Does my state even use 7228?

Not necessarily — several states don't maintain a separate local-hauling code and price all trucking under one classification. Check your state's rating bureau or your policy before assuming the split applies to you.

What counts as the 'local radius'?

It's defined state by state, typically as a mileage limit from the terminal combined with same-day return. There's no single national number — look up your state's specific definition.

Do owner-operators and leased drivers follow the same test?

Generally the classification follows the actual routes run, regardless of employment structure, but owner-operator and leased-driver arrangements can raise separate coverage questions worth checking with your carrier.

Is 7219 always more expensive than 7228?

Not reliably — the illustrative ranges overlap heavily, and in some states local hauling can rate close to or above long-haul. Don't assume a direction without checking your published rates.

Code comparisons

Class code 7219 vs 7228: long-haul or local trucking?

The short answer

Whether drivers routinely operate beyond the state's defined local-hauling radius and stay out overnight decides it — and that radius, and even whether both codes exist, is set state by state, not nationally.

Trucking is one of the most state-dependent corners of the whole classification system. 7228 exists to price local, radius-bound hauling separately from 7219's long-haul exposure, but plenty of states don't maintain both codes, and the ones that do define the local radius differently.

Before spending time on this pair, confirm your state actually splits the two. If it does, the test is about the routes drivers actually run, not the truck they drive or the freight they carry.

The codes side by side

Code	What it covers	Illustrative rate
7219	Trucking NOC — All Employees & Drivers	$8.00 – $20.00
7228	Trucking — Local Hauling	$7.00 – $18.00

Per $100 of payroll. National illustrative ranges — your state and carrier set the actual rates.

Do drivers routinely run beyond the state's local-hauling radius and stay out overnight?

Yes — routes regularly go beyond the local radius with overnight stays → 7219 (Trucking NOC — All Employees & Drivers)
This is long-haul exposure by the definition most states use, regardless of what the dispatch board calls the route.
No — drivers work within the local radius and return same-day, and the state maintains 7228 → 7228 (Trucking — Local Hauling)
Confirm your state actually has a separate local-hauling code before assuming this applies — several don't.
A mix of local and long routes, run by the same drivers and fleet → 7219 (Trucking NOC — All Employees & Drivers)
Without records tying specific routes or hours to each driver, the fleet's payroll typically defaults to the higher-exposure code that applies to any of the routes.

When each code applies

7219 — Trucking NOC — long-haul

Drivers routinely operate beyond the state's local-hauling radius
Routes regularly involve overnight stays away from the home terminal
General freight trucking that doesn't qualify for a local-hauling code

7228 — Trucking — local hauling

Drivers operate within the state's defined local radius
Drivers return to the home terminal the same day as a matter of routine
Only available in states that maintain a separate local-hauling code

What audits get wrong here

You overpay

A fleet that runs entirely local, same-day routes is coded 7219 because that's the default trucking code and nobody checked whether the state maintains a local-hauling code.

Where 7228 exists and applies, leaving a local fleet on 7219 overstates the exposure the carrier is actually holding.

You overpay

Office, dispatch and yard staff at a trucking company are coded with the drivers instead of checked against clerical or other standard exceptions.

The governing classification rule sweeps everyone in unless a standard exception is separately applied — this is true for trucking companies just as much as any other business.

You underpay — back-bill risk

A fleet that runs long-haul overnight routes is coded 7228 because 'local hauling' sounds cheaper and closer to what dispatch calls the work.

The label on the dispatch board doesn't decide the code — the actual radius and overnight pattern do. An auditor who finds long-haul routes on 7228 will reclassify to 7219 and can back-bill.

You underpay — back-bill risk

A company assumes 7228 applies in a state that doesn't actually maintain the local-hauling code.

If the state doesn't have a separate local code, all hauling generally falls under 7219 or the state's own equivalent — checking this before an audit avoids a surprise correction.

Worked example

A regional fleet whose drivers mostly run overnight routes beyond the state's local radius, currently coded as local hauling, on $150,000 of annual payroll.

Charged at 7228 (Trucking — Local Hauling): $10,500 – $27,000 / yr
Charged at 7219 (Trucking NOC — All Employees & Drivers): $12,000 – $30,000 / yr

On these illustrative ranges the outcome spans from about $19,500 a year worse to about $15,000 a year better. This is genuinely state-dependent — look up your own rates before arguing it.

Illustrative only. Not a quote, and not a prediction of what your carrier will do.

How much is actually at stake

7219 and 7228 overlap across almost their entire illustrative range, and in some states the codes barely differ or don't both exist at all. There's no reliable saving to chase here — the radius test is about getting the classification right and staying audit-defensible, not a predictable premium cut. Look up your own state's published rates and code list before assuming either direction helps.

What settles the argument

Classification disputes are won with records, not opinions. For this one, gather:

Dispatch and route logs showing actual mileage and whether drivers return same-day
Your state's specific definition of the local-hauling radius, if it maintains 7228 at all
Driver logs, including DOT hours-of-service records, showing overnight stays
Fleet and route assignment records separating local-only drivers from long-haul drivers
Confirmation from your carrier or rating bureau on which codes your state actually uses

Not sure which one your audit used? Check every employee against their assigned code in a couple of minutes.

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Frequently asked questions

Does my state even use 7228?: Not necessarily — several states don't maintain a separate local-hauling code and price all trucking under one classification. Check your state's rating bureau or your policy before assuming the split applies to you.
What counts as the 'local radius'?: It's defined state by state, typically as a mileage limit from the terminal combined with same-day return. There's no single national number — look up your state's specific definition.
Do owner-operators and leased drivers follow the same test?: Generally the classification follows the actual routes run, regardless of employment structure, but owner-operator and leased-driver arrangements can raise separate coverage questions worth checking with your carrier.
Is 7219 always more expensive than 7228?: Not reliably — the illustrative ranges overlap heavily, and in some states local hauling can rate close to or above long-haul. Don't assume a direction without checking your published rates.

Other code comparisons

ClassCheck provides self-advocacy information only. This is not legal, insurance or accounting advice, and classification rules vary by state and carrier. Terms.