LTL Carrier Liability Limits & Insurance Guide
What 21 LTL carriers actually cover by default — straight from their rules tariffs — and how to protect freight worth more.
The rule every tariff shares: lowest number wins
LTL carriers don't insure your freight. Their rules tariffs limit liability to the lowest of the actual invoice value, the replacement cost, any NMFC released value, and a per-pound limit — then cap the whole shipment at a dollar maximum. Per-pound limits range from $25/lb at the most generous national carriers down to $0.50/lb, and about half the majors scale the limit by freight class, so low-class dense freight gets the least coverage per pound.
Two traps catch shippers most often. First, used goods: nearly every carrier releases used, refurbished, or reconditioned freight to about $0.10 per pound with a $10,000 cap. Second, discounted pricing: many tariffs cut liability again on spot-quoted, volume, or FAK-rated shipments — the pricing most brokered freight actually moves on.
The used-goods rule catches residential shippers hardest, because the freight moving to and from homes is disproportionately used equipment, furniture, and machinery. Old Dominion states it plainly in the tariff behind its own consumer moving product: liability is “limited to $0.10 per pound per item damaged”, and that coverage is “liability coverage for carrier negligence, not insurance for the goods.” A 600 lb item at that rate is covered for $60 regardless of what it cost. If you're shipping to or from a residence, our residential freight delivery guide covers the accessorial side, and what to write on the delivery receipt decides whether a claim survives at all.
Included liability by carrier (standard tariff)
| Carrier | New goods | New-goods cap | Used goods | Reduced spot/FAK tier | Tariff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Duie Pyle | $1.00–$10.00/lb by freight class | $100,000 | $0.50/lb | Yes | PYLE 101-U Rules Tariff, Items 848, 848-1..4, 850 |
| AAA Cooper Transportation | $0.99–$20.00/lb by freight class | $50,000 | $0.10/lb (max $10,000) | Yes | AACT 190-AF Rules Tariff, Item 570 |
| ABF Freight (ArcBest) | $2.00–$25.00/lb by freight class | $100,000 | $0.10/lb | Yes | ABF 111-AU Rules Tariff, Item 780-1 |
| Averitt Express | $5.00/lb | $100,000 | $0.10/lb | Not published | AVRT 100 Rules Tariff, Items 575, 575-50, 848 |
| Central Transport | $1.00–$10.00/lb by freight class | $100,000 | $0.10/lb (max $10,000) | Yes | Central Transport Rules Tariff CT100-CB, Items 779, 780, 784 |
| Clear Lane Freight | $1.00–$5.00/lb by freight class | $100,000 | $0.10/lb | Yes | CLNI 100-C7 Rules Tariff, Items 190, 192, 196 |
| Dayton Freight Lines | $1.00–$10.00/lb by freight class | $50,000 | $0.50/lb | Not published | DAFG 19-K Rules Tariff, Items 835, 840, 995 |
| Estes Express Lines | $5.00/lb | $50,000 | $0.10/lb (max $10,000) | Yes | EXLA 105 FF Rules Tariff, Item 350 (Table A) |
| FedEx Freight | $25.00/lb | $100,000 | $0.50/lb (max $10,000) | Yes | FXF 100-Y Rules Tariff, Items 420–421 |
| FFE (Frozen Food Express) | $3.00/lb | $50,000 | $3.00/lb (max $50,000) | Yes | FRZF 105 Series General Rules & Charges Tariff, Item 14 (14.1); §3.45 |
| Forward Air | $0.50/lb | $100,000 | $0.50/lb (max $100,000) | Not published | Forward Air Service Conditions, Item 4.B |
| Oak Harbor Freight Lines | $1.00–$15.00/lb by freight class | $25,000 | $0.10/lb | Yes | OAKH 100 Rules Tariff, Items 540–580 |
| Old Dominion Freight Line | $5.00/lb | $50,000 | $0.10/lb (max $10,000) | Not published | ODFL 100-Q Rules Tariff, Items 594, 594-1, 574 |
| Pitt Ohio | $5.00/lb | $100,000 | $0.50/lb | Yes | PITD 100-E Rules Tariff, Items 1000.2–1000.5 |
| R+L Carriers | $2.00–$25.00/lb by freight class | $100,000 | $0.10/lb (max $10,000) | Yes | R+L Carriers Rules Tariff, Item 170 |
| Roadrunner Freight | $1.00–$10.00/lb by freight class | $50,000 | $0.10/lb (max $2,000) | Yes | RDFS 100-K Rules Tariff, Items 780, 810 |
| Saia LTL Freight | $5.00/lb | $50,000 | $0.10/lb (max $10,000) | Not published | SAIA 170-D Rules Tariff, Item 108 |
| Southeastern Freight Lines | $1.00–$10.00/lb by freight class | $100,000 | $0.10/lb (max $10,000) | Yes | SEFL 1090 Rules Tariff, Items 848, 848-1, 848-5 |
| TForce Freight | $25.00/lb | $100,000 | $1.00/lb | Yes | UPGF 102-T Rules Tariff, Items 166, 166-1 |
| Ward Transport & Logistics | $1.00–$10.00/lb by freight class | — | $0.10/lb | Not published | WARD 110Z Rules Tariff, Items 440, 445 |
| XPO | $3.00–$5.00/lb by freight class | $100,000 | $0.10/lb (max $10,000) | Not published | CNWY 199-AK.1 Rules Tariff, Items 25, 227 |
Compiled July 2026 from each carrier's published rules tariff (editions and effective dates cited on the individual carrier pages, where available). Limits change with tariff revisions; the tariff and bill of lading terms in effect at shipment control. Clear Lane's tariff is no longer publicly posted; figures reflect its last published edition.
Outliers worth knowing
- A 50× spread:Forward Air's default release is $0.50/lb while FedEx Freight, TForce, ABF, and R+L top out at $25/lb — the same pallet can be covered for $250 or $12,500 depending on who hauls it.
- Low overall caps: Oak Harbor caps entire shipments at $25,000; Roadrunner caps used goods at just $2,000.
- Crating changes everything: Estes drops NEW uncrated items to $0.10/lb — the used-goods rate — and several carriers treat new uncrated machinery the same way.
- The broker clause:R+L's tariff explicitly caps freight moving with a broker as shipper or consignee at $0.50/lb / $50,000 — proof that the carve-out tiers, not the headline numbers, are what brokered freight actually gets.
What full coverage costs
Across the market, full-value programs cluster around $0.65–$1.00 per $100 of declared value with minimum charges of $25–$150 — carrier-run programs at the big nationals instead charge about 3% of the excess amount. Covering an $18,000 shipment in full typically costs well under $200; weighed against a $1,800 payout on a $0.10/lb used-goods claim, it's rarely a hard call for valuable freight.
Coverage deductibles on LTL scale with the insured value — $0 up to $10,000, $500 up to $25,000, $1,000 up to $100,000 — so smaller shipments are covered first-dollar.
When you quote with us, each rate shows its included liability, and you can add full-value coverage for your declared value in one step — priced before you book. For how the layers work on truckload and partial shipments, see our insurance & cargo protection page.