This year, the NMFTA has been sharing information about changes they’re planning to make to the NMFC in 2025. These changes could have a major impact on shippers, carriers and logistics providers who work with LTL freight.
There will be two rounds of changes. The first round will take effect in May 2025 and the proposed changes will be communicated in their Docket 2025-1. The second round requires greater research and will be communicated through Docket 2025-2.
Here are the key dates to know for the first round:
• January 30, 2025 – Docket 2025-1 will be made public for review and feedback
• March 30, 2025 – Public meeting to review Docket 2025-1 and hear feedback
• May 3, 2025 – Approved changed from Docket 2025-1 become public
One of the key changes is to simplify the classification system and that will involve putting a greater emphasis on density. Going forward, they plan to implement a "standardized density scale for LTL freight with no handling, stowability, and liability issues." They also plan to condense their commodity listing.
One of the key questions is how many commodities will be impacted by the changes. While that’s still in development, we’re getting a better idea of what they will look like. Nate Ripke, Director of Commodity and Standards Development for NMFTA has shared that “We estimate to move as many as 3,500 single-class items to 13 subcategories”. Once these categories are known, shippers can get a better understanding of how much they will be impacted.
The National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) currently uses four criteria to aggregate products into freight classes: Density, Handling (or susceptibility to being damaged), Stowability, and Liability (a.k.a. the value of the product being shipped). Freight classes range from class 50 up to class 500.
To learn more, visit the NMFTA website where you can find their webinar recording, FAQ section and other information.