The National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) will be releasing its National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC) book in print form for the final time in 2023. Going forward, the information contained in the Book will be available exclusively from ClassIT—the online version originally released in 2006.
Classification continues to be essential to the LTL industry, aiding pricing programs and negotiations, establishing minimum packaging requirements, and providing uniformity for everyone in the supply chain, NMFTA stated in a press release. The decision to provide this critical classification information exclusively in digital form is part of NMFTA’s digitizing and sustainability initiatives.
Existing users of the Book will be offered a coupon discount to cover much of the first year using ClassIT.
“The NMFC Book has been of great value to the LTL industry for many years,” said Joel Ringer, VP of classification for NMFTA. “Digitization is one of the cornerstones of our mission here at NMFTA, and ClassIT offers functionality that a hard-copy book simply cannot match. Combined with the fact that just about all stakeholders can now access and utilize digital assets like ClassIT, we knew it was the right time to make this transition.”
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NMFTA Executive Director Debbi Sparks said, “Over the last several years, members have been making the shift to online classification, as today we host over 7,000 users of ClassIT versus just under 700 printed books that are distributed throughout the year. ClassIT has more functionality than the book, and as an organization, one of our strategic endeavors is to help digitize the industry and this can be another way we will accomplish that.”
The NMFC is a standard that provides a comparison of commodities moving in interstate, intrastate and foreign commerce. Commodities are analyzed based on four transportation characteristics—density, handling, stowability, and liability—and assigned one or more classes reflective of their transportability.
The NMFC also establishes minimum packaging requirements to ensure the adequate protection and handling of goods during transport. Additionally, classification plays a role in safety, as the NMFC identifies various types of hazardous materials and assigns classifications based on the types of hazards involved, as well as the regulations that apply to those hazards.
NMFTA has announced that current subscribers of the Book will receive promotional pricing through December 31, 2023 for ClassIT licenses as follows: Participants: $199 annually with additional users at $179; and Non-Participants: $293 annually with additional users at $263.
