You ever get hit with a surprise reclass and think, “What the hell? I gave them the NMFC number!”
Yeah, about that…
Let’s talk about Item 680 — the “65% Rule” that quietly wrecks your freight class when nobody’s looking. It’s the NMFC’s way of saying: If your pallet is full of air, you’re gonna pay for it.
📏 What Is the 65% Rule?
Here’s the short version:
If your freight takes up 65% or less of the available cubic space on a pallet, it can be reclassified based on density — even if you used the correct NMFC number.
This means carriers can toss your “standard class 70” right out the window and say, “Nah, we’re calling this Class 150 now… because your freight’s just sitting there wasting space.”
And they’re not wrong. Because in trucking, space is money — and hauling light, bulky freight that doesn’t cube out well costs carriers revenue.
📦 Real-World Example:
Let’s say you ship boxes of foam parts. Each box weighs 20 pounds, but you only stack them 24″ high on a standard 48×40 pallet.
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Cubic capacity of the pallet: ~66.6 cu ft (48x40x60″)
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Your stack: 48x40x24″ = ~26.6 cu ft
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That’s 40% of the pallet space used.
Boom. You just triggered Item 680.
Even if you listed the correct NMFC, the carrier has every right to reclass based on the actual density — which might put you in Class 175 or higher, depending on the math.
🤦 Common Misconceptions
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“But I used the NMFC number!”
Doesn’t matter. If the cube’s underused, density trumps everything. -
“It’s all that’ll fit on the pallet!”
Doesn’t matter. If there’s wasted space, you’ll pay for it — unless you’re using dimensional exceptions, or you negotiated it upfront. -
“The carrier didn’t say anything last time.”
Yeah, well, they noticed this time.
✅ How to Avoid Getting Burned
Here’s how smart shippers stay out of the Item 680 trap:
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Use full pallet height when possible — 48″ to 60″ is the sweet spot
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Consolidate smaller shipments onto fewer pallets if it makes sense
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Use proper packaging to maximize cube without risking damage
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Know the density thresholds tied to each NMFC class
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Get help. Let us audit your freight and spot where you might be getting killed on density
And if you’re shipping with us already — we’re watching this stuff for you. If not? Well… you should be.
🧾 Final Word
Item 680 isn’t out to get you. It just rewards shippers who use space efficiently — and punishes the ones who treat trailers like open-air storage units.
So unless you’re into surprise invoices and awkward “why did this cost $300 more than quoted?” phone calls, it pays to learn how to fill the cube.
Got questions? Want your freight audited before July’s NMFC shakeup?
We’re ready when you are.