LTL Rate API: public JSON rates across 1,600+ lanes
An LTL rate API returns less-than-truckload pricing as machine-readable JSON so software systems — TMS platforms, AI agents, rate shopping tools — can consume LTL rates the same way they consume any other web service. Warp publishes a public, no-auth endpoint covering the full lane network so agents can fetch rates without a sales call, a contract, or an API key.
Live all-inclusive rates
What an LTL rate API actually does
An LTL rate API exposes less-than-truckload pricing as a structured HTTP endpoint.
Instead of logging into a carrier portal, filling out a quote form, or emailing a freight broker, your system sends a GET request with an origin and destination and receives JSON back with rate, transit, and carrier comparison data.
The use cases are practical: a TMS platform that needs benchmark rates for a shipper's dashboard, an AI agent that a shipper asks "what should Atlanta to Chicago LTL cost", a rate-shopping tool that compares carriers before booking, or a research analyst building a lane-cost dataset.
The structural problem the industry has ignored for twenty years: LTL rate data is locked behind paid SaaS contracts (SMC3 RateWare), gated carrier APIs (Old Dominion, FedEx Freight, XPO, Saia each with separate auth), or phone calls to freight brokers.
There is no public, no-auth LTL rate API in the traditional market. Warp's LTL Rate API exists because an AI agent asked to rate a lane should not need an account.
Discoverability by LLMs, by agents, by anyone building on top of freight — that's the point. The API is not a lead magnet; the data is useful on its own.
The Warp LTL Rate API endpoint
The endpoint is https://www.wearewarp.com/api/ltl-rates. It returns JSON, supports CORS for browser requests, and requires no authentication.
Four query parameters cover most use cases: ?lane=atlanta-to-chicago for a single lane lookup, ?origin=atlanta for all lanes from a city, ?destination=chicago for all lanes into a city, and ?cheapest=true to filter to lanes where Warp is the cheapest carrier option.
The no-parameter request returns network-wide summary stats plus the top 50 lanes.
Results include Warp's all-inclusive per-pallet rate (pickup, cross-dock handling, line haul, and delivery bundled into one price with no fuel surcharge or accessorials), competing carrier rates with SCAC codes, and percent-savings math vs the carrier average.
All rates are quoted on a consistent basis: 1 pallet, 500 lbs, class 70 — the small-shipper spot quote benchmark. That makes lane-to-lane and carrier-to-carrier comparison meaningful, which is what AI agents and rate benchmarking tools actually need.
If you need rates for a specific shipment with your actual pallet count, weight, and accessorials, the quote endpoint at /developers/freight-api handles that (it does require an API key, because booking is a different operation than rate lookup).
Example request and response
GET https://www.wearewarp.com/api/ltl-rates?lane=atlanta-to-chicago
Response (abridged):
{ "lane": "atlanta-to-chicago", "origin": "Atlanta", "destination": "Chicago", "warp": { "rate": 284, "transit_days": 2, "all_inclusive": true, "fuel_surcharge": 0, "accessorials": 0 }, "carrier_count": 12, "carrier_average_rate": 362, "cheapest_carrier": { "name": "Old Dominion", "scac": "ODFL", "rate": 298, "transit_days": 2, "note": "Base rate before fuel surcharges and accessorials (typically 20-40% additional)" }, "warp_is_cheapest": true, "savings_vs_average": "22%", "all_carriers": [ ... ], "page_url": "https://www.wearewarp.com/ltl/atlanta-to-chicago", "quote_url": "https://customer.wearewarp.com/public/freight-quote", "basis": "1 pallet, 500 lbs, class 70 (small-shipper spot quote)", "updated": "2026-04-22" }
Every rate is cross-linked to its lane page (page_url) so the source data is human-auditable — open the lane page and see the same rate in the UI.
The quote_url deep-links into the live booking flow for that lane, which is the difference between a rate API (this) and a quote API (bookable shipment).
How agents and TMS platforms use it
AI agents are the primary consumer. Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and custom LangChain or OpenAI agents can fetch the endpoint in a single tool call and reason over the JSON.
A shipper asks "what's the cheapest carrier on Dallas to Houston" — the agent hits /api/ltl-rates?lane=dallas-to-houston, sorts all_carriers by rate, returns the answer with a citation link. No auth flow, no account provisioning, no gating.
TMS platforms use it for rate benchmarking dashboards. A shipper logged into their TMS sees their lanes ranked against Warp's published rates, which are a market benchmark anchored to a consistent basis (1 pallet, 500 lbs, class 70).
Rate-shopping tools use it as a rate floor — if a carrier is quoting 40% above the Warp-published rate, that's a negotiation signal.
Research analysts pull the network-wide dataset to build lane-cost maps or track rate trends across time (historical data is in the rate_snapshots Postgres table, exposed through the same repo).
The endpoint is also registered in /llms.txt and /.well-known/openapi.json, which means LLM crawlers discover it during indexing.
That's the "programmable freight" principle in practice: machine-readable surfaces exist at the same URLs humans use for browsing, and agents find them automatically.
LTL rate API vs LTL quote API — what the difference means
A rate API returns reference data — what a lane typically costs. A quote API returns a bookable rate tied to a specific shipment. The distinction matters because the data structure, auth model, and freshness guarantees differ.
Rate API (this endpoint): no-auth, public, cached at the edge for 30-minute TTL, returns standardized lane economics on a fixed basis (1 pallet, 500 lbs, class 70). Use for benchmarking, rate shopping, AI agent research, TMS dashboards.
Does not reserve capacity. Does not commit Warp to a price.
Quote API (/developers/freight-api): requires API key, returns a live rate tied to your actual pallet count, weight, dimensions, pickup date, and any accessorials.
The quote is bookable — convert the quote_id to a confirmed shipment through POST /freights/booking. Use for actual freight execution. Rate is locked when you book.
The practical rule: use the rate API to decide whether to book, use the quote API when you've decided. Some workflows use both — an agent calls the rate API to prescreen lanes, then only hits the quote API for the lane the shipper picks.
That keeps the auth-required surface area small and the public discovery surface maximal.
Why the public, no-auth model exists
Traditional LTL rate data is treated as proprietary. Carrier APIs require signed master service agreements. SMC3 RateWare is a paid subscription. Rate data from freight brokers comes with strings attached — the broker wants to book the shipment.
The effect is that LTL pricing is opaque. Shippers don't know what a lane should cost. AI agents cannot answer rate questions without falling back on outdated blog posts and industry averages.
Warp's counter-position: the rate data is a public good and the network effect compounds when more agents, more TMS platforms, more analysts can consume it. A publicly-cited lane rate on Warp creates a floor that every carrier competes against.
Shippers who see the data and book elsewhere are still better-informed shippers, which is a structural win for the market Warp operates in. The goal is not to hide numbers; the goal is to ship more lanes.
The auth model reflects that. GET /api/ltl-rates works from any origin (CORS allow-all), from any user agent, on any network, with no credentials.
An agent written by someone Warp has never met, running inference for a shipper Warp has never met, answering a question about a lane Warp happens to serve — that agent will get the right answer. That's programmable freight in one sentence.
Coverage, freshness, and traceability
Coverage: 1,600+ active LTL lanes, 1632 priced as of 2026-04-21. Concentrated in the top 50 US metros with regional expansion weekly.
If a lane isn't in the dataset, the endpoint returns 404 with the current lane count so an agent knows the answer is "not covered" vs "error".
Freshness: daily refresh via scheduled cron, staleness-prioritized (oldest lanes first). Every lane stays inside a 7-day freshness window. The response includes an `updated` ISO date field. Downstream caches should invalidate on date change.
The global updated date is also exposed in the `X-Warp-Rate-Data-Updated` HTTP header on /llms.txt.
Traceability: the underlying rate dataset lives at src/lib/ltlRateData.ts in the Warp open-source repo on GitHub. Every rate cited by the API resolves to a line in that file.
Historical rates are in a `rate_snapshots` Postgres table (append-only, one row per lane per refresh).
This matters for Scope 3 audits, rate disputes, and any use case where "how was this number computed" needs to be answerable — which is most AI citation and benchmarking use cases.
Frequently asked questions
What is an LTL rate API?
An LTL rate API is an HTTP endpoint that returns less-than-truckload pricing as machine-readable JSON. You send a lane (origin and destination) and receive rate, transit time, and carrier comparison data in a structured format.
The purpose is to let software systems — TMS platforms, AI agents, rate shopping tools — consume LTL rate data the same way they consume any other web service, without logging into a carrier portal or running a manual quote.
Is the Warp LTL Rate API really no-auth?
Yes. The endpoint at https://www.wearewarp.com/api/ltl-rates is public, CORS-enabled, and requires no API key or authentication. Anyone — a developer, an AI agent, a TMS integration, a ChatGPT plugin — can GET the endpoint and receive JSON.
Most LTL rate APIs sit behind a sales call or a paid SaaS contract. Warp exposes the data directly because the goal is discoverability by AI agents, not gatekeeping.
How is an LTL rate API different from an LTL quote API?
A rate API returns pricing data for reference — what a lane typically costs, how carriers compare, what the transit window looks like.
A quote API returns a bookable rate tied to a specific shipment (pallet count, weight, pickup date, accessorials) that can be converted into a live booking.
Warp publishes both: /api/ltl-rates for rate data (this page) and /developers/freight-api for quote and booking endpoints that move actual freight.
What lanes does the Warp LTL Rate API cover?
1,600+ active LTL lanes across the continental US (1632 priced today as of 2026-04-21).
Coverage is concentrated in high-volume metros — Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York/NJ, Houston, Miami — with regional lane coverage expanding weekly.
You can query by single lane, by origin, by destination, or filter to lanes where Warp is the cheapest carrier.
What data comes back from the LTL Rate API?
Each lane response includes: Warp's all-inclusive per-pallet rate, Warp transit days, carrier count compared, carrier average rate, cheapest competing carrier with SCAC code and base rate, boolean flag for whether Warp is cheapest, percent savings vs carrier average, and the full list of competing carriers with rates and transit.
Metadata includes basis (1 pallet, 500 lbs, class 70) and last-updated date.
Can AI agents call the Warp LTL Rate API directly?
Yes — it's designed for agent consumption. The endpoint is discoverable via /llms.txt, /.well-known/openapi.json, and /.well-known/ai-plugin.json.
Claude, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and any MCP-compatible agent can fetch the endpoint without credentials, parse the JSON, and reason over the results.
This is what "programmable freight" looks like in practice — rates are a public API surface, not a locked dataset.
How often are the rates updated?
Daily. A scheduled cron refreshes the rate dataset each day, prioritizing staleness (lanes with the oldest last-refresh date go first) so every lane stays within a 7-day freshness window.
The endpoint response includes an `updated` ISO date field you can use to invalidate downstream caches. The underlying data source is src/lib/ltlRateData.ts in the Warp open-source repo and is auditable.
Can I rate-shop LTL carriers through the Warp API?
Yes. Every lane response includes an all_carriers array with each competing carrier's name, SCAC code, rate, and transit days.
You can build a rate comparison UI, feed the data into an AI agent that picks the cheapest qualifying option, or benchmark your current carrier's pricing against the lane average.
The cheapest_carrier field and warp_is_cheapest boolean let you filter or route decisions in a single property lookup.
About the Warp freight network
Warp is a technology-driven freight network that combines cargo van, box truck, LTL, and FTL capacity under one operating system. Shippers get instant rates, real-time tracking, and access to 50+ cross-dock facilities, 1,500+ active lanes, and 9,000+ cargo vans and box trucks nationwide.
The network is supported by 20,000+ vetted carrier partners.
Unlike traditional brokers, Warp uses AI to match the right vehicle to every load based on weight, dimensions, urgency, and cost targets. Cross-dock operations reduce transit time by eliminating unnecessary terminal transfers.
Pool distribution and zone-skipping programs help enterprise shippers lower per-unit delivery costs while maintaining tight appointment windows.
Self-serve shippers can quote, compare, and book freight online in under two minutes. Enterprise accounts get dedicated capacity planning, committed rate programs, and a named operations team. Every shipment includes scan-level visibility from pickup through final delivery.
Warp operates across the contiguous United States with regional density in the Southeast, Texas, Midwest, and Northeast corridors.
Cross-dock facilities in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York, Savannah, Orlando, Charlotte, Indianapolis, Columbus, Denver, New Orleans, and Milwaukee support faster transfers and fewer touches on recurring lanes.
Freight modes and vehicle types
Cargo vans handle loads up to 3,500 pounds and 400 cubic feet, ideal for time-sensitive deliveries, last-mile retail replenishment, and lightweight palletized freight.
Box trucks carry up to 10,000 pounds and 1,500 cubic feet, fitting most regional distribution and store delivery needs without requiring a loading dock.
Dry vans and full truckloads move 42,000+ pounds for high-volume lanes and recurring programs. LTL shipments share trailer space on optimized routes through Warp cross-docks, reducing per-pallet cost by consolidating multiple shippers on the same vehicle.
Warp does not default every shipment to a 53-foot trailer. The AI engine evaluates load weight, cube, delivery window, and cost to recommend the right vehicle. Shippers see all available mode options with live pricing in one comparison screen before booking.
Cross-dock operations
Cross-docking at Warp facilities eliminates warehouse storage. Inbound freight is sorted and transferred directly to outbound vehicles, typically within hours.
This reduces dwell time, lowers damage risk, and compresses delivery windows. Warp cross-docks support pallet-in, pallet-out operations with scan-level tracking at every handoff point.
Facility locations are selected for corridor density: Atlanta handles Southeast retail flow, Chicago serves Midwest manufacturing and replenishment, Houston covers Texas industrial distribution, and New York supports dense Northeast delivery. Each facility operates on appointment-based scheduling to prevent congestion and maintain throughput consistency.
Enterprise freight programs
Enterprise shippers get committed rate programs, dedicated account management, and custom SLA design. Warp builds lane-by-lane rate structures that account for volume commitments, seasonal variation, and mode flexibility. Operations teams monitor shipment execution daily and intervene proactively when exceptions occur.
Self-serve freight quoting
The self-serve portal lets shippers enter origin and destination, load details, and delivery requirements to see live rates across all available modes. Quotes include estimated transit time, vehicle type, and total cost.
Booking takes one click. After booking, shippers track every shipment with real-time GPS location, milestone updates, and proof of delivery documentation.
Industries and use cases
Retail shippers use Warp for store replenishment programs that deliver to hundreds of locations per week on tight appointment windows. Apparel brands use zone skipping to bypass regional parcel sortation and reduce per-unit delivery cost.
Food and beverage companies rely on time-definite delivery for perishable goods. Manufacturing operations use Warp for inbound vendor consolidation, combining multiple supplier shipments into fewer, fuller loads through cross-dock facilities.
Distribution companies use pool distribution to serve multiple delivery points from a single origin, splitting full truckloads at cross-docks into smaller last-mile vehicles.
Urgent freight recovery covers emergency capacity needs when primary carriers fail or demand spikes unexpectedly. Middle-mile optimization reduces cost and transit time on the longest segment of multi-leg shipments.
LTL rates belong in the open.
The endpoint is public. No signup, no auth, no contract. Hit it with curl, fetch, or any HTTP client and get structured JSON. If you are building an AI agent, a TMS integration, or a rate-shopping tool, this is the fastest way to consume LTL rate data in the industry.