cargo hub
ltl trucking companies.
Less-than-truckload is a service model, not an FMCSA cargo class. Census will not have a box labeled LTL. You infer it from general freight, terminal networks, and how the carrier actually handles freight.
when $750,000 applies
For-hire property carriers in interstate or foreign commerce operating vehicles of 10,001 lbs or more GVWR/GCWR, not transporting the hazardous materials listed in 49 CFR 387.9.
census mapping
There is no official “LTL” cargo-carried code. National LTL counts cannot be derived from a single cargo checkbox.
FMCSA cargo-carried codes used as hints
- code 1 — General freight
Released-value / cargo limits
LTL carriers often limit cargo liability by tariff (per pound). That limit is contractual. It is not the FMCSA BI&PD filing.
LTL is a service model, not a cargo checkbox
FMCSA has no cargo-carried code labeled LTL. National LTL counts cannot be derived from the census. Carriers who run terminals, hourly city drivers, and cross-docks still usually mark general freight.
You infer LTL from how they handle freight: pickup and delivery, terminal transfer, PRO number, tariff, and released-value cargo. The motor-carrier identity is still the legal name and docket on L&I, not the sales brand on a quote PDF.
Sales agents and third-party LTL brokers resell capacity. The bill of lading must name the motor carrier with authority. If the only entity you can verify is a broker docket, you have not selected a hauler.
released value is not BMC-91
LTL carriers often limit cargo liability by tariff, commonly per pound. That limit is contractual. The $750,000 federal BI&PD filing is public liability. It does not restore a $200,000 pallet to full invoice value when the tariff released at $0.50 per pound.
For high-value freight, get a declared-value agreement in writing before pickup. Do not assume the quote includes full value. Read the rules circular the quote incorporates.
If you are the freight broker arranging the LTL move, your broker-carrier agreement and the BOL still have to name entities that exist on FMCSA. A trade name that is not a DBA on the census is a mismatch.
PRO numbers, terminals, and appointments
A PRO or tracking number is not authority. It is a handling number. Confirm the SCAC or carrier code maps to the MC you put on the load file.
Terminal networks miss appointments when the pickup is a truckload-style live-load with no dock schedule. Ask whether this is a true LTL pickup with a window, or a volume/spot quote pretending to be LTL.
Volume LTL and partials sit between LTL and truckload. Identity and cargo rules still apply. Do not skip the census callback because “it’s just a partial.”
what to keep in the file
Quote, tariff or rules circular reference, declared value if any, BOL showing the motor carrier, L&I screen, and the PRO. If a claim happens, that file is the due-diligence record.
This hub does not list LTL terminals by city. City directories publish later. Use a DOT lookup for the specific carrier, and the national cargo notes here for the insurance and tariff questions.
equipment and desk questions
- Which motor carrier — MC and legal name — will be on the bill of lading?
- Is cargo liability released-value, and at what per-pound rate?
- Is there a declared-value option, cost, and written confirmation?
- Pickup window versus live-load expectation at this shipper?
- Does the quote brand match a DBA on the FMCSA snapshot?
- Who is the process for OS&D, and what is the claim window in the tariff?
quote from a brand, BOL from a different MC
Verify the MC on the BOL. If that docket is not Active for property, or is a broker-only grant, you do not have a motor carrier. Do not tender on the brand name.
pallet of electronics, tariff $0.50/lb, no declared value
The federal BI&PD floor can be fine and the cargo recovery still be a few hundred dollars. Get declared value or use a carrier whose contract covers invoice value. Write the choice in the file.
desk checklist
- Confirm the entity on the bill of lading is the motor carrier with authority — not a sales agent.
- Read the cargo liability tariff before you assume full invoice value is covered.
- For high-value freight, get a declared-value agreement in writing.
common mistakes
- Publishing an “LTL carrier count” from cargo-carried codes. That number would be invented.
- Treating a $750,000 BMC-91 as coverage for a $200,000 pallet.