Freight Shippers Frequently Asked Questions

Visit the Sign Up page, and complete your business details. All accounts are manually reviewed and typically approved in minutes during business hours, after which you can quote and book. 

Watch our Sign Up tutorial for more information.

Core Freightera membership is free. In addition, we offer paid value added plans for everyone’s shipping needs.

Freightera offers the first online platform that provides instant data, including price, transport availability and shipping time, from hundreds of FTL and LTL carriers directly to shippers.

Information comes directly from carriers’ databases in real time, ensuring it is accurate and current.

Read this short article to see why our customers choose Freightera over traditional brokers and carriers.

Freightera only works with reliable, qualified carriers who have been in business for over 1 year, have a positive credit check and positive references.

Freight cost varies by mode (LTL vs. FTL), lane distance, shipment weight and dimensions, freight class for US/cross-border LTL, and any value-added services like liftgate or residential delivery; fuel and taxes can also apply. For an exact price, enter your shipment details on Freightera to compare all-inclusive live rates from hundreds of carriers and book online.

LTL (Less-Than-Truckload) shipping is a way of transporting smaller freight by consolidating multiple shippers’ loads on the same truck. You pay only for the space you use, not for the full trailer (ideal for shipping 1-6 pallets or about 150–15,000 lbs).

FTL (Full Truckload) shipping reserves an entire truck for one shipper, moving freight directly from pickup to delivery. Because handling is minimized (no terminal transfers or cross-docking), this type of shipping is ideal for large volumes, fragile/high-value, or time-critical loads.

Package and secure your goods on a pallet, then measure and weigh accurately. On Freightera’s quoting page, enter origin/destination, dimensions, and weight to compare LTL rates, choose the best carrier and services, book pickup, download/print the BOL and labels, and track delivery online.

Enter origin, destination, shipping date, load weight, and dimensions to compare live freight rates and book in seconds on Freightera.

1) During quoting, provide precise weight/dimensions and the correct freight class (for US/cross-border LTL), and declare needed accessorials (e.g., liftgate, inside, limited-access). 

2) Be ready at pickup/delivery to avoid detention, and use the provided BOL/documentation.

3) If a charge seems invalid, Freightera’s helpful 5-star support team and Rate Defence™ policy will help you resolve extra charge disputes with freight carriers. 

Freight class is an NMFC (National Motor Freight Classification) rating of 18 classes (from 50 to 500) that groups LTL shipments by weight, size, density, handling, value, and liability. Carriers use class to set LTL pricing; lower classes typically cost less.

Every shipment comes with a tracking number. You can find this number on your shipper account (under ”Shipments”), and then enter it into the tracking field on the homepage.

Paperwork is generated automatically in real time. Your entire order history is consolidated in one place.

To start, choose the plan that works best for you.

Membership perks depend on a plan and include: access to our exclusive discounted freight rates, shipment tracking, online shipping history, and automated documentation for bills of lading and shipping labels. SMB Priority and Priority Unlimited members receive priority handling, additional Buyer Club discounts, and a dedicated account manager.

You can review all of our plans here.

Click here for logistics companies FAQs.

Membership pricing for Canadian companies:
Core Membership: $0/month
SMB Plus Membership: $29 CAD/month
SMB Priority Membership: $99 CAD/month
Priority Unlimited Membership: $249 CAD/month

Membership Pricing for US companies:
Core Membership: $0/month
SMB Plus Membership: $29 USD/month
SMB Priority Membership: $99 USD/month
Priority Unlimited Membership: $249 USD/month

Yes. You can add additional users to your account on your Membership dashboard, under “Additional Users.’’

Your requests are prioritized and taken care of first, and you get minimum turnaround time (1-2 hours) for broker quotes during business hours.

We will assign an account manager to your account, based on your shipping needs. Your account manager will be your primary point of contact, dedicated to providing you with shipping expertise and first-class service.

Depending on your business needs, your dedicated account manager may also be your dedicated broker (e.g. if you’re mostly shipping flatbeds requiring specialized broker expertise).

Your dedicated account manager will schedule an onboarding session to welcome you to Freightera, discuss your business goals and shipping needs, and demonstrate the benefits of the platform for your specific needs.

The first month of our SMB Plus plan is available for free trial, for a limited time. You’ll be able to use all the services included in that plan during your trial. Starting at the beginning of the second month, the credit card you used to sign up for a membership account will be charged the monthly subscription fee. You may cancel auto-renewal on the Services page of your Freightera dashboard.

The credit card you have used to sign up for a membership account will be charged at the end of your free trial period.

You can downgrade your plan at any time. You will have access to all of your current plan’s features until the end of the current billing cycle.

In general, we also welcome you to upgrade your plan at any time. However, for a period of six months after you have downgraded your plan, you will be unable to upgrade it again.

You are upgraded to your new plan right away.

Your new plan will be pro-rated. Your payment for the previous plan will count towards the price.

Your new billing cycle will start right away.

On the Services page of your Freightera dashboard, click “Cancel Auto-Renewal’’ to cancel auto-renewal in the next billing cycle. Please be informed that we do not offer refunds for memberships.

At the end of your billing cycle, your account will automatically be switched to the Core plan. You’ll still be able to use this free Freightera membership account to book shipments and access all your shipment data, and you won’t be charged for membership in the next billing cycle.

Six months after you have downgraded your plan, you will be eligible to switch back to your paid plan whenever you wish.

You will occasionally receive gift codes from us as a ‘thank you’ for problem-free automated bookings. You can apply gift codes during automated bookings above $50 before the expiration date. Just enter the code in the Promotional Code field on the Enter Details page during the booking. To qualify, your shipper account should be in good standing with no outstanding invoices. Freightera Terms of Use apply for all quotes and bookings.

If you’re signing up for a paid membership plan (SMB Plus, SMB Priority, or Priority Unlimited), your membership is automatically renewed every month, until you decide to cancel it.

If you’re signing up for a free membership plan (Core), your membership does not expire.

We accept Visa, Mastercard, Amex, and PayPal, EFT, and  Ship now, Pay later options.

If you’re signing up for the free trial of a paid membership plan (SMB Plus, SMB Priority, or Priority Unlimited), we require your credit card information upon sign up so that your membership can automatically continue after your free trial ends.

There are no surprise charges. All taxes are included in the price, and every billing cycle you’ll be charged a fixed amount for your plan.

We do not offer refunds for membership.

Absolutely. Our Privacy Policy is available here.

Providing as detailed information as possible on your business helps us serve you better. By knowing your business size, shipping frequency, and services required, we will be able to assign a qualified rep to your account and find you better quotes and help you to get the best carriers and rates for your needs.

Different types of system emails go to different contacts listed. All billing information goes to the accounting contact. Technical contacts are listed in case of technical issues for API integrations, if your business requires this.

Accounting users can only access ‘’My Bills’’ part of the dashboard. Adding an accounting user is free.

Accounting contacts cannot access the shipping pages at all, they are simply contacts to whom we send invoices and other information related to accounting and billing.

Depending on your membership plan, you start each month with a certain number of points, which you can use for broker quotes.

You can earn more points by booking a shipment, or by upgrading your plan.

Please note your automated online quotes are unlimited.

You can check your remaining point balance on your Membership dashboard.

Earned points do not accumulate: your point counter resets each month.

We accept Visa, Mastercard, Amex, and PayPal. We also accept EFT and Ship now, Pay later options.

Freightera bills the customer.

Freightera pays the carrier.

Typically a commercial/customs invoice and Bill of Lading. The Bill of Lading is automatically generated on Freightera when you book online.

You will need a customs broker, and they can help you with a commercial/customs invoice. If you need assistance in choosing a customs broker, chat with us or call us.

Fees will vary based on what you are importing, and how much you have paid for the goods.

No, your transporter will be automatically notified once your shipment has been released.

A tariff classification is used by Customs agencies to identify the specific product you are importing, along with the duty rate and any other government requirements it may incur.

• Canada: contact the BIS line (1-800) 461-9999
• USA: (877) 227-5511
• Outside the US: (202) 325-8000

Freightera online platform uses high-level security software to protect both customer and carrier information. No unauthorized user can view system data or information. We also use:

• System alerts to identify weak user passwords
• Continual, rigorous site testing to ensure protection against hacking
• Robust, redundant, fully-scalable servers to handle all web traffic

Yes. If you’ve got access to the internet, you’re set. Freightera online freight shipping platform works best with Google Chrome 13 or higher, Internet Explorer 8 or higher, Safari 5 or higher and Mozilla Firefox 4 or higher.

Freightera Customer Service is available from 5:30 AM – 5:00 PM PST (8:30 AM – 8:00 PM EST) from Monday through Friday:

• Live Chat
• [email protected]
• Toll free (800) 886-4870 Ext. 1

Visit the Freightera Help Center for step-by-step answers on sign-up, quoting and booking, tracking, cross-border documentation, freight class, cargo insurance, billing, and more.

Read the Freight Shipping Guide for practical how-tos and step-by-step help on all things shipping (LTL and FTL, flatbed/heavy-haul, intermodal & rail, and container shipping—plus accurate quoting, packaging, documentation, location requirements, tracking, loading/unloading, and a visual freight glossary).