What is the linear foot rule in LTL?

A tariff rule that charges a shipment by the trailer length it occupies when that length passes a threshold — 12 feet at Dohrn, 14 at XPO, 15 at FedEx Freight — instead of by weight alone.

How is a shipment's linear footage measured?

Along the trailer floor, using the maximum length, width and height of each handling unit as loaded. XPO measures as if the freight were loaded as close to the front of the trailer as possible.

Is there a European equivalent?

Yes, the loading metre. European road carriers bill part loads on the floor length they take, at a set weight per loading metre — 1,250 kg in Schenker Germany's terms.

Term

Linear foot rule

The linear foot rule charges an LTL shipment for the trailer length it takes up, not just its weight, so long, light freight pays for the floor it blocks. Each carrier sets its own threshold: Dohrn bills shipments of 12 feet or more at 500 lb a foot; XPO's rule starts at 14 feet; FedEx Freight's at 15.

Also called lineal foot rule, linear foot rule LTL, capacity load rule, cubic capacity ruleApplies in USUpdated 13 October 2026

Why carriers charge by length

LTL is priced by weight and class, so a carrier earns little on freight that is light but fills the floor — pallets that cannot be stacked, long items, oversize crates. A linear foot or capacity rule sets a minimum by the space used, and the shipment pays whichever is greater.

2026 thresholds

Carrier and item	When it applies	How it is charged
Dohrn, Item 620 (1 June 2026)	12 linear feet or more, across 6 feet or more of trailer width	Actual weight or 500 lb per linear foot, whichever is greater
XPO, Item 234 (18 May 2026)	14 ft or more of length, 49 in of width and 51 in of height, among other tests	22 cents per lineal foot per mile under 750 miles, down to 13 cents at 1,800 or more
FedEx Freight, Item 390 (2026)	A linear length of 15 feet or more, or over 15,000 lb	A capacity-load charge: a fixed amount plus a rate per mile
Old Dominion, Item 390	20 feet or more of a pup trailer, regardless of weight	Capacity-load rates

Worked example

Dohrn: a 3,500 lb shipment taking 12 feet → 12 × 500 lb = 6,000 lb, so it is billed at 6,000 lb · XPO's own example: 38 lineal feet × 13 cents = USD 4.94 a mile over 1,800 miles

Cubic capacity rules

Some carriers charge by volume instead. FedEx Freight's Item 613 rates a cubic capacity and density shipment at a calculated 6 lb per cubic foot of its cube, at class 150 rates. Europe solves the same problem with loading metres: Schenker Germany's terms bill road part loads at 1,250 kg per loading metre when that is greater than the actual weight.

The mistake people make

Trusting an online quote. FedEx Freight warns that online quotes may not include the capacity-load minimum charge, and Dohrn is not obliged to pinwheel or turn pallets to make a shipment shorter — the length as tendered is the length billed.

FAQ

Linear foot rule: common questions

What is the linear foot rule in LTL?: A tariff rule that charges a shipment by the trailer length it occupies when that length passes a threshold — 12 feet at Dohrn, 14 at XPO, 15 at FedEx Freight — instead of by weight alone.
How is a shipment's linear footage measured?: Along the trailer floor, using the maximum length, width and height of each handling unit as loaded. XPO measures as if the freight were loaded as close to the front of the trailer as possible.
Is there a European equivalent?: Yes, the loading metre. European road carriers bill part loads on the floor length they take, at a set weight per loading metre — 1,250 kg in Schenker Germany's terms.