If you've been involved in shipping LTL (Less Than Truckload) for some time, you have experienced a reweigh. Every shipper has experienced this phenomenon.
A reweigh happens when an LTL carrier weighs your shipment after they've taken possession of it, and they find that the actual weight differs from what you initially declared on the Bill of Lading (BOL). LTL carriers conduct these reweighs by utilizing scales on their forklifts, enabling them to confirm that the weights match at least 90% of the shipments they handle.
In simple terms, if your BOL doesn't accurately represent the weight, your carrier will be aware of it and will bill you based on the correct weight.
You might assume that all carriers employ the same reweigh procedures, but that's not the case. Each carrier has its own set of rules for how they perform reweighs and what additional fees they charge in response to the weight discrepancies.
Let's explore 4 examples directly from LTL carrier rule tariffs.
Carrier #1
Some carriers, like this one, only apply a reweigh if the difference is substantial. Here, the difference needs to exceed either 200 pounds or 10% of the weight stated on the BOL.
For discrepancies below this threshold, this carrier typically disregards the difference, providing a benefit to the shipper.
This carrier also specifically mentions that if they discover a lower weight than what you've listed on the BOL, they will correct it in your favor so long as the difference is significant. This practice is both fair and uncommon.
Most LTL carriers do not adjust the weight downward if they find that the BOL overstated it.
(Kudos to this carrier for their fairness.)
You can also see that when a reweigh is conducted on a shipment with mixed commodities, it can have a substantial impact on the shipper. Why? Because the difference in weight is allocated to the highest-classed article.
Example: suppose your BOL lists 500 pounds of CL50 and 500 pounds of CL100. If this carrier determines that the total weight is 1,500 pounds, they will categorize that extra 500 pounds as CL100. This can be quite costly.
Lastly, it's worth mentioning that this carrier imposes a fee of $18.40 when a reweigh is performed.
This fee serves to compensate the carrier for its investment in forklift scales, losses in productivity, and administrative expenses. It also serves as a deterrent against inaccurate BOLs.
Carrier #2
This carrier also specifies a minimum weight difference before a reweigh is initiated. However, their minimum variance is quite low - only 50 pounds.
Note: this minimum variance only comes into play when this carrier discovers a weight greater than what is indicated on the BOL.
The implication here is that if you happen to overstate the weight on your BOL, and this carrier verifies that discrepancy, they will not adjust the weight in your favor.
This may seem unfair.
Additionally, this carrier imposes a reweigh fee of $43.25. They also apply any weight variance on mixed-commodity shipments to the highest classification.
Carrier #3
This carrier charges a standard fee of $36.50 for reweighs when they are applied, but interestingly, they do not publicly disclose the specific minimum variances they use to trigger reweighs. However, based on our understanding, they typically employ a minimum variance threshold of 50 pounds.
What is noteworthy about this carrier, though, is its approach to handling mixed-commodity shipments.
When they encounter a weight difference on shipments with multiple commodities, they allocate the difference to the lowest-classed commodity, rather than the highest-classed one. They give the shipper the benefit of the doubt.
This is a fair application, as the carrier still reserves the right to inspect the shipment and correct the class.
(..Nice touch.)
Carrier #4
Our fourth and final carrier has rather intricate reweigh rules. This carrier does impose a standard reweigh fee of $46.00, but they do not base this fee on weight variances.
Instead, they utilize a minimum impact of $10 on linehaul charges as their criterion for applying the reweigh fee. In other words, they only apply the fee when the weight difference is substantial enough to affect the overall freight charges significantly.
What's intriguing here is how this carrier handles cases where they confirm that you've overstated the BOL weight. They take the initiative to correct the weight, which results in a reduction of your freight charges.
But there's a catch: this correction is only applicable if you are subject to their standard $46.00 reweigh fee.
If you've negotiated a lower fee or obtained a waiver, this benefit doesn't apply.
It's also worth noting that this carrier does not impose the $46.00 fee for weight decreases unless the reduction in freight charges exceeds $46.00. This approach ensures that they don't charge you more due to a reduced weight, which makes perfect sense.
The information provided above should help show you that it pays to understand the varying rules with how LTL carriers apply reweighs.
The goal here is not to steer you toward finding the most lenient carrier or the carrier with the most favorable rules for inaccurately reported BOL weights. Instead, the aim is to guide LTL shippers toward the most appropriate course of action, which is to ensure that your BOL weights are accurate.
Failing to do so can result in several undesirable outcomes:
- You may end up paying a hefty reweigh fee for your mistake.
- You might be charged more than you anticipated, leading to incorrect billing for your customers.
- If you have mixed-commodity shipments with inaccurate BOL weights, this could have a significant impact on your costs.
- Carriers may not rectify your error of overreporting BOL weights, potentially affecting your shipping costs and accuracy.
The key takeaway is that accurate BOL weights and understanding each carrier’s reweigh rules are crucial for efficient and cost-effective LTL shipping operations.
Tired of chasing money with LTL variances? Connect with someone on our team today to be proactive in protecting your bottom line. With tailored solutions for your freight, let's find out what support your team needs to finally feel good about invoice time. Reach out now… and #LetsTalkLogistics 😉
This article was collaboratively written by “LTL Observers” - a collective of industry veterans spanning the carrier, shipper, 3PL, and tech provider spaces who are willing to report their findings and share opinions.
Want to get involved with these opinions we release? We'd love to add you to the line-up to make sure we're including a diverse set of LTL observers. Contact us today.