Freight cost depends on what you ship, how far it goes and how it moves. A few pallets share a truck (LTL), a full trailer is priced by the mile (truckload), and a time-critical load can go by van. The calculator above gives a realistic price range for each, built from real carrier quotes and market rates. When you want actual prices, one click sends your route and shipment to a freight specialist.
How to use the freight cost calculator
- Pick the type of shipment. LTL freight is for pallets and crates that share a truck, full truckload is a whole trailer, and expedited van is a Sprinter, cargo van or box truck for one load.
- Enter the pickup and delivery ZIP codes. The calculator estimates the road miles. If the figure looks off, you can type your own.
- Add the details that change the price: total weight and delivery location for LTL, the trailer type for truckload, the vehicle for a van.
- Read the range, then click “Get real quotes.” Your ZIP codes, weight and estimate carry into the quote request, so you do not type them again. A freight specialist follows up within 15 minutes during business hours.
What sets the cost of each type of freight
| Type | Best for | What sets the price | What the calculator uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| LTL freight | About 1 to 10 pallets or crates that do not fill a trailer | Weight, distance, freight class, delivery location and the carrier you pick | The lowest quotes on 250 real lanes closest to your weight and distance |
| Full truckload | A full trailer, or 12 or more pallets | Miles, trailer type, which way the freight is moving and the market. Not freight class | Market rate data for dry van, flatbed and reefer on 41 lanes |
| Expedited van or box truck | One time-critical load that needs its own vehicle | Distance and vehicle size | Typical Transportli prices by distance band |
Not sure which fits? Our guide to LTL vs. full truckload shows where the break-even sits, and the calculator lets you flip between the two on the same route.
What LTL freight costs in real quotes
Every LTL lane in our data comes from live quotes pulled for the lanes on our state rate pages. The table shows the median of the lowest quote for each weight and distance band, with the middle half of lanes in brackets.
| Weight | Under 500 mi | 500 to 1,000 mi | 1,000 to 1,800 mi | Over 1,800 mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 150 lb | $398 ($327 to $443) | $434 ($317 to $499) | $392 ($316 to $474) | $516 ($436 to $587) |
| 150 to 400 lb | $291 ($263 to $337) | $321 ($284 to $374) | $460 ($350 to $583) | $505 ($401 to $652) |
| 400 to 1,000 lb | $440 ($389 to $545) | $351 ($299 to $517) | $556 ($416 to $726) | $632 ($429 to $855) |
| Over 1,000 lb | $451 ($379 to $678) | $450 ($403 to $517) | $947 ($529 to $1,203) | $773 ($585 to $1,166) |
Each cell holds between 6 and 29 lanes, so treat it as a guide, not a rate card. Two things move the price more than most shippers expect:
- The carrier you choose. On the lanes behind this calculator, the fifth-cheapest quote was a median of 28% above the cheapest. Our LTL cost study shows how the gap varies by lane.
- Freight class and delivery extras. Class 100 ran about 26% above class 70 for the same pallets (see the freight class price study). A liftgate added about $75 to $108 and residential delivery about $99 to $116 in our samples. See liftgate delivery.
Get real LTL quotes for your shipment
The table is a guide. Vetted carriers price your exact pallets, class and delivery location.
Get real quotes → Back to the calculatorWhat full truckload costs per mile
Truckload is priced by the trip, not by the pallet, so the number to watch is the rate per mile. It falls as the trip gets longer, because pickup, delivery and the empty return are spread over more miles. We looked up market rates for 41 lanes between 180 and 2,779 miles in October 2026. The calculator above uses a curve fitted to those lookups.
Estimated contract rate by distance
| Trip | Dry van | Flatbed | Reefer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 250 miles | $1,050 ($4.20 per mile) | $1,235 ($4.95 per mile) | $1,235 ($4.94 per mile) |
| 500 miles | $1,750 ($3.50 per mile) | $2,170 ($4.34 per mile) | $2,060 ($4.12 per mile) |
| 1,000 miles | $2,920 ($2.92 per mile) | $3,815 ($3.81 per mile) | $3,430 ($3.43 per mile) |
| 1,500 miles | $3,940 ($2.63 per mile) | $5,305 ($3.54 per mile) | $4,625 ($3.08 per mile) |
| 2,000 miles | $4,870 ($2.43 per mile) | $6,700 ($3.35 per mile) | $5,720 ($2.86 per mile) |
| 2,500 miles | $5,740 ($2.30 per mile) | $8,030 ($3.21 per mile) | $6,740 ($2.70 per mile) |
These are typical contract rates from the fitted curves. Individual lanes can land 15% or more either side, which is why the calculator shows a range.
Spot or contract, and why direction matters
A contract rate is the 90-day average of negotiated prices on a lane. A spot rate is what one-off loads have paid in the last few days. Contract rates are steadier. Spot rates swing with demand, and they depend heavily on which way the freight is moving: a truck leaving a busy market usually has to return empty, so freight out of that market costs more than freight into it.
| Dry van lane | Miles | Spot, recent average | Contract, 90-day average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago to Atlanta | 716 | $2,900 ($4.05 per mile) | $2,570 ($3.59 per mile) |
| Atlanta to Chicago | 716 | $1,511 ($2.11 per mile) | $1,912 ($2.67 per mile) |
| Los Angeles to Dallas | 1,440 | $5,112 ($3.55 per mile) | $5,170 ($3.59 per mile) |
| Dallas to Los Angeles | 1,440 | $2,347 ($1.63 per mile) | $3,139 ($2.18 per mile) |
| Newark to Atlanta | 870 | $2,584 ($2.97 per mile) | $2,471 ($2.84 per mile) |
| Atlanta to Newark | 870 | $2,393 ($2.75 per mile) | $3,176 ($3.65 per mile) |
Los Angeles to Dallas cost 2.2 times as much on the spot market as Dallas to Los Angeles ($5,112 against $2,347). Atlanta to Chicago ran well below its contract rate. If your freight moves against the flow, ask for a quote rather than relying on any average.
Get a truckload quote
Tell us the trailer type and route. Your estimate carries into the request.
Get real quotes → Back to the calculatorWhat expedited van and box truck delivery costs
Expedited delivery sends one vehicle with your load and nothing else. The price depends on the distance band and the vehicle, not on pallet count. These are typical Transportli prices, with fuel included; accessorials are charged separately.
| Distance band | Typical price, Sprinter or cargo van | Per mile at the top of the band |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 50 miles | about $183 | $3.66 |
| 51 to 100 miles | about $275 | $2.75 |
| 101 to 150 miles | about $360 | $2.40 |
| 151 to 200 miles | about $427 | $2.13 |
| 201 to 300 miles | about $549 | $1.83 |
| 301 to 400 miles | about $702 | $1.75 |
| 401 to 500 miles | about $848 | $1.70 |
| 501 to 750 miles | about $1,092 | $1.46 |
| 751 to 1,000 miles | about $1,336 | $1.34 |
| 1,001 to 1,500 miles | about $1,580 | $1.05 |
| 1,501 to 2,000 miles | about $1,946 | $0.97 |
| 2,001 to 2,500 miles | about $2,257 | $0.90 |
Pickups in California have a $427 minimum, and trips over 2,500 miles are quoted individually. A box truck is priced per mile: $1.71 to $2.44 for local trips up to 150 miles, $2.07 to $2.93 for regional trips of 150 to 500 miles, and $2.44 to $3.66 beyond that, with a $350 minimum. To check what fits, use the Sprinter van planner or read about hot shot trucking.
Why an estimate is not a quote
A calculator can tell you the neighbourhood. A quote tells you the price. The gap comes from details only your shipment has:
- Freight class and packaging. The same weight in a crate, on a pallet or stacked can land in a different class, and class changes the LTL rate.
- Pickup and delivery type. A dock, a liftgate, a home or a limited-access site each change the charges.
- Timing. Truckload spot rates move daily, and LTL rates move with fuel and carrier capacity.
- The carrier. No carrier is cheapest everywhere. Comparing several prices on your lane is the surest way to avoid overpaying.
Turn your estimate into real quotes
Free, with no account. A freight specialist follows up within 15 minutes during business hours.
Get real quotes → Back to the calculatorHow we built this calculator
- LTL. The estimate finds the 30 lanes in our data closest to your weight and distance, then reports the middle half of their lowest quotes (and, behind the scenes, the 10th to 90th percentile). We tested it by leaving each lane out and estimating it from the rest: the middle-half range held the real lowest quote 49% of the time and the wider range 77% of the time, and the typical estimate was about 23% away from the real figure. The data does not record freight class, so class is not part of the estimate.
- Truckload. Market rate data for 41 lanes (17 dry van, 12 flatbed, 12 reefer) collected October 12, 2026, with a contract and spot rate for each. The contract curve matches the lanes within about 6% (flatbed), 13% (dry van) and 15% (reefer) at the median. We show a range of at least 15% either side because we have fewer lanes for some trailer types.
- Expedited. Typical Transportli prices by distance band, the same card used by our van planner.
- Distance. The calculator estimates road miles from your ZIP codes, about 8% above the straight line on short trips and 17% on long ones (checked on 17 lanes). You can replace the figure with your own.
This is an estimate from averages, not an offer to ship at a price. We will refresh the data as new quotes and market rates come in.
More freight cost tools
- Freight class calculator: find your NMFC class and see what a wrong class costs.
- Density calculator: turn dimensions and weight into pounds per cubic foot.
- Accessorial charge checker: see which extras apply to your delivery.
- Crate shipping and engine shipping: costs for unusual freight.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate freight cost?
Enter the pickup and delivery ZIP codes in the calculator, choose LTL, full truckload or expedited van, and add the weight, trailer type or vehicle. It returns a range based on real quotes and market rates. For an exact price, request quotes: the calculator hands your details to the quote form.
How much does LTL freight cost?
It depends on weight, distance, freight class and the carrier. In our data the median lowest quote ran from about $290 for 150 to 400 lb over short distances to about $950 for loads over 1,000 lb at 1,000 to 1,800 miles. The fifth-cheapest quote on a lane was a median of 28% above the cheapest, so comparing carriers matters.
How much does a full truckload cost per mile?
In our October 2026 market rate lookups, the contract rate for a dry van was about $4.20 per mile at 250 miles and $2.30 at 2,500 miles. Flatbed ran about $4.95 to $3.21 and reefer about $4.94 to $2.70. Short trips cost the most per mile.
What is the difference between spot and contract rates?
A contract rate is the 90-day average of negotiated prices on a lane, so it is steady. A spot rate reflects recent one-off loads and changes with demand and direction. On Los Angeles to Dallas, the dry van spot price was about 2.2 times the return trip.
How accurate is the freight cost calculator?
It gives a range, not a price. For LTL, the middle-half range held the real lowest quote about half the time in our test, and the wider range about three quarters of the time. For truckload, the fitted contract rate is within roughly 6% to 15% of the lanes we checked at the median. Freight class, delivery location and timing can move a real quote outside the range.
How does freight class affect LTL cost?
A higher class costs more. In our test of four shipments, the typical quote was about 26% higher at class 100 than at class 70 for the same pallets. The calculator does not include class because our lane data does not record it. Use the freight class calculator to check yours.
Does the calculator include accessorial charges?
For LTL, you can add the delivery location (liftgate, residential or both), and the range includes the typical extra for it. Other extras, such as inside delivery or appointments, are not included. Truckload detention, tolls and extra stops, and van accessorials, are quoted separately.
How do I get a real quote after using the calculator?
Click “Get real quotes” under the estimate. Your ZIP codes, weight and a short note with your estimate carry into the quote request. Add your contact details and a freight specialist follows up within 15 minutes during business hours.