Linehaul Rate

The linehaul rate is the primary transportation charge for moving freight from pickup to delivery. It covers the carrier's cost of driving the miles – truck, driver, insurance, and overhead – and represents the largest single component of most freight invoices. Every other charge on a freight bill – fuel surcharge, detention, liftgate, residential delivery – is layered on top of the linehaul.

For truckload shipments, the linehaul rate is typically expressed as a flat per-load rate or a per-mile rate multiplied by the lane distance. For LTL, it's derived from the carrier's tariff based on freight class, weight, and origin-destination, then discounted per the shipper's contract. In either case, the linehaul rate is the number most shippers focus on during carrier negotiations and RFPs – and for good reason, since it's the biggest lever for reducing total freight spend.

Where shippers get tripped up is treating linehaul as the only number that matters. A carrier offering a linehaul rate $100 lower per load but with a more aggressive fuel surcharge schedule, higher accessorial fees, or a pattern of detention charges may end up costing more all-in. This is why total cost of shipping analysis – linehaul plus fuel plus average accessorials – gives a more accurate picture than linehaul comparisons alone. It's also why invoice auditing needs to verify the linehaul charge against the contracted rate for that specific lane, because misapplied rates are one of the most common freight billing errors.