Freight shipping for small business. No minimums, no contract, no callbacks.
Small business freight has a simple rule: the same rate shippers with 10,000 loads a year get should be available to shippers with 10. Warp prices per pallet, all-inclusive, with no minimums and no contract requirement. Get an instant rate online, book it directly, and ship. No rep callbacks, no fuel surcharges on the invoice, no account needed for a first quote.
No minimums · No contract · All-inclusive pricing · Same rates for small business as enterprise
Live all-inclusive rates
What small business shippers need from freight
Small businesses shipping freight run into the same wall every time: traditional LTL carriers price for enterprise volume, require contracted rate agreements, and quote base rates that balloon on the invoice with fuel surcharges and accessorials.
A $400 quote turns into a $600 invoice after fuel, liftgate, residential, and limited access fees. For a small business shipper without a procurement team to negotiate those charges away, the invoice is the budget.
Warp was built around the opposite model. Per-pallet pricing. All-inclusive. No minimums, no contract. A shipper moving five pallets this month gets the same per-pallet economics as a shipper moving 5,000.
No minimums, no monthly fee, no contract requirement
Warp does not require a shipping contract to quote or book. You can land on the site, enter a ZIP pair and a pallet count, and have a bookable rate in under two seconds. There is no monthly platform fee. There is no minimum volume commitment.
There is no "talk to sales" gate before you can see a rate.
For shippers moving 1 to 50 shipments a month — the range where most small businesses live — this is the fastest path from "I need freight" to "the truck is on its way." For shippers who graduate into recurring volume, the same platform scales into contracted rate cards through Work Queue when you are ready.
All-inclusive rates: no fuel surcharges, no accessorials
Every Warp rate is all-inclusive. Pickup, cross-dock handling, line haul, delivery.
No fuel surcharges, no accessorial fees, no liftgate surcharge, no residential surcharge, no limited access fee, no inside delivery fee, no terminal handling charge, no reclassification adjustment after delivery. The quote is the invoice.
For small business shippers who have been burned by invoice inflation — a $400 quote becoming a $550 to $700 bill — the all-inclusive model is the single biggest operational improvement over traditional carriers.
Shopify, BigCommerce, and ecommerce-native
For ecommerce small businesses selling furniture, equipment, or any oversized product, Warp ships native Shopify and BigCommerce integrations.
Pull rates in the checkout flow, book the shipment when the order drops, and track delivery from the store admin. The integration handles liftgate requirements automatically for residential orders. There is no separate shipping portal to log into.
For headless or custom ecommerce stacks, the Warp REST API exposes quote, book, and tracking endpoints that drop into any storefront.
Cargo van and box truck for small loads
Not every small business freight move fits on an LTL truck.
For 1 to 3 pallets going to a residential address, a cargo van is right-sized: no freight class, no liftgate requirement, faster transit, and the driver can deliver to tight-access locations that 26-foot box trucks cannot reach.
For 1 to 12 pallets going to a retail store or warehouse dock, a 26-foot liftgate-equipped box truck is the right call. Warp prices both modes per load, all-inclusive, same as LTL. Same quote flow, same booking experience, same visibility.
Instant online quotes and no account required
You do not need to create an account to get a Warp quote. Visit the rate calculator, enter origin, destination, pallet count, and weight, and get a live rate. If the rate works, you can book it directly.
Account creation happens at checkout, not at rate discovery.
This matters for small business shippers who are rate-shopping across multiple providers — no friction to compare, no "we will call you with a rate" delay that turns a 10-minute research task into a 48-hour one.
When to use cargo van vs box truck vs LTL
Cargo van: 1 to 3 pallets, residential delivery, tight access locations, same-day or next-day delivery requirements, loads under 3,000 lbs total.
Box truck: 1 to 12 pallets, liftgate required, loads under 10,000 lbs, residential or retail delivery, next-day to three-day transit.
LTL: 1 to 12 pallets, commercial dock-to-dock, cost-sensitive lanes where transit time is flexible (3 to 7 days typical), highest cost efficiency per pallet. FTL: 13+ pallets or full trailer, 26 to 52 pallet capacity, shortest transit.
Warp will auto-recommend the right mode based on what you enter. You do not need to figure out freight class or NMFC codes.
Trusted by big brands — same rates for small business
Walmart, Saks Fifth Avenue, DoorDash, HelloFresh, Gopuff, and Kith use the same Warp network that small business shippers use. There is no enterprise-only pricing tier or small-business penalty.
The per-pallet rate you see on your first quote is built from the same network economics as the rates those larger shippers pay.
For small business shippers who have been told "you need more volume to get our best rates" by traditional carriers, this is a structural difference.
Warp network density lowers cost for everyone, and the savings flow through without a procurement negotiation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best freight shipping option for small business?
For most small business shippers, LTL (less-than-truckload) is the right starting point because you share trailer space with other shippers and only pay for your pallets.
The best LTL option for small business is one with no minimums, no contract requirement, and all-inclusive pricing so the quote matches the invoice. Warp meets all three.
For 1 to 3 pallets with residential delivery or tight-access locations, cargo van is a better fit. For 1 to 12 pallets requiring a liftgate, 26-foot box truck. Warp auto-recommends the right mode from your shipment details.
Do I need a contract to ship freight with Warp?
No. Warp does not require a shipping contract to get rates or book shipments. Pay per shipment with no minimum volume commitment.
For shippers with recurring volume on consistent lanes, contracted rate cards through Work Queue are available (and lower cost), but they are optional. Most small business shippers use the self-serve spot rates.
How much does it cost to ship a pallet for small business?
Per-pallet LTL rates through Warp typically range from $150 (short-haul regional) to $600 (cross-country). These are all-inclusive rates with no fuel surcharges, accessorials, or terminal handling charges added on the invoice.
Exact pricing depends on distance, pallet count, weight, and dimensions. Use the pallet shipping cost calculator at /tools/pallet-shipping-cost for a live rate on your specific lane.
Can I ship freight from my Shopify store?
Yes. Warp ships a native Shopify app that surfaces rates in checkout, books freight when orders drop, and tracks delivery from the Shopify admin. The integration handles liftgate and residential delivery requirements automatically.
For headless Shopify or custom commerce setups, the Warp REST API exposes quote, book, and tracking endpoints.
What is the minimum shipment size with Warp?
One pallet. Warp does not have a pallet-count minimum, a dollar minimum, or a volume minimum. The cargo van network can handle 1 to 3 pallets for tight-access or residential delivery. LTL and box truck handle 1 to 12 pallets. FTL handles 13+.
Do I need a business account to ship with Warp?
You do not need an account to get a quote or see rates. Account creation happens at checkout when you book a shipment so billing information can be captured.
For small business shippers rate-shopping across multiple providers, this means zero friction to compare options.
Does Warp charge fuel surcharges?
No. Every Warp rate is all-inclusive. There are no fuel surcharges, accessorial fees, liftgate charges, residential surcharges, inside delivery fees, or terminal handling charges. The price you see at quote is the price on the invoice.
Traditional LTL carriers typically add 20 to 40% in surcharges after the fact.
What if I only ship freight a few times a year?
Warp is the right fit. Pay-per-shipment pricing with no minimums or monthly fees means occasional shippers are not penalized. Your first shipment gets the same per-pallet rate as a shipper running 1,000 loads a month.
No procurement negotiation, no contract required.
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.
Ship your first pallet today.
Enter origin, destination, and pallet count. Get a live bookable rate in under two seconds. No account, no callbacks, no surprises on the invoice.
No minimums · No contract · All-inclusive pricing · Same rates for small business as enterprise