What a volume LTL quote actually is
Every national LTL carrier runs a volume or spot quote desk alongside its class tariff. When a shipment is too large for the class tariff to price sensibly, typically above about 12 linear feet, 5,000 lbs or six pallets, the desk prices it on the space and weight it will take on the carrier's linehaul trailers. The carrier uses those quotes to fill trailers that would otherwise leave a terminal with open floor, which is why you will hear them called space-filler rates.
The freight still rides the LTL network. It is picked up, taken to the origin terminal, loaded onto linehaul and delivered from the destination terminal. Because it fills a real share of a trailer, it is often loaded as a unit and handled less than a two-pallet shipment, but it is not a direct movement.
A volume quote is a contract for a specific shipment described in a specific way: piece count, dimensions, weight, stackability, linear feet and pickup date. Change any of those and the quote no longer applies. That single fact is behind most volume LTL disputes.
Cubic Transport requests volume quotes from several carriers' desks for the same load, compares them with direct partial and truckload options, and tenders the winner with paperwork that matches the quote exactly.
Where volume LTL fits between class LTL and partial truckload
| Class-rated LTL | Spot volume LTL | Direct partial truckload | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical size | 1–6 pallets | 6–12 pallets | 6–18 pallets |
| Linear feet | Under 12 | 12–24 | 12–36 |
| Cubic feet | 50–349 | 350–1,650 | 750–2,600 |
| Priced by | Class, weight, discount | Linear feet and weight, per quote | Deck space and miles |
| Handling | Full terminal network | Terminal network, fewer touches | Dock to dock |
| Validity | Standing tariff | One shipment, one pickup date | One shipment |
| Re-rate risk | Cube and linear rules | Any mismatch with the quoted dimensions | Negligible |
| Best freight | Small, dense, stackable | Dense or stackable, handling-tolerant | Light, tall, fragile, non-stackable |
The best volume LTL freight is dense and stackable: palletized cartons, boxed hardware, bagged materials, beverages. That freight can take terminal handling and uses floor efficiently. Light, tall, fragile freight belongs in a direct partial truckload even when a volume quote looks a little cheaper.
Check whether your load needs a volume quote
- 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: ten 48-inch pallets, stackable or not
Ten pallets of boxed fasteners, 48×40×48 inches, 950 lbs each, moving 800 miles. The engine preset loads the stackable version.
- Cube. 48 × 40 × 48 = 92,160 cubic inches ÷ 1,728 = 53.33 cu ft each; × 10 = 533.3 cu ft.
- Density. 9,500 lbs ÷ 533.3 = 17.81 PCF, Sub 9, Class 70. No cubic capacity tier can fire: the freight is far above 6 PCF.
- Floor, stackable. Two tiers of 48 inches reach 96 inches, so ten pallets make five stacks. Two stacks across means three rows of 48 inches: 12 linear feet.
- Floor, non-stackable. Five rows of two: 20 linear feet. Tariff cube rises to 1,066.7 cu ft at 8.91 PCF, which is Class 100 at tariff cube.
| Version | Linear feet | Class LTL as booked | LTL after linear-foot re-rate | Spot volume LTL | Direct PTL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stackable | 12 | $1,071 | $2,550 | $706 | $826 |
| Non-stackable | 20 | $1,071 | $2,550 | $915 | $1,050 |
Even dense freight at Class 70 trips the 12-foot linear rule at ten pallets, which is why it should be quoted as volume before pickup rather than tendered on the class tariff. Stackability is worth $209 on a volume quote for this load in our model, because it cuts 8 feet of floor. All figures are indicative planning numbers from the engine on this page.
Five rules that keep a volume quote from re-rating
- Put the quote number on the bill of lading. Without it, the terminal rates the shipment on the class tariff, and on 12 or more linear feet that triggers capacity or linear-foot charges.
- Quote the real dimensions. Measure every handling unit, including the pallet and any overhang. A quote for 48×40 pallets will not cover 52×44 after shrink wrap and overhang.
- Quote linear feet that match the loading pattern. If the pallets can only go one across because of their width, say so. Two 52-inch-wide pallets do not fit side by side in a 98.5-inch trailer.
- State stackability honestly. Quoting stackable and then labelling pallets "Do Not Stack" doubles the floor and voids the quote. If the top tier is light cartons that cannot take weight, the load is non-stackable.
- Ship on the quoted date. Volume quotes are tied to the carrier's network capacity on that day. A slipped pickup usually means a fresh quote.
Reading the carrier rules behind a volume quote
Volume quotes exist because the class tariff stops working on big shipments. The rules tariff items that bound it are the ones listed on carrier cubic capacity rules: XPO CNWY 199 Item 233, ODFL 100 Item 610-1, SAIA 170 Item 111, ABF 111 Items 616 and 611, EXLA 105, RLCA 100, UPGF 102 and the FedEx Freight 100 series. Old Dominion keys its linear rule at 15 feet; most others at 12. Carriers reissue their rules tariffs, and the issue in force on the ship date governs.
A volume quote does not exempt a shipment from those rules in general; it replaces class rating for that specific described shipment. If the freight arrives larger, lighter or taller than described, the terminal can fall back to the tariff. That is why we measure, photograph and write dimensions on the bill of lading the same way they appear on the quote. The BOL dimensional accuracy checklist covers the format.
What volume LTL freight looks like on the dock
The loads that price best on a volume quote share a profile: they are dense enough that weight, not air, fills the space, they stack or at least present a flat, square top, and they can take a forklift move at a terminal without harm. Typical examples, with the density band each usually lands in:
| Freight | Typical PCF | Class band | Stacks? | Volume LTL fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palletized canned goods, bottled beverages | 15–30 | 70–65 | Usually | Strong |
| Boxed hardware, fasteners, tools | 12–22.5 | 85–70 | Usually | Strong |
| Bagged cement, mortar, dry chemicals | 22.5–35 | 65–60 | Often | Strong, watch weight |
| Boxed electronics, medical supplies | 8–10 | 100 | Sometimes | Good if stackable |
| Assembled cabinets, medical carts | 4–6 | 175 | Rarely | Weak: use partial |
| Spiral ductwork, foam, empty containers | Under 4 | 250–400 | No | Poor: use partial or truckload |
The lower rows are where volume LTL stops helping. Light, non-stackable freight takes so much floor per pound that the volume desk prices it close to a partial anyway, and it still crosses the dock. For those commodities see HVAC ductwork freight and cabinetry and millwork freight, both of which route mostly to direct partial truckload.
Density bands above come from the 13-tier scale on the NMFC density chart; your own freight's class is whatever its measured PCF says.
How Cubic Transport books volume space
- Measure and classify. Run the engine above and confirm density, class and linear feet, stackable and non-stackable.
- Request quotes in parallel. We ask volume desks at carriers that serve both ends of the lane directly, and price a direct partial alongside.
- Compare all-in. Linehaul, fuel and accessorials, plus the handling count and transit on each option.
- Tender with matching paperwork. Quote number, piece count, dimensions, weights and stackability on the bill of lading, line for line.
- Watch the scan. If the carrier issues a correction, we compare it against the loading photos and the quote before anything is paid.
Send loads to the rate tender form or rates@cubictransport.com.