Tariff Not Rating: Step-by-Step Troubleshooting

When a tariff doesn't return a rate, the cause is almost always a setting you can check yourself. Start with the settings outside the tariff, carrier rules and credit holds, because they are the most common causes and the easiest to miss. Then check the tariff itself: its status, dates, links, lanes, lane criteria, accessorials and fuel schedule. Each step tells you where to look, what a correct setup looks like, and how to fix it.

Most "missing rate" problems can be fixed in a few minutes without contacting support.
The steps go from the most common cause to the least, so you can stop as soon as you find it.
If none of the steps finds it, the last section tells you exactly what to send support so they can investigate quickly.

Before you start — what you need first

The shipment or quote ID you are rating, and the customer it belongs to.
The tariff name and carrier you expected to see.
The shipment's pickup and delivery ZIP/postal codes, mode (for example LTL or Truckload), ship date, and the commodity details (weight, freight class, pallets, dimensions).
To view carrier rules you need TMS Site Admin, LSP Add/Edit. To open tariffs you need Tariff Add Edit, and to change tariff links you need Margin Add Edit. If you don't have these, ask your TMS administrator to run the checks with you.

Step 1: Check the error message on the rating screen

Where to go: Open the shipment, go to its rating page, and rate it.

In the rating filters, turn on Errors. The red number next to it is how many carriers returned an error.
If the page shows No Rates Found, click Show Errors to list every carrier that failed and why.
Find the tariff or carrier you expected. If it is in the error list, the message usually points straight to the cause. Look it up in the list of common messages in Step 12.
If rating fails completely with the message "There was an error getting Quotes. Please try again." and re-rating gives the same result, a credit hold on the customer is a common cause. Go to Step 3.
If the carrier is not in the results at all, not even as an error, it was filtered out before rating. Carrier rules are the most common reason, so continue with Step 2.

Step 2: Check carrier rules for the customer

Where to go: Carrier Rules (or open the customer's record and choose Carrier Rules). Keep Include Inherited and Include Blanket checked so you see every rule that applies, including rules set on your own organization and on any parent above the customer.

Carrier rules are the most common reason a carrier's rate is missing. They remove the rate silently: the carrier just doesn't appear, with no error.

Exclude rule: look for one naming the carrier, or one with no carrier (a blanket rule) whose settings match it. Ticking a requirement such as Has Authority on an Exclude rule removes carriers that have authority.
Include rule: once any Include rule applies to the shipment, only carriers covered by an Include rule stay. An Include rule for one carrier hides every other carrier unless a blanket Include rule also exists.
Requirements on an Include rule: the carrier must meet all of them: Has Authority, Has Safety, Has Packet, Cargo Liability Required (a current cargo policy at least the shipment's declared value), General Liability Minimum, and Carrier Labels.
Tariff on a rule: the rule applies only to rates from that tariff.
Rules can be limited by Shipment Types and by Origin/Destination Region, so check whether those match the shipment.
Fix: edit or delete the rule, or update the carrier's insurance, authority or packet on file. Then re-rate.

Step 3: Check the customer's credit hold

Where to go: open the customer's record and check Credit Status, or go to the Credit Holds screen and search for the customer.

Credit holds are the most commonly missed cause, because a hold for one tariff owner removes rates without any message.

An active credit hold with no tariff owner blocks all tariff rates for the customer and the customers under it.
- In the back office, the rating page does not mention credit. Rating fails with "There was an error getting Quotes. Please try again.", and no carriers are listed under Errors.
- In the customer portal, the customer sees "Quote fetch failed" with "No rates are available due to credit status".
An active credit hold for a specific tariff owner removes only that owner's tariffs, with no message. If every missing rate comes from tariffs owned by the same organization, check for this.
A hold on a parent organization also applies to the customers under it, so check the customer's parents too.
Fix: resolve the hold with your accounting team, then re-rate.

Step 4: Check the tariff status and dates

Where to go: Rates > Tariff Search > open the tariff > Tariff Information.

Status must be Active. A Disabled tariff never rates. A Testing tariff never appears in ordinary quotes.
Effective Date must be today or earlier (a tariff starting tomorrow may also be picked up). Expiration Date must be today or later. A tariff with no dates is never rated.
The Tariff Owner organization must be enabled.
Fix: set Status to Active, or correct the dates, and save. Then re-rate the shipment.

Step 5: Check the tariff mode

Where to go: Rates > Tariff Search > open the tariff > Tariff Information.

Mode must match the shipment's mode, or be Any. An LTL tariff does not rate a Truckload shipment.
Final Mile and First Mile tariffs need a terminal in the Terminal Information section, or they won't rate.
WhiteGlove is deprecated. If a tariff still uses it, switch it to Final Mile.

Step 6: Check that the tariff is linked to the customer

Where to go: Rates > Tariff Search > open the tariff > Tariff Tools > Tariff Links.

A tariff rates only for customers it is linked to. A link to your own organization covers every customer under it.

There must be a link with Permission: Allow to the customer, or to an organization above the customer in your hierarchy.
Look for an Exclude link closer to the customer. The link closest to the customer wins, so an Exclude on the customer overrides an Allow on your organization.
Look for Block Inherited Rates. If the customer (or a parent between them and you) has its own tariff for the same carrier, mode and service level with Block Inherited Rates = Yes, your organization's tariff for that carrier is hidden for that customer. That is by design: the customer sees only their own rate for that carrier.
Common mistake: choosing a Customer on Add New Tariff does not link the tariff to that customer. It only sets the name and bill-to. Add a Tariff Link for the customer.
Fix: add or correct the link, then re-rate.

Step 7: Check Display In Front Office (customer portal quotes only)

Where to go: Rates > Tariff Search > open the tariff > Tariff Settings.

When a customer quotes from the customer portal, only tariffs with Display In Front Office checked are used.
If the tariff rates for you in the back office but not for the customer in the portal, this is the most likely cause.
Tariffs built with the Tariff Wizard have this setting off unless you checked it.

Step 8: Check that a lane covers the pickup and delivery

Where to go: Rates > Tariff Search > open the tariff > Lanes. Use the lane search if the tariff has more than 50 lanes.

The tariff needs at least one lane whose Origin Region contains the pickup and whose Destination Region contains the delivery. A tariff with no lanes never rates.
Open the region (Rates > Regions) and confirm the pickup and delivery ZIP codes, states or countries are actually in it. Watch for cross-border shipments: an All US Points lane does not cover Canada.
A lane marked Intrastate rates only when pickup and delivery are in the same state.
For truckload and other non-LTL shipments, check the lane's Trailer Type (Flatbed, Refrigerated or Van) fits the shipment's equipment. A lane with no Trailer Type matches any equipment.
Check the lane's Lane Calculation Type:
- Do Not Service: the lane exists to block the carrier on that lane, so no rate is returned.
- Call: the rate comes back at $0 for you to price manually.
- Mileage: needs mileage on the shipment, and a Cost on the lane.
- Density and Cubic Foot: need dimensions (and weight for Density) on every commodity.

Step 9: Check the lane criteria against the shipment

Where to go: Rates > Tariff Search > open the tariff > Lanes > open the lane > Lane Criteria.

Lane criteria are minimum and maximum limits the shipment must fit. A shipment outside them skips the lane without an error.

Compare each filled-in range with the shipment: Mileage, Handling Units, Handling Unit Weight, Weight, Length (ft), Linear Feet (ft), Density (PCF), Cube, Actual Class and Billing Type.
Match All means the shipment must fit every filled-in range. Match Any means it only has to fit one.
A range left blank (or 0 to 0) is ignored.
Example: a lane with Weight 500 to 10,000 lb and Match All will not rate a 12,000 lb shipment.
Fix: widen the range, switch Match All/Any, or add another lane for the shipments outside it.

Step 10: Check the tariff's required shipment details

Where to go: Rates > Tariff Search > open the tariff > Tariff Settings.

If Dimensions Required, Freight Class Required, Pallets Required or NMFC Required is checked, every commodity on the shipment must have that value.
The error reads, for example, "Freight Class Required for rating" or "Dimensions Required for rating".
Fix: add the missing values to each commodity on the shipment and re-rate. Only uncheck the setting if the carrier truly doesn't need it.

Step 11: Check accessorials and the fuel schedule

Where to go: Rates > Tariff Search > open the tariff > Accessorials (Tariff Accessorials and Lane Accessorials). For fuel, also Rates > Accessorial Schedules.

Accessorials requested on the shipment

If the shipment requests an accessorial (for example Liftgate or Residential) that is set to Not Available on the tariff or lane, the rate fails. A lane setting overrides the tariff setting.
The error starts "Error rating Accessorials for shipment." For carriers rated through an online connection, you may see "Accessorial Not Returned from Carrier" or "Mapped Accessorial not found for carrier".
Test it: remove the accessorial and re-rate. If the rate appears, the accessorial is the cause.
Fix: set the accessorial to Normal and give it a price on the tariff or lane, or quote that shipment without it.

Fuel schedule

Open the Fuel accessorial on the tariff or lane. If its Calculation Type is Schedule, note the schedule name and open it under Rates > Accessorial Schedules.
The rows must cover the current diesel price. If the price falls outside every row (for example diesel rose to $4.51 and the top row ends at $4.499), the rate is removed.
Leave no gaps between rows. Diesel prices have three decimals, so a row ending at 3.74 and the next starting at 3.75 leaves 3.745 uncovered. End the first row at 3.749.
Check Offset Days and Date Type. A large negative offset can look back to a week with no price.
Fix: add or widen rows so every expected price is covered, then re-rate.

Step 12: Match the error message to the cause

Where to go: the shipment's rating page > Errors filter or Show Errors. Messages about the whole rating request, rather than one carrier, show as a pop-up message at the top of the screen instead.

"There was an error getting Quotes. Please try again." (back office) with no carriers listed under Errors: rating failed as a whole. If it keeps happening for this customer only, check for a credit hold (Step 3). If it happens for every customer, contact support.
"No rates are available due to credit status" (customer portal only): the customer or a parent is on credit hold. See Step 3.
"Freight Class / Dimensions / Pallets / NMFC Required for rating": a commodity is missing that value. See Step 10.
"Error rating Accessorials for shipment." or "Accessorial Not Returned from Carrier": an accessorial on the shipment can't be priced. See Step 11.
"Lane cost must have a value for a Mileage tariff calculation type.": the Mileage lane has no Cost. Add one.
"Rating failed for mileage rate, mileage could not be calculated.": the shipment has no mileage. Check the addresses and recalculate mileage.
Not serviced messages, such as "out of service area" or "does not service": the carrier says it doesn't run that lane. Nothing is wrong on your side, so use another carrier. The TMS may skip that carrier for the same ZIP pair for about six weeks.
"Operation was timed out.": the carrier didn't answer in time. Re-rate in a few minutes. If it keeps happening, ask your administrator to raise the carrier connection's Rating Timeout (15 to 75 seconds).
Login, password or account errors: the carrier connection's credentials are wrong or expired. Update them on the carrier connection (Integration Source) used by the tariff.
"No quotes returned!": the carrier returned nothing. Re-rate once. If it repeats, contact support.

Tips & best practices

Always check carrier rules and credit holds before editing a tariff. Changing a tariff that was never the problem can create new issues.
Re-rate after every change. Saved quotes are not refreshed on their own.
Change one thing at a time so you know which fix worked.
Avoid ticking requirements on Exclude carrier rules unless you mean "remove carriers that meet this".
We recommend building fuel schedules with a top row well above today's diesel price so a price spike doesn't remove rates.
When creating a customer-specific tariff, use the Tariff Wizard or add the Tariff Link right away. Don't rely on the Customer field.
Check the tariff's Activity Log to see if someone recently changed its status, dates, lanes or links.

Frequently asked questions

Why don't I see any error for the missing carrier?

The carrier was filtered out before it was asked for a rate. Carrier rules and tariff-owner credit holds are the most common reasons, so check those first (Steps 2 and 3), then the tariff settings (Steps 4 to 9).

Why does a tariff rate for one customer but not another?

Something applies to one customer and not the other. Check carrier rules and credit holds on the second customer and its parents first (Steps 2 and 3), then its tariff links for an Exclude or Block Inherited Rates link (Step 6).

I added a carrier rule for one carrier and now other carriers disappeared. Why?

It is an Include rule. Once any Include rule applies to a shipment, only carriers covered by an Include rule stay. To keep the other carriers, add a blanket Include rule with no carrier selected (Step 2).

Why does the tariff rate in the back office but not in the customer portal?

Display In Front Office is turned off on the tariff. Customers quoting from the portal only see tariffs with that setting on (Step 7).

Why did a carrier's rate disappear after diesel went up?

The new diesel price is above the top row of the fuel schedule, so the rate is removed. Add or widen a row to cover the new price (Step 11).

I set the tariff to Testing. Why doesn't it show up?

Testing tariffs never appear in ordinary quotes. Set the Status to Active when it's ready to use (Step 4).

Why do I see the carrier's customer-specific rate but not our standard rate?

The customer's tariff link has Block Inherited Rates on. For the same carrier, mode and service level, the customer sees only the rate linked at their own level. That's expected (Step 6).

If something doesn't work

Re-rate the shipment after each fix, and wait a few minutes before re-rating if the error was a timeout.
If rating fails for every carrier on every customer at the same time, the problem is probably not your setup. Contact support right away.
If you've worked through all the steps and the tariff still doesn't rate, contact Tai support with:
- the shipment or quote ID,
- the customer name,
- the tariff name and carrier you expected,
- the exact error text from Show Errors (a screenshot is ideal), or a note that no error was shown,
- the date and time you rated, and
- which steps above you already checked.
Support can see the rating diagnostics for the shipment, including which check removed a tariff, so this information lets them find the cause quickly.