If your goal is to become a highly effective shipper of less-than-truckload (LTL) freight, you'd better make sure you're fully conversant with your carriers' shipping rules.

Every LTL carrier publishes a list of rules that set forth its charges for providing added services, over and above normal transportation services; definitions of terms; protective packaging requirements; limits of liability for loss or damage; lists of prohibited or restricted articles; policies on re-delivery; and more. What follows are some answers to frequently asked questions about LTL carriers' shipping rules.

Where do you find these rules?

Normally, they appear in two different publications. The first place to look is the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC). Most major LTL carriers—more than 1,400 in number—are participants in the NMFC and as such, are governed by the rules contained therein. (In the current edition, the rules section takes up 79 pages.) In addition, most carriers issue their own individual rules tariffs or are party to rules tariffs published by regional motor carrier rate bureaus, such as the Southern Motor Carriers, Agent (SMC³ ) Tariff 190 - Rules Tariff.

Why two rules tariffs?

Rules in the NMFC are general rules, with 32 of the 79 pages devoted to protective packaging requirements alone. The lengthiest section—10 pages—is Item 222, "Specifications for Fibreboard Boxes, corrugated or solid." Other rules deal with such matters as weights—gross weights and dunnage; packing or packaging; pictorial precautionary markings; mixed shipments; and classification of parts or pieces of a complete article.

Individual carrier or bureau rules tariffs, by contrast, contain rules that primarily set forth individual charges for performing additional services, such as lift gate vehicle charges, storage fees, fees associated with customs or in-bond freight, and c.o.d. charges. (None of the rules in the NMFC contain any charges.) Many of these latter rules tariffs also contain exceptions to rules in the NMFC.

How can you obtain copies of these rules?

The NMFC, which is reissued every year, can be purchased in print form for $149, plus $16.50 for shipping and handling. The latest edition—NMFC 100-AB—took effect on Dec. 15, 2001. It is also available for a higher price in a CD-ROM version, which is called FastClass. For more information on the NMFC, visit www.smc3.com. Bureau rules tariffs are also sold on a subscription basis.

Many individual carriers, on the other hand, will furnish their own rules tariffs at no charge to their customers. Some—including Consolidated Freightways and Roadway Express—also make their rules available to anyone through their Web sites.