What is a rules tariff?

The part of a carrier's tariff that says how charges apply rather than what the base rates are: minimum charges, reweigh and reclassification fees, accessorials. LTL carriers publish them as numbered tariffs, such as FedEx Freight's 100-Y.

Do NVOCCs have to publish tariffs?

Yes. Ocean common carriers and NVOCCs must publish their rates, charges, rules and practices. An NVOCC using negotiated rate arrangements is exempt from publishing those rates, but not its rules.

How much notice must an ocean carrier give for a rate increase?

Thirty calendar days after publication, under 46 CFR 520. A decrease can take effect as soon as it is published.

Term

Freight tariff

A freight tariff is a carrier's published price book: its rates, charges, classifications, rules and practices. US law requires ocean common carriers and NVOCCs to publish theirs, and an increase cannot take effect sooner than 30 days after publication. LTL carriers publish rules tariffs that set charges such as minimums and reweigh fees.

Also called rules tariff, rate tariff, NVOCC tariff, carrier tariff, LTL tariffUpdated 13 October 2026

Three kinds

Tariff	What it holds	Example
Rules tariff	How charges apply: minimums, reweighs, accessorials	FedEx Freight 100-Y; Old Dominion 100-Q
Rate tariff	Base rates by lane, weight or class	GSA's 1000-D baseline rates and minimum charges
Classification tariff	Which class each commodity takes	The NMFC: 18 classes, from 50 to 500

Ocean: what the FMC requires

46 CFR 520 defines a tariff as a publication containing the actual rates, charges, classifications, rules, regulations and practices of a common carrier, and requires ocean common carriers and NVOCCs to publish all of them. An increase that costs a shipper more cannot take effect earlier than thirty calendar days after publication; a decrease takes effect on publication. An NVOCC that moves cargo under negotiated rate arrangements is exempt from publishing those rates, but must still publish any rule that affects how its tariff applies. In the regulation's commodity coding, freight-all-kinds is code 00.

Worked example: two LTL rules tariffs

Item	FedEx Freight	Old Dominion
Minimum charge	$254.00 Priority; $243.00 Economy	$169.00 under 700 miles; $205.00 for 700–1,199; $255.00 for 1,200+
Weight or class check	Reweigh and inspection: $40.00	Reclassification: $25.00 per shipment

FedEx Freight 100-Y, effective 5 January 2026; Old Dominion 100-Q, effective 14 April 2025

The same small shipment of 1,250 miles costs at least $255 with one carrier's rules and at least $243 or $254 with the other's, depending on the service — before any rate per hundredweight is looked up. Comparing quotes without the rules tariff misses half the price.

The mistake people make

Pricing from the rate and ignoring the classification. The NMFTA warns that misclassified freight can face reclassification charges, and the rules tariff sets what each correction costs — Old Dominion's $25 a shipment comes on top of the higher rate the new class carries.

FAQ

Freight tariff: common questions

What is a rules tariff?: The part of a carrier's tariff that says how charges apply rather than what the base rates are: minimum charges, reweigh and reclassification fees, accessorials. LTL carriers publish them as numbered tariffs, such as FedEx Freight's 100-Y.
Do NVOCCs have to publish tariffs?: Yes. Ocean common carriers and NVOCCs must publish their rates, charges, rules and practices. An NVOCC using negotiated rate arrangements is exempt from publishing those rates, but not its rules.
How much notice must an ocean carrier give for a rate increase?: Thirty calendar days after publication, under 46 CFR 520. A decrease can take effect as soon as it is published.