Weight Generally speaking, the higher the weight, the lower the cost per 100 pound increment. However, there are cutoff points that can sometimes make it more cost effective to send just a little bit more in the shipment. The reduction in costs as weight rises is stepped, not sloped. This makes it a bit complicated to understand.
Density
The density is determined by dividing the total weight by the total cubic feet. …show more content…
Freight that is dense, hard to damage and easy to handle is cheaper to ship and classified accordingly. Freight that is easier to damage or harder to handle or otherwise more difficult to deal with is classified differently and the charges are higher. There are many classes of freight. The complexity of freight classification adds to the difficulty in estimating what you will be charged. If you want to get a handle on freight costs, you need to learn a bit about freight classes.
Distance
Generally speaking, the farther it travels, the more it costs. Such costs are also influenced by whether or not the shipment needs to be handed off to a different carrier at some point. It can help find out if it there is one carrier that covers the entire distance in question. Different carriers cover different areas. Finding one that can take the shipment without handing it off to anyone else can reduce costs.
Minimums
Small partial shipments are not cost effective for the carrier, so there is a minimum charge applied below which they will not go. They just cannot make any money if they drop too low. Minimum charges help ensure that they can afford to take partial