Old Dominion (ODFL 100 Item 610-1) Cubic Capacity & Low-Density Minimum Charge Rule

What Item 610-1 says in plain terms

Item 610-1 of the ODFL 100 rules tariff is Old Dominion's minimum charge for low-density and cubic capacity shipments. Stripped of tariff language, it says three things:

• The trigger. A shipment of 750 cu ft or more with an average density under 6.0 PCF, or a shipment occupying 15 linear feet or more of trailer, falls under the item.
• The measurement. Units that cannot be stacked, whether labelled, cone-topped or tall (the line sits between 48 and 60 in depending on the unit), are measured at the full 96 in trailer height.
• The charge. The shipment is rated on a synthetic weight of 6 lbs for every cubic foot of tariff cube, at the class the item names (Class 125 or 150 in the issues we reviewed), or at the item's minimum charge, whichever is higher. The standard FAK or contract discount does not carry over to the re-rated bill.

Old Dominion does not publish a separate 350 cu ft tier. A shipment of 400 or 600 cu ft of very light freight that stays under 15 LF rates on scale weight at ODFL, where XPO, Saia, ABF or Estes would apply their tier 1 rule. That single difference makes ODFL the natural carrier for mid-size light loads, and it is why shippers are surprised when the rule finally lands.

How Old Dominion measures your freight

ODFL runs overhead dimensioners at its service centers. Every handling unit passes under the scanner, which records the outer envelope of the unit, overhang included, and photographs it. Three details decide whether that reading turns into an Item 610-1 charge:

• Tallest point, not average height. A skid with one carton sticking up 6 in is measured at the carton.
• Overhang counts. Product that overhangs a 48×40 pallet by 2 in on each side becomes a 52×44 footprint on the scan. The pallet overhang guide shows what that does to density.
• Stackability is a judgement plus a label. A do not stack label, a pointed or crowned top, fragile shrink-wrap that would crush, or a unit tall enough that two cannot fit under the roof all get the 96 in treatment.

The gap between actual cube and 96 in cube is phantom cube. On a 64 in skid it is 32 in of air over a 48×40 footprint, or 35.6 cu ft per skid. Eight skids carry 284 cu ft of phantom cube, which is the difference between clearing 750 cu ft and blowing through it.

Worked example: eight non-stackable skids at 64 in

Eight 48×40 skids of assembled office cabinets, 64 in tall, 240 lbs each including the pallet, marked do not stack. Lane length 920 miles.

Both halves of Item 610-1 fire: 853.3 cu ft is over 750 at 2.25 PCF, and 16 LF is over 15. The carrier rates 5,120 lbs instead of 1,920, more than two and a half times the scale weight.

Indicative engine figures for this lane: about $842 rated cleanly at Class 250, about $1,524 re-rated under the item with a restricted discount and an inspection fee, about $932 as a spot volume LTL quote and about $1,079 on a direct partial truckload. The partial truckload also skips the terminal cross-docks where tall cabinets pick up damage. These are planning numbers, not quotes.

Where the line sits: six, seven or eight skids

The same 64 in, 240 lb non-stackable skids, adding one at a time:

The seventh skid is the one that hurts. It adds 106.7 cu ft of tariff cube, stays just under 750, but opens a fourth row on the trailer floor and takes the shipment from 12 to 16 LF. Because ODFL's linear foot line is 15 LF, six non-stackable 48 in deep skids loaded two across (three rows, 12 LF) is the largest non-stackable 48×40 shipment that clears the item. A seven-skid order should either be made stackable, split across ship days with care, or tendered as volume.

Three ways to stay under Item 610-1

1. Make the top flat and rigid. A corrugated or plywood cap and corner boards that let another skid ride on top remove the do not stack label. If the same eight cabinets ship knocked down on 48 in stackable skids at 240 lbs, the engine shows 426.7 cu ft, 4.5 PCF (Class 175), 8 LF and no rule at all, at about $589 indicative for 920 miles.
2. Get under 60 in. A unit at or under 60 in with a stackable top is measured at its real height. Two 48 in units fit one above the other under a 96 in ceiling, which halves the floor positions and the linear feet.
3. Change mode when the item will fire anyway. When the cube is real, not phantom, a direct partial truckload carries the freight on its own floor space with no cubic rule, no 96 in imputation and no break-bulk handling. See direct partial truckload.

Shrinking pallets is the move that rarely works. Cutting a 48×40 to a 42×40 to save cube creates overhang, and the dimensioner reads the product, not the pallet.

Freight that most often meets Item 610-1

The item lands hardest on commodities that are both light and awkward to stack. Typical profiles we see on Old Dominion bills, with tariff density at 96 in on a 48×40 footprint:

Every one of these sits under 6 PCF at 96 in, so on cube alone the eighth skid is the trigger. But the 15 LF line comes first: the seventh non-stackable 48×40 skid opens a fourth row and reaches 16 LF. In practice the planning limit at ODFL for any of these commodities is six skids. The cabinetry and millwork page covers the packaging options for casework specifically.

Checking the current issue before you dispute

Old Dominion reissues ODFL 100 like every carrier reissues its rules tariff, and the current issue governs. Item numbers, thresholds and the named class for the synthetic weight can change between issues. Before you dispute an Item 610-1 charge, download the issue that was in force on the ship date from the carrier's published rules tariff, find Item 610-1, and check three things against the W&I certificate:

The W&I dispute guide has the request wording. If the scan and the rule are right, the dispute will fail; the fix is in the tender, not the claim.

Frequently asked questions