NMFTA's Docket 2026-2 is the latest round of changes to the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) system, the standard that assigns freight class based on a commodity’s density, stowability, handling, and liability. Released in August 2026 with about 33 proposed changes, it was finalized on October 9, and the approved changes take effect December 12, 2026. It builds on a July 2025 overhaul that already moved more than 2,000 commodities to density-based classification, and it could reshape freight class, and therefore rates, for shippers who ship any of the affected commodities.
Docket 2026-2 proposed about 33 changes aimed at simplifying and consolidating NMFC items. On the commodity side, it proposed moving groups like china, glassware, building woodwork, cotton, fencing, farm equipment, and vehicle parts onto density-based classification. On the rules side, it covered mixed shipments (Item 640), general classification of articles (Item 420), hazardous materials (Item 540), and packaging (Item 685).
Some of those subjects are bigger than they look. The approved farm equipment change alone cancels nearly 50 separate items and folds them into one new item, Farm, Dairy, Garden, Livestock, Orchard or Poultry Equipment, classed on the standard density scale. So 33 subjects can mean a lot of individual commodity descriptions shifting at once.
No. A large number of items did move to full-scale density, but not all of them. Ladders and shades or blinds were pulled back after industry feedback, along with some other items where handling, stowability, or liability still matter more than density alone. Those items keep their current classification for now.
The proposed rewrite of Item 640, the rule for rating shipments that mix articles in different freight classes, also did not pass. This was its second attempt after a version on Docket 2026-1 was not adopted either, and NMFTA has said it plans to bring back an updated version. For now, current mixed freight rules still apply.
The takeaway: the proposal and the final outcome aren’t the same thing. If you reviewed your commodities against the original docket in September, check them again against the Disposition Bulletin.
Docket 2026-2 continues a change that already reshaped LTL pricing. In July 2025, NMFTA replaced an 11-tier density scale with a 13-tier system and moved more than 2,000 commodities to fully density-based classification. Docket 2026-1 followed in May 2026, and 2026-2 keeps the same work going, so for a large share of commodities, density now mostly decides the class on its own.
That first wave is still working its way through shipper invoices. Independent research puts the average program-level rate impact at 2 to 3 percent in either direction, but the spread within that average is wide. Lightweight, bulky shipments that were once classified favorably can now see 20 to 35 percent rate premiums, while dense freight sometimes moves to a lower class and a better rate. Roughly 15 percent of LTL shipments face reclassification today, and carriers are catching it with automated dimensioning systems that measure the actual palletized shipment in seconds, not the product alone.
Misclassification typically costs shippers through reweigh and reclass fees that surface after a shipment ships, not before: internal MyCarrier shipment data puts average quote-to-invoice variance tied to reweighs and reclassifications at 20 to 30 percent.
The most common failure point is not intentional misclassification. It is measuring the product and forgetting the pallet, the packaging, and the void space around it. Shippers still working off a pre-2025 commodity library are especially exposed, since thousands of legacy item numbers were consolidated or renumbered in the last overhaul, and Docket 2026-2 changes even more of them.
Shippers can get ready by checking their top commodities against the final Disposition Bulletin, re-measuring those commodities as palletized and packaged rather than as loose product, and treating classification review as an ongoing habit instead of a once-a-year cleanup.
Pull your most frequently shipped commodities and check whether any appear in the Disposition Bulletin. Use the final decisions, not the original proposal, since several items were pulled back before the vote.
Re-measure your top commodities as they actually ship, palletized and packaged, not just the product on its own. That single habit closes most of the gap between what gets quoted and what gets billed.
If you ship mixed pallets, make sure your bill of lading describes each article clearly. The mixed freight rules didn’t change this round, but clear descriptions help avoid reclassification today and set you up for whatever version comes next.
Update your commodity library or ERP item data once the supplement takes effect, so new quotes reflect the new item numbers.
Treat this as a standing process, not a one-time cleanup. NMFTA now runs two docket cycles a year, and reporting on LTL rate cadence suggests carriers are moving faster on pricing generally, so classification is not a check-it-once-a-year task anymore.
No. A verification tool confirms what a shipment should be classified as based on the dimensions and commodity description you provide, but it cannot fix a bad measurement at the source, and it will not make every reclassification work in the shipper’s favor.
It is worth saying plainly that not every reclassification favors the shipper. Some commodities are moving to higher classes under the density-based system regardless of how carefully you measure, so getting it right sometimes means confirming you are already paying the correct, higher rate rather than finding savings. Classification accuracy still starts on your dock, and then can be verified in your software.
MyCarrier’s NMFC Verification checks freight class right in the quoting workflow, so shippers can catch and fix a likely misclassification before booking instead of finding it on the invoice.
Classification changes used to be a once-a-year update you could skim and forget. That is not true anymore. With Docket 2026-2 taking effect December 12, now is a good time to review your highest-volume commodities, confirm the pallet dimensions you are quoting against, and make sure your item data matches the new supplement before your first invoice under the new rules lands.
What is NMFC freight classification?
NMFC freight classification is the National Motor Freight Classification system that assigns a standardized class to LTL shipments based on a commodity’s density, stowability, handling, and liability. Carriers use the class, together with the specific NMFC code assigned to that commodity, to determine LTL shipping rates.
What is density-based freight classification?
Density-based classification sets freight class primarily by a shipment’s density, its weight relative to its cubic size, rather than weighing several factors equally. NMFTA expanded density-based rules in July 2025, moving more than 2,000 commodities onto a 13-tier density scale, and has continued adding commodities with each docket since.
How often does NMFTA update freight classification rules?
NMFTA updates the NMFC on a twice-a-year docket cycle. Docket 2025-1 took effect in July 2025, Docket 2026-1 in May 2026, and Docket 2026-2 takes effect December 12, 2026. Shippers should treat classification review as an ongoing process rather than an annual one.
What is an NMFC code?
An NMFC code is the specific number assigned to a commodity under the National Motor Freight Classification system, used to determine its freight class and, in turn, its LTL shipping rate. Docket 2026-2 consolidates many of these codes, in some cases folding dozens of existing items into a single density-based item.
When does NMFC Docket 2026-2 take effect?
Approved changes from Docket 2026-2 take effect December 12, 2026, following the Disposition Bulletin on October 9 and the supplement release on November 12.
Did NMFC Docket 2026-2 change the mixed freight rules?
No. The proposed rewrite of Item 640, which covers shipments with articles in different freight classes, did not pass. Current mixed freight rules still apply, and NMFTA plans to propose an updated version in a future docket.