Overlength fees by LTL carrier

One long piece can add more to an LTL invoice than the linehaul itself. Carriers publish overlength charges as flat fees by length band, but the bands don’t line up from one carrier to the next. We read each current rules tariff and laid the schedules side by side, then priced four common lengths so you can compare them directly.

By Ryan Poynter, SVP of LTL, Armstrong Transport Group · Updated September 24, 2026

Published overlength schedules at 12 LTL carriers

Each row is the carrier’s schedule exactly as published. “Under 12 ft” means up to but not including 12 feet. Click the tariff name for the source document, and check the carrier’s current tariff before relying on a figure.

Fees are taken from each carrier’s public rules tariff as published on September 24, 2026 and change frequently. They are list charges and do not reflect any shipper’s negotiated pricing. Averitt’s schedule shown is the one its tariff lists as effective September 28, 2026. Always check the carrier’s current tariff.

What the same long piece costs at each carrier

Because the bands differ (XPO steps up at 11 feet, ABF at 11 and 14, FedEx Freight at 12, 15 and 18), the easiest comparison is to price a specific length. The lengths below each fall inside a band at every carrier, so nothing sits on a cutoff.

Looked up from each published schedule above. Excludes linehaul, fuel and any other accessorials. Articles over roughly 25 to 28 feet may be refused or priced by special arrangement; see each carrier’s notes below.

The first band is fairly tight across carriers. The spread opens up fast after that, and at 20 feet and over it is dramatic: XPO’s top band is $5,240, against $1,000 at Estes Express Lines. If you ship long freight regularly, which carrier moves it matters more than almost any other line on the bill.

Worked example: two inches that cost money

A fabricator ships a steel frame that measures 12 feet 2 inches (146 inches). At Estes Express Lines (Item 670-10) that falls in the 12-to-16-foot band at $600. Redesign the crate so the frame fits in 11 feet 10 inches (142 inches) and it drops into the 8-to-12-foot band at $300, a saving of $300 on every shipment. Here is the same four-inch change at every carrier where it crosses a band:

XPO and ABF Freight are missing because their bands break at 11 feet instead, so both lengths already pay the same. Know where each of your regular carriers draws its lines, and design packaging to sit just under them.

Carrier rules that change the overlength charge

• Old Dominion (ODFL) (Item 670-5): Longest dimension counts. Articles over 27 ft 3 in accepted at the carrier's discretion.
• Estes Express Lines (Item 670-10): Residential deliveries with a handling unit of 96 in or more add $55 to $115 for extra labor.
• Saia (Item 670-25): Adds a day of service; fuel surcharge applies to the fee. Over 28 ft by special arrangement only.
• XPO (Item 238): Not applied to exclusive-use, linear-foot or truckload-rated shipments.
• R+L Carriers (Item 670): Length or width. A $40 inspection fee applies if the carrier has to add or change the charge.
• ABF Freight (Item 670): Any dimension, per shipment per trailer. Up to 27 ft; ABF is not obligated to take longer articles.
• FedEx Freight (Item 525 / 530): 8-12 ft is Over Length (525); 12 ft and up is Extreme Length (530). May refuse 12 ft+ at its discretion.
• TForce Freight (Item 670-A): Any dimension. Articles over 25 ft may be returned if they cannot be handled safely.
• Southeastern Freight Lines (Item 670-10): Longest of the three dimensions counts on non-palletized freight.
• AAA Cooper (Item 510): 8 ft+ is not held to standard transit, and liability is capped at $0.50/lb.
• Averitt Express (Item 670): Schedule effective Sep 28, 2026. Over 24 ft may be charged more under Item 390.
• Central Transport (Item 670): Starts above 8 ft. Plus a $1,000 extreme-configuration upcharge when one article needs 16+ linear ft and is over 2 ft high and wide.

Two rules catch shippers most often. First, “length” is usually the longest dimension of the piece as tendered, and several carriers (R+L, ABF, TForce and Southeastern among them) count width or any dimension too. Second, the charge is on top of the linehaul, and at least one tariff (Saia) applies fuel surcharge to it as well. Long pieces also tend to trigger other rules: capacity-load or linear-foot charges when they take up a lot of floor, limited liability on very long articles, and slower transit.

How to avoid or reduce overlength fees

• Measure the whole handling unit. An 8-foot product on a pallet with two inches of overhang is over 8 feet. Measure after packaging, not from the spec sheet.
• Ship it knocked down. Racking, fixtures, frames and furniture that can be shipped in sections under 8 feet avoid the fee entirely. Watch the freight class effect of the new dimensions with the density calculator.
• Stay under the next cutoff. If a piece must be long, get it under the next band’s threshold for the carrier you use most. The worked example above shows how much a few inches can be worth.
• Declare it on the bill of lading. Carriers inspect long freight, and R+L’s tariff adds a $40 inspection fee when it has to add or change the overlength charge. Accurate dimensions on the bill of lading also avoid reclass disputes.
• Pick the carrier by length, not just by rate. The comparison table shows gaps of hundreds to thousands of dollars on the same piece.
• Price 20-foot-plus freight as truckload too. At the top bands, a flatbed, partial or volume quote can come in lower than LTL plus the overlength fee. See LTL vs. truckload.

Why your contract price may differ from the tariff

Tariff overlength charges apply when no agreement says otherwise. Shipper contracts, pricing agreements and broker or 3PL carrier contracts can set different bands, reduce the fee or handle long freight with a spot or volume quote instead. Several tariffs also exclude overlength charges on shipments priced as exclusive use, capacity load, linear foot or truckload.

Armstrong customers ship on Armstrong Transport Group’s carrier pricing, so the overlength charge on a GetLTLRates quote may differ from the published figures here. Enter the real dimensions of your longest piece when you quote, and the rates you see reflect it. The tables on this page are the benchmark for what the tariff says and for making sense of a carrier invoice.

Related: all common LTL accessorial charges, liftgate fees by carrier and residential delivery fees by carrier. Most liftgates can’t take long pieces either, so check both before promising a delivery.