How much does freight shipping cost?
How much freight shipping costs comes down to the same six inputs on almost any quote:
- A base rate for the vehicle or the lane.
- Distance. Per mile for a local truck, or by origin and destination for LTL and truckload.
- Weight and size. Heavier and bulkier freight costs more. LTL rates are usually figured per hundred pounds.
- Freight class, for LTL. More on that below.
- Accessorials. Liftgate, pallet jack, waiting time, appointments, inside delivery and the other extras below.
- Fuel. A surcharge that rises and falls with the price of diesel.
For local freight in Southern California, the Alvy Logistics 2026 card is short: a 20 to 26 ft box truck starts at $200 for the first 20 miles. After the first 20 miles, mileage can start as low as $1.20 a mile, depending on the vehicle and the route, and it is set on your written quote. Any accessorials the job needs are listed on the quote too. The truck is booked for the trip, so the price does not climb pallet by pallet, though a load over 1,000 lbs adds a weight charge.
What is freight shipping?
Freight shipping is moving goods that are too big or too heavy for a parcel network, usually on pallets, by truck. As a general industry norm, a shipment over about 150 lbs, or anything on a pallet, moves as freight rather than parcel. From there it travels one of three ways:
- Local box truck. One truck, straight from pickup to delivery, for freight moving around a region. This is what Alvy Logistics runs in Southern California: 20 to 26 ft box trucks driven by vetted independent-contractor drivers. See pallet shipping.
- LTL (less than truckload). Your pallets share a trailer with other shippers’ freight and pass through carrier terminals. See LTL shipping.
- Truckload. One shipper fills, or pays for, the whole trailer, which goes straight to the destination. See truckload shipping.
The LTL vs FTL guide explains where one becomes cheaper than the other.
How do you calculate freight shipping cost? Los Angeles examples
Each example is one Alvy Logistics box truck run, laid out the way a written quote is built: the $200 base covers the first 20 miles, mileage past 20 miles is set on the quote for the actual route, and extras such as a liftgate, wait time, a weight charge or a fuel surcharge each get their own line. Miles are typical road distances from pickup to delivery.
| Shipment | Assumptions | Starting point | What the quote adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 pallets, local | 15 miles, 900 lbs in total, docks at both ends | $200 base, which covers the whole run | No mileage, and no liftgate with docks at both ends |
| 4 pallets of packaging, Valencia to downtown Los Angeles | 40 miles, docks at both ends | $200 base for the first 20 miles | Mileage for the other 20 miles |
| 6 pallets, Valencia to Long Beach | 63 miles, 3,000 lbs in total, no dock at delivery | $200 base for the first 20 miles | Mileage for the other 43 miles, a liftgate and pallet jack, and a weight charge |
The first run stays inside the base, so $200 is its starting price before any fuel surcharge. The other two start from the same base, and the longer the run past 20 miles, the more of the quote is mileage. The third run shows the extras most often missed. With no dock at delivery it needs a liftgate and a pallet jack, and at 3,000 lbs it is over the 1,000 lb weight threshold. Each is listed as its own line on the quote, and a Saturday run adds a weekend charge the same way.
What are accessorial charges?
Accessorial charges are fees for anything beyond a standard dock-to-dock pickup and delivery, and the usual reason an invoice lands above the quote. These are the box truck accessorials on our 2026 card. None is charged unless the job needs it, and each one that applies is listed on your written quote before you book:
| Accessorial | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Liftgate | Lowering freight from the truck bed to the ground where there is no dock |
| Pallet jack | Rolling pallets off the truck to the drop point |
| Wait time | Time held at pickup or delivery beyond a free window |
| Additional stop | Each extra pickup or drop on the same run |
| Attempted delivery | The receiver is closed or refuses, and the freight comes back |
| Pickup and hold, or hold and deliver | Freight held between pickup and delivery |
| Second person | A helper for heavy or awkward freight |
| Weight over 1,000 lbs | Each pound above 1,000 lbs on the run |
| After hours (8pm to 8am) or weekend | Timing outside business hours |
LTL carriers set their own accessorials in their tariffs. The usual ones are residential delivery, limited-access delivery (schools, construction sites and similar addresses), inside delivery, delivery appointments or a call before delivery, detention when a truck is held at a dock past the carrier’s free time, and reweigh or reclassification when the declared weight or class turns out to be wrong.
What is liftgate delivery?
A liftgate is a powered platform on the back of the truck that lowers pallets to the ground where there is no loading dock: storefronts, offices and most job sites. On our runs it is added only when there is no dock, with a pallet jack if the pallet must be rolled inside, both listed on the quote. Not sure the receiver has a dock? Ask before you book.
How does freight class change the price?
LTL carriers price by class. Under the National Motor Freight Classification, every commodity sits in a class between 50 and 500, set by four traits: density, handling, stowability and liability. The denser and easier to handle the freight, the lower the class and the lower the cost per pound. Light, bulky or fragile freight sits higher. A wrong class on the bill of lading brings a reclass charge. The freight class guide shows how to work out density. Local box truck freight is not priced by class: it is the base rate plus miles and any extras.
How long does freight shipping take?
- Local box truck freight goes straight from pickup to delivery with no terminals in between, so in Southern California it can deliver the same day.
- Truckload also goes direct, so transit is set by distance and driver hours. Under federal hours-of-service rules, a driver hauling property gets at most 11 hours behind the wheel inside a 14-hour on-duty window, which starts after 10 straight hours off duty. As a rough planning figure, 11 hours at an average of 50 miles an hour is about 550 miles a day. Phoenix, about 370 road miles from Los Angeles, fits in one driving day. Chicago, about 2,000 road miles away, takes about four driving days for a solo driver.
- LTL usually takes longer than truckload on the same lane, because freight is sorted at terminals and transferred between trucks. Appointments or limited-access delivery can add time.
Who pays for freight: FOB origin or FOB destination?
FOB terms set where ownership and risk pass from seller to buyer. Under FOB origin, they pass when the carrier picks up, so the buyer carries the risk in transit. Under FOB destination, the seller keeps them until delivery. Who pays the freight bill is a separate term (prepaid or collect), so write both on the purchase order and the bill of lading.
How can I reduce freight costs?
- Ship dock to dock where you can. That avoids the liftgate and pallet jack charges.
- Send accurate weights and dimensions. On a local run, weight sets the over-1,000 lb charge; on LTL, a wrong figure brings reweigh and reclass charges.
- Consolidate. A box truck is priced by the trip, so six pallets on one run cost far less each than six separate runs.
- Be flexible on timing. After-hours and weekend runs cost more.
How to get a freight quote
Send the pickup and delivery addresses, pallet count, weights and dimensions, what the freight is, whether either end has a dock, and the time windows. Inside Southern California, ALVY BROS DELIVERS INC hauls the freight on its own carrier authority (USDOT 3443448, MC-1341979). For anything going further, each LTL or truckload move gets its own price, with brokerage through Accurate Freight Systems LLC, the licensed property broker in our group (MC-572734). Request a written freight quote, or phone a coordinator during business hours.
For every option from Los Angeles in one place, start at freight shipping from Los Angeles.
