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Choosing your cargo type and commodity when quoting

What cargo type should I choose?

Pick the option that matches how your freight is actually packaged and handled:

  • Pallet — goods stacked and secured on a pallet (shrink-wrapped or banded) for forklift handling. The most common choice.
  • Crate / flight case — freight in a wooden crate or hard case.
  • Loose boxes — individual boxes not on a pallet. Accepted on the Mothership Carrier Network (local delivery). For National LTL Partner Carrier shipments, loose boxes are not accepted — they must be palletized first.

Enter each cargo type on its own line (use Add another for mixed freight), with quantity, weight, and dimensions per unit. See How to get a quote for how the Quantity and Piece count fields work.

Freight class & NMFC — enter them on every LTL shipment

Every LTL shipment is billed on its NMFC commodity number and freight class (driven by density — pounds per cubic foot). If a shipment goes out without an NMFC, with an incorrect class, or with a description that doesn't match the actual commodity, the carrier can inspect it, reclassify it, and issue a rebill. This is an industry-wide carrier requirement, not a Mothership rule.

When you enter dimensions and weight, Mothership suggests an estimated class as a starting point. It's a helpful guide — not a substitute for your actual NMFC number and verified class. Only you know exactly what's on the pallet. The Class and NMFC fields are labeled "optional" in the dashboard (carriers will still move the freight without them), but treat them as strongly recommended on every LTL shipment. Shipping without them puts you at high risk of a rebill. 

Important — rebill policy (effective Monday, July 27, 2026): Carrier rebills caused by commodity reclassification, or by a missing or incorrect NMFC number or class, are passed through to your account. Most rebills come from one of three things: accepting the auto-calculated class without verifying it, leaving the NMFC blank, or shipping commodities that differ from the description.

To avoid rebills:

  1. Add the correct NMFC number to every LTL shipment.
  2. Verify the freight class rather than defaulting to the suggested one.
  3. Keep commodity descriptions accurate to what's actually shipping — e.g. "steel shelving brackets," not "parts" or "freight."
  4. Review your frequently shipped items against the updated NMFC.

Why this matters now: The NMFTA recently completed the biggest overhaul of freight classification in decades. As of July 19, 2025, thousands of commodities shifted to density-based classification on a new 13-tier scale, and Docket 2026-1 (Feb 2026) removed more legacy items. Carriers enforce the new rules closely, often with automated dimensioning equipment at their terminals — so classifications that used to be fine may now trigger a rebill. |

Helpful official resources:

Is my commodity accepted?

Most general commodities ship fine. Some require a declaration or are restricted:

  • Hazmat must be declared and fully documented (see Hazmat Service). Hazmat under 1,000 lbs ships on the Mothership Carrier Network (local); via LTL only on approved partner carriers.
  • Alcohol must be declared with the alcohol accessorial.
  • Prohibited items (refrigerated/temperature-controlled freight, firearms, live animals, cannabis/THC, hazardous waste, precious metals, etc.) can't ship on the network — full list in Accepted and prohibited freight.