What sets medical and lab freight apart
Medical and laboratory equipment is not, on the whole, low-density freight. A crated ultra-low-temperature freezer runs about 10 PCF. A pallet of boxed lab bench components runs over 9. The trouble is shape and fragility, not weight:
- Height. Biosafety cabinets on their stands, upright freezers, fume hoods and pass-through autoclaves all ship taller than 60 in. Any unit over that height cannot be double-stacked in a van, so carriers cube it to 96 in whatever it is marked.
- Top-heavy centers of gravity. Compressors sit at the bottom of a freezer, but a biosafety cabinet's blower and filter housing sit at the top. These units tip if a pallet jack stops short, and tip indicators on the crate will show it.
- Shock and orientation. HEPA filter seals, sash glass, sealed refrigeration circuits and calibrated optics do not tolerate repeated forklift drops. Freezers must stay upright, and manufacturers commonly ask that they stand for a period after delivery before power-up.
- Delivery sites. Hospitals, universities and research parks run receiving docks with appointment windows, security check-in and loading-dock height limits, and the freight often goes inside to a specific room.
Each of those points argues against terminal cross-docking. A standard LTL shipment may be handled four to six times between pickup and delivery; a direct partial or a dedicated truck handles it twice.
Typical medical and laboratory handling units
| Unit | L × W × H (in) | Lbs | Cu ft | PCF | Class | Cubed to 96 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class II biosafety cabinet, crated with stand | 80 × 40 × 88 | 850 | 163.0 | 5.22 | 175 | 4.78 PCF · 175 |
| Upright ULT freezer, crated | 40 × 38 × 84 | 760 | 73.9 | 10.29 | 92.5 | 9.00 PCF · 100 |
| Lab bench components, 1 pallet | 48 × 40 × 50 | 520 | 55.6 | 9.36 | 100 | 4.88 PCF · 175 |
| Exam or procedure table, palletized | 48 × 40 × 48 | 330 | 53.3 | 6.19 | 125 | 3.09 PCF · 250 |
| Medical carts, wrapped on pallet | 48 × 40 × 60 | 280 | 66.7 | 4.20 | 175 | 2.63 PCF · 250 |
| Imaging gantry component, crated | 96 × 84 × 84 | 4,200 | 392.0 | 10.71 | 92.5 | 9.38 PCF · 100 |
Weights are representative crated weights; use the manufacturer's shipping data for your model. Notice the bottom half of the table: carts and exam tables are low-density and usually shipped non-stackable, so they drop to class 250 when cubed to 96 in. Large imaging systems are normally moved under the manufacturer's own rigging program; the gantry line is here because refurbished and relocated components do come through brokerage, and they are dense enough that height, not density, is the issue.
Run a lab fit-out load against FedEx Freight rules
- Safe — tariff cube, density and linear feet stay under the carrier's cube and linear-foot rules.
- Tier 1 — 350 cu ft or more under 3 PCF (XPO, Saia, ABF, Estes): synthetic weight of 6 lbs per tariff cubic foot.
- Re-bill — 750 cu ft or more under 6 PCF, or linear feet at the carrier's rule: book volume LTL or direct partial truckload.
Worked example: a lab fit-out on FedEx Freight
A lab equipment distributor ships a fit-out 1,100 miles: two crated biosafety cabinets at 80 × 40 × 88 in and 850 lbs, two crated ULT freezers at 40 × 38 × 84 in and 760 lbs, and four pallets of bench components at 48 × 40 × 50 in and 520 lbs. Everything is marked do-not-stack. The shipper's account is with FedEx Freight, whose FXF 100 series rules apply at 750 cu ft under 6 PCF and on linear feet.
Freezers: 40 × 38 × 84 ÷ 1,728 = 73.9 cu ft × 2 = 147.8 cu ft
Benches: 48 × 40 × 50 ÷ 1,728 = 55.6 cu ft × 4 = 222.2 cu ft
Actual cube = 695.9 cu ft · Weight = 1,700 + 1,520 + 2,080 = 5,300 lbs
Density = 5,300 ÷ 695.9 = 7.62 PCF → Sub 5, class 125
At class 125 and under 750 cu ft, this looks like ordinary LTL. Now apply the 96 in imputation to every unit:
Freezers: 40 × 38 × 96 ÷ 1,728 = 84.4 × 2 = 168.9 cu ft
Benches: 48 × 40 × 96 ÷ 1,728 = 106.7 × 4 = 426.7 cu ft
Imputed cube = 951.1 cu ft · Imputed density = 5,300 ÷ 951.1 = 5.57 PCF → class 175
Linear feet = 6.7 + 3.3 + 8.0 = 18.0 LF
Imputed cube is now over 750 cu ft at under 6 PCF, and 18 LF is over the 12 LF line. The class moves from 125 to 175 and the cube rule applies on top.
| Option at 1,100 miles | Indicative linehaul |
|---|---|
| Class 125 LTL as booked | $1,305 |
| After cube re-rate and W&I fee | $1,892 |
| Spot volume LTL on 18 LF | $1,186 |
| Direct partial truckload, air-ride, 18 LF | $1,367 |
| Dedicated 26 ft box truck | $2,585 |
At 1,100 miles the dedicated box truck is expensive because it is priced on the whole truck and the whole distance. The direct partial at about $1,367 is $525 under the re-rated LTL bill and keeps the cabinets off terminal floors. On a 200-mile move the comparison changes: the engine puts a dedicated box truck at about $475 against a $395 partial and a $590 class-rated LTL bill, so for about $80 more than the partial you get the whole truck, a liftgate and a direct run.
Packaging and handling requirements
- Crate tall units with a forkable base. Skids with runners on both axes let a forklift lift from the side or the end, which matters when a hospital dock is too short for a straight approach.
- Mark the center of gravity and lift points. A biosafety cabinet's CG sits high; a stencil on two faces tells the dock where to put the tines and how fast not to go.
- Fit tilt and shock indicators. They do not prevent damage, but they show where it happened and support a claim.
- Keep freezers and refrigerated units upright. Write "this side up" and "do not lay down" on the bill of lading as well as the crate.
- Pad or crate carts and tables. Wrapped carts can be blanket-wrapped on a partial; through LTL terminals they need a crate or at least corner protection and a cap.
- List exact dimensions per unit on the BOL. A crated cabinet at 88 in is cubed to 96 regardless, but a wrong height on the bill invites a W&I inspection fee as well. See the BOL checklist.
Equipment and accessorials
| Requirement | Typical reason | How we tender it |
|---|---|---|
| Air-ride suspension | Vibration on filters, optics, refrigeration circuits | Specified on every medical tender |
| Liftgate | Clinics and labs without a dock | Gate rating checked against crate weight; common gates handle about 2,500–3,500 lbs |
| Inside delivery or room of choice | Equipment set in a lab or suite | Quoted with elevator size, door height and floor confirmed |
| Delivery appointment | Hospital receiving windows | Built into partial and dedicated rates |
| Two-person crew | Uncrating and moving freezers on dollies | Dedicated box truck service |
| Temperature control | Reagents or samples shipped with the equipment | Separate reefer tender; equipment itself rides dry |
Two dimensions catch people out. A 26 ft box truck usually has about a 90 in rear door opening, so an 88 in crate clears with very little room once the deck height of the liftgate is accounted for. And a standard interior doorway is 84 in tall, so a freezer crate at 84 in will not go through without uncrating. Measure the path from dock to room before you book inside delivery.
Which mode Cubic Transport tenders medical freight on
For single crated units dock to dock, standard LTL with air-ride requested and exact dimensions on the bill can work. For anything over a few units, anything going inside, and anything with a hard installation date, we tender to a direct partial truckload on an air-ride van, or to a dedicated 26 ft box truck with a liftgate when the haul is short or the site has no dock. Cubic Transport is a brokerage: we select the carrier and equipment for the load and manage it to delivery. We do not provide installation, calibration or biomedical services, and we do not move regulated medical waste.
