Guides

How to dispute an LTL reweigh or reclass

Updated October 8, 2026

A corrected freight bill means the carrier inspected your shipment and found something different from what your bill of lading said: more weight, larger dimensions, or a different class. You are billed the difference plus an inspection fee. Here is how to decide whether to contest it, and how to do it properly.

1. Work out which kind of correction it is

• Reweigh: the scale reading differs from your BOL weight.
• Re-measure: the dimensions differ, which changes density and often the class.
• Reclass: the carrier applied a different NMFC item or sub than you declared.

Many corrections are two of these at once. Separate them, because each needs different evidence.

2. Check your own numbers before blaming theirs

Pull the BOL and whatever you recorded at pack-out. Common ways the shipper turns out to be wrong:

• Product weight on the BOL with no pallet or packaging added. A wood pallet alone is 30 to 50 lb.
• Carton dimensions entered instead of the built pallet's dimensions.
• A BOL template that still carries last year's class.
• Piece count that says 1 when two pallets shipped.

If the carrier's numbers are plausible and yours were a template, pay the bill and fix the template. Disputing a correct adjustment costs you time and credibility for the next one.

3. Run the density math on both sets of numbers

Calculate pounds per cubic foot using your figures, then again using the carrier's, and look up the class for each on the density scale. If the billed class does not match even the carrier's own measurements, you have the strongest kind of dispute: an arithmetic error. The checker does this in one step.

4. Ask for the inspection record

Request, in writing:

• The weight and inspection certificate for the PRO
• The dimensioner image or inspection photos
• The date, terminal, and device or inspector ID
• The NMFC item and sub applied

Carriers that use automated dimensioners usually have an image for each scan. It often settles the question on sight, in either direction. See how to read the certificate.

5. Assemble your evidence

• The BOL as signed by the driver
• Pack-out photos, ideally showing a tape measure against the pallet
• A scale ticket, or carton weights and count plus pallet weight
• Product spec sheets or packaging drawings with dimensions
• Your quote or pricing agreement

Specifications without photos are weaker than they feel. The carrier's position is that it measured the freight that actually arrived on the dock. You need something showing what actually left yours.

6. File in writing, within the deadline

Use the carrier's dispute channel, which is usually a web form or a billing disputes email address. State the PRO, the correction you are disputing, the specific reason, and the outcome you want. Attach the evidence. Keep it to one page.

A shipper has 180 days from receiving a bill to contest it under federal law, and tariffs or contracts can change that. Do not use the full window. See the deadlines guide.

Pay the part of the invoice you do not dispute. Withholding the whole bill over a partial dispute invites late fees and a collections conversation that has nothing to do with the merits.

7. Follow up, then escalate once

If you have heard nothing in two weeks, reply on the same thread and ask for status. If the dispute is denied with a form answer that does not address your evidence, ask your carrier sales rep to have it reviewed. Reps can and do get disputes reopened for accounts they want to keep.

8. Know when to stop

If the dimensioner photo shows a pallet taller than you thought, it is over. Take the lesson to the dock. The money in this is rarely one invoice. It is the same correction landing on the same lane every week because nobody fixed the BOL.