Freight shipping cost
An LTL freight bill has three parts: the linehaul charge for your class, weight and lane; a fuel surcharge that moves every week with the price of diesel; and accessorial charges for extra services. Only the first needs a quote. The other two are published in each carrier's rules tariff, so you can work them out before you book. Here is how each part works, with FedEx Freight's current figures.
1. The linehaul charge
The carrier looks up a rate per 100 lb for your freight class and lane, multiplies it by the weight in hundreds of pounds, then takes off your discount. Two floors stop it going lower. Every lane has a minimum charge, and FedEx Freight's tariff (Item 610) says the charge is never reduced below it after the discount. Light, bulky freight also has a cubic minimum: a shipment over 750 cubic feet that averages under 4 lb per cubic foot is billed as if it weighed 6 lb per cubic foot, at class 150 rates (Item 613).
This is the part that changes most from lane to lane and customer to customer, which is why no honest page can give you a price per pallet without a quote. What you control is the class: a denser pallet rates a lower class and a lower rate on every pound.
2. The fuel surcharge
FedEx Freight adds a percentage to the linehaul, and to other services that use fuel, based on the U.S. Energy Department's weekly national average diesel price, which takes effect each Monday (Item 570). The table in its tariff runs from 31% at $3.30 a gallon to 75.8% at $8.00. The U.S. Energy Information Administration put the average at $6.382 a gallon for September 28, 2026, which is a 59.6% surcharge: more than half again on top of the linehaul.
| Diesel price per gallon | FedEx Freight fuel surcharge |
|---|---|
| $3.30 | 31.0% |
| $4.00 | 35.8% |
| $5.00 | 45.8% |
| $6.00 | 55.8% |
| $6.38 (EIA, Sept 28, 2026) | 59.6% |
3. Accessorial charges
Anything beyond dock-to-dock service is charged on top, at the price in the rules tariff. These are FedEx Freight's U.S. charges from its current rules tariff (100-Y); other carriers publish their own, and the amounts are close but not the same.
| Service | Charge | Item |
|---|---|---|
| Liftgate | $13.96 per 100 lb, minimum $207, maximum $681 | 890 |
| Residential pickup or delivery | $243 per shipment | 750-2 |
| Limited-access location | $229 per shipment | 750-8 |
| Call before delivery | $65 per shipment | 750-3 |
| Inside pickup or delivery | $18.92 per 100 lb, minimum $200, maximum $1,999 | 566 |
| Hazardous materials | $61 per shipment | 920 |
| Piece 8 to under 12 feet long | $375 per shipment | 525 |
| Piece 12 feet or longer | $775 to $1,514 per shipment, by length | 530 |
| Extra labor | $183 per person per hour, minimum $721 | 560 |
How the parts add up
Say a 1,200 lb pallet is going to a home, and the linehaul after your discount comes to $400. The fuel surcharge at 59.6% adds $238.40. Residential delivery adds $243. The liftgate works out to 12 × $13.96 = $167.52, which is under the minimum, so it bills at $207. The total is $1,088.40, and the two delivery services alone are $450 of it.
That is why the services you book matter as much as the rate you negotiate. If the receiver has a dock or a forklift, the liftgate is not needed. If it is a business address, it is not residential. Book only what the delivery really needs, but book it up front, because a service added at the door is still charged.
How to estimate before you quote
A quote is only as good as the numbers you give. Weigh the pallet with the pallet included, measure it at its longest points, and work out its freight class. Decide which services the pickup and delivery need. Then send the same request to every carrier, so the prices you get back can be compared like for like: the freight quote builder puts it all in one request. For the levers that lower the linehaul itself, see how to lower your LTL freight costs, and for how LTL pricing works overall, see LTL freight.
Freight cost FAQ
How much does it cost to ship a pallet?
There is no single price, because the linehaul rate depends on your freight class, weight and lane. On top of it come a fuel surcharge, which was 59.6% of linehaul at FedEx Freight in late September 2026, and any extra services. A residential delivery with a liftgate adds at least $450 at FedEx Freight before fuel.
What is a freight fuel surcharge?
A percentage added to the linehaul charge that tracks the price of diesel. FedEx Freight uses the U.S. Energy Department's weekly average diesel price: at $4.00 a gallon its surcharge is 35.8%, at $6.00 it is 55.8%.
How much is a liftgate fee for freight?
At FedEx Freight it is $13.96 per 100 lb, with a $207 minimum and a $681 maximum. Most single pallets pay the minimum: a 1,200 lb pallet works out to $167.52, so the $207 minimum applies.
Why is my freight bill higher than the quote?
Usually because something changed: the carrier reweighed or remeasured the freight and found a different class, a service such as liftgate or residential delivery was needed but not booked, or the fuel surcharge moved with the weekly diesel price.
What is a minimum charge in LTL freight?
The lowest amount a carrier will bill for a shipment on a lane, however small it is. FedEx Freight's tariff says charges are not reduced below the minimum charge after the discount is applied.