Estimate rail rate
estimate_rail_rateRead-only
Estimate a Class I carload rail freight rate for a commodity, distance, and weight. Pass origin and destination to check for active freight track near both ends (USDOT rail network): rail_access names the railroads nearby, and a lane with no track within 50 miles of an end returns available: false with the reason instead of a price. Don't quote rail on such a lane. Returns a directional benchmark for planning. Each call counts as one estimate toward the account's monthly FreightFA allowance.
Input Schema
TableJSON Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| origin | No | Origin city or ZIP, e.g. 'Kansas City, MO'. Recommended: enables the rail access check. | |
| weight | Yes | Shipment weight in pounds. | |
| distance | Yes | Lane distance in miles. recommend_mode returns it for a city or ZIP pair. | |
| destination | No | Destination city or ZIP, e.g. 'Atlanta, GA'. Recommended: enables the rail access check. | |
| commodity_type | Yes | Commodity being shipped, e.g. 'grain', 'chemicals', 'intermodal containers'. |