Why Should I Care About Freight Class?

I am a dork. If Dorkdom was a real place and not just a state of mind, I would be its mayor on Foursquare. I fully realized my new status while watching The Big Bang Theory with my husband. Right in the middle of the show, I paused the DVR (he would probably be mad if I didn’t do this to him all the time) to tell him a work story that was so funny I could barely relay it to him.

“Oh MY gosh, so today (giggle, giggle, snort), Brandon came over and asked me to check a rerate because his partner (sarcastic eye roll; grand, spastic hand gesture) totally didn’t realize that the weight and class on a shipment didn’t match up and he’s all like, “What are we shipping here? A box of feathers at class 70?” I double over, slap my leg, throw my head back, and start laughing hysterically. Anyone who knows me knows that when I get like this, it’s better to just let me go. When I finally wind down, I see that my husband is looking at me with zero facial expression what-so-ever.” I don’t get it,” he says. No kidding…

So, in honor of my husband and probably a lot of other people who did not get Brandon’s totally awesome joke, I am going to one up the eternal question of “Why did the chicken cross the road?” with the new question, “Why can’t you ship feathers at class 70?”.

Disclaimer: There is no correlation between the status of the chicken crossing the road and feathers being shipped at class 70.

What is Freight Class and Why Does It Matter?

The NMFC, National Motor Freight Classification, compares commodities and groups them into one of 18 classes, 50 – 500. Items with a low class are heavy and dense, like bricks, while items with a higher class are lighter and usually more delicate, like…feathers. Class is based on four transportation characteristics: density, stowability, handling, and liability. These, added together, equal a commodity’s transportability.

Along with the freight class, an NMFC number is assigned to the commodity. Consider the NMFC number a vocabulary word and the description that follows the definition. The definition is sometimes lengthy and convoluted (see Food Stuffs NMFC 73227) and you REALLY have to pay attention to what it says. Another area that you need to pay attention to is how freight is packaged. If you stop reading the NMFC description after the first couple of words, you might miss that the description only covers the commodity if it is in wooden boxes on wheels. If you class your freight using this NMFC number, your freight may get reclassed and that will cost you money.

You don’t have to provide an NMFC number on a bill of lading, but it’s always good to add it because it “proves” the class of the freight. This is not saying that you won’t get reclassed. Carriers vary on how they see freight, but at least they will know where your head’s at as far as your freight class goes.

The classing system is protection for customers. If you have ever classed freight before, you’re probably thinking to yourself, “Protection, my foot! They’re trying to give me an aneurism!” I don’t think the NMFC is trying to give you an aneurism on purpose, but it can be tricky to find a freight class. The protection comes from freight being classed so that carriers know not to stack bricks on top of bubble wrap. Not only will this keep freight safe, it will keep the back of the carrier’s truck from sounding like World War II.

What Do All of Those Words Mean?

Density: How much does it weigh and how much room does it take up? I don’t suggest this line of questioning when your wife asks if her mother can come to dinner.

Stowability: How easy is it to load and store? Can it be stacked? Can it be shipped with hazardous goods? Basically, does your freight get along well with others?

Handling: How easy is it to handle this freight? Is it awkward like a 9^th grader? All elbows and knees?

Liability: How valuable is the freight or can it be easily damaged? Are you shipping the Lindsay Lohan of freight?

FAK (Freight of All Kinds)

An FAK is an all inclusive freight class given by individual carriers to customers who ship commodities with differing classes. For instance, if a customer ships class 85 to class 150, the carrier may give them an FAK of class 100. FAKs are on their way out and density based freight is on its way in. If you have an FAK, realize that it may not fly with other carriers or with 3PLs. Protect yourself and always make sure that your class matches your NMFC number.

Ah, the chicken, such a simple creature that has been the subject of much controversy over the years, but has really taught us to think about the world around us. ”Why did the chicken cross the road?” “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” “Why can’t you ship feathers at class 70?” (giggle, giggle, snort).