LTL shipping checklist

Most damage and every reweigh is decided here, before the driver arrives.

1. Start with a 48 by 40 pallet that's in one pieceThree stringers, no broken deck boards, forklift entry from all four sides. Two of them fit across a trailer. A pallet that flexes under the forks gets refused at the door. Standard pallet sizes48 x 40 in
2. Keep every carton inside the pallet's edgeOverhang counts as pallet space on the tariff. A load that hangs past 50 inches is priced as more than one space. Heavy cartons on the bottom, nothing past the deck.50 x 50 in
3. Stay under 85 inches tall, pallet included85 inches is the hard cap for an instant LTL rate. At 86 the quote engine returns no rate at all. Taller freight still moves, it's arranged directly instead of priced on the page.85 in
4. Keep each pallet under 2,000 lbThe tariff's pallet space is 2,000 lb. Heavier pallets price, but the dock weighs them, and the rate is corrected to what's on the scale.2,000 lb
5. Stretch wrap down to the deck, then band or corner board anything that can shiftThe wrap ties the cartons to the pallet, so it starts at the deck boards, overlaps every pass and finishes at the top. Wrap that stops above the deck is cartons riding loose on wood. Strapping holds the load square through the cross dock; shrink wrap on its own is packaging, not securement.
6. Crate machines, equipment and used auto partsItem 130 of the tariff: a rigid crate secured to the skid. Blankets, straps, banding or an open skid isn't a crate, and uncrated machinery travels at your risk with no claim paid. Tariff Item 130Item 130
7. Drain fluids and write it on the BOLEngines and equipment ship with liquids drained and ports capped, and the BOL says so. That is Item 140. A unit still holding fluid can be refused at pickup.Item 140
8. Mark the pallet stackable only if it can carry another palletStackable is a flag on the quote. It helps the price and it tells the cross dock what your freight can bear. Say no if the top layer would crush.
9. Measure and weigh after wrappingLength, width and height of the wrapped pallet, plus its weight with the pallet. Those four numbers are the quote, and the dock measures the same way. Tape measure on the pallet, not on the product. Pallet weight calculator
10. Label two adjacent sidesConsignee name, address, pallet number of total, BOL number. On the outside of the wrap, on two sides, so one side always faces out at the cross dock.

The bill of lading is the receipt, the contract and the title. Everything else hangs off it.

1. Print a bill of lading for every shipmentThe tariff requires one and the driver can't pick up without it. The free template fills the fields in the drawing above and saves a copy to your vault. Free bill of lading templateFree
2. Shipper and consignee: company, street, city, state, ZIP, phone, a named contactThe driver calls the number on the BOL when the dock is closed. A missing phone number is a redelivery.
3. Pieces, package type, description, weight and dimensions on every lineWrite what's on the dock: 2 pallets, 1,100 lb, 48 x 40 x 60. The BOL and the pallet have to agree, or the $15 inspection fee and the corrected rate follow.$15 reweigh
4. Skip the freight class unless your receiver asks for itA Warp quote is ZIPs, pallets, weight and dimensions. There's no class lookup and no code to get wrong. The class field on the BOL is optional documentation. Freight class calculator
5. Put the PO or reference number on the BOLIt's how the receiver matches the pallets to the order, and how you find the shipment in six months.
6. Decide on coverage before pickupCarrier liability under the tariff is $2.50 per lb, $1,000 maximum. Cargo coverage up to $1M is a toggle at booking: enter the commodity and the declared value and the certificate issues with the booking. Freight insurance calculator$2.50/lb
7. Special instructions: liftgate, appointment, hours, limited accessLiftgate, residential, delivery appointment and limited access are waived on the tariff. They still have to be on the BOL so the right truck shows up.$0
8. Confirm the commodity prices on an instant rateGeneral commodities get a rate in 10 seconds. Section 5 of the tariff lists what needs a conversation first: hazmat, bulk liquids, firearms, live plants and animals, art and antiques, precious metals. Tariff Section 5

The driver has 30 free minutes. Spend them signing, not searching.

1. Stage the pallets at the dock door, labels facing outNot in the back of the warehouse. A forklift or pallet jack is ready and the aisle is clear.
2. No dock? Put the liftgate on the bookingA trailer needs a dock or a liftgate. Liftgate is waived on the tariff, but only if it's booked. A driver who arrives without one leaves without the freight.$0 liftgate
3. Have someone there to sign and hand over the BOLThe driver signs for pieces and condition, keeps a copy and leaves one with you. That signature starts your tracking and your claim rights.
4. Know the pickup window and keep the dock open through it"Pickup not ready" and "consignee closed" are the two shipper side delays we see most. Thirty minutes are free, then detention runs by the minute on the tariff.30 min
5. Write the PRO number down when the driver assigns itNine to eleven digits, assigned at pickup. It's the tracking number for every scan through the cross dock. Warp also gives you one shipment ID for the whole move. What a PRO number is
6. Photograph the wrapped pallets before they rollFour sides and the label. If anything arrives different, this is the before picture the claim needs.

The signature at the other end decides whether a damage claim gets paid.

1. Give the receiver the same facts: hours, dock or liftgate, appointment, a phoneDelivery appointment and limited access are waived on the tariff when they're on the booking. A closed dock is a redelivery.
2. Count the pieces and look at the pallets before anyone signsShortage or damage gets written on the delivery receipt, in words, at the door. A clean signed POD can't be paid as a claim. That is Item 620 of the tariff.Item 620
3. Keep the signed delivery receiptIt's the proof of delivery that closes the shipment and the document a claim is filed against.
4. File a claim within 9 monthsA human replies in one business day and the decision comes in 30 days. Photos from pickup and delivery, the BOL and the POD are the whole file. File a freight claim9 months
5. Check the invoice against the quoteThe rate you book is the rate you pay for the shipment you described. The only correction is freight that weighed or measured differently at pickup, plus the $15 reweigh fee. No fuel surcharge, no accessorial added afterward. How reweighs work