Rate Determination
Once a classification rating is obtained for product, the rate must be determined. The rate per hundredweight is usually based on the shipment origin and destination, although the actual price charged for a particular shipment is normally subject to a minimum charge and may also be subject to surcharges. Historically, the origin and destination rates were manually maintained in notebooks that had to be updates and revised regularly. Then rates were provided on diskettes by carriers. Today, options for selecting carriers range from Internet software that examines carrier Web sites and determines the best rates to participation in online auctions.