Bulk Agricultural Intermodal Shipments Policies and Procedures

BNSF policies and procedures to handle bulk agricultural products for intermodal transportation.

• All shippers must sign the Bulk Agricultural Letter of Agreement and have it on file with BNSF before tendering a bulk agricultural shipment for transportation on BNSF.
• Bulk agricultural products can only be tendered in international containers.
• Bulk agricultural shipments must be identified on the shipping instructions with the commodity description "Bulk Agriculture" and the actual Standard Transportation Commodity Code (STCC) must be used.
• The only valid price authorities for these shipments are QTBulkAg. The applicable STCCs and commodities are stated on the price authorities.
• The maximum gross weight that BNSF can accept for bulk agriculture is 52,900 pounds in a 20 ft container without a chassis, 67,200 pounds in a 40 ft/45 ft container without a chassis and 65,000 pounds for container on a chassis. In addition, a certified scale ticket may be required at in-gate to verify the lading weight.
• For shipments originating from Logistics Park Chicago (LPC) and Logistics Park Kansas City (LPKC), the maximum allowable lading weight is 52,000 pounds.
• All requirements stated in web pages and documents will be enforced:
  • Intermodal bulk agriculture web pages
  • BNSF Intermodal Rules and Policies Guide
  • Bulk Agricultural Letter of Agreement
• In addition, a BNSF Intermodal Transportation Contract must be signed and on file with BNSF before tendering a bulk agricultural shipment.
• All bulk agriculture products must be properly blocked and braced with correct weight distribution according to Loading and Shipment Safety standards and guidelines.