Purposes:
Less than 1 pfc	400
1 pcf but less than 2 pcf	300
2 pcf but less than 4 pcf	250
4 pcf but less than 6 pcf	150
6 pcf but less than 8 pcf	125
8 pcf but less than 10 pcf	100
10 pcf but less than 12 pcf	92.5
12 pcf but less than 15 pcf	85
15 pcf but less than 22.5 pcf	70
22.5 pcf but less than 30 pcf	65
30 pcf but less than 35 pcf	60
35 pcf but less than 50 pcf	55
50 pcf or greater	50