Embodiments provide techniques for device-level traffic shaping in a communications network. Embodiments operate in communication networks providing connectivity to large numbers of user-side network nodes via shared communications links. For example, customer premises equipment (CPE) devices behind one of the user-side network nodes are classified into device types according to a predetermined rate-relevant characteristic of the CPE device. Upon receiving a forward-link (FL) traffic flow destined for one of the CPE devices, the device type of the CPE device is identified, and the FL traffic flow is shaped in accordance with a traffic shaping policy that corresponds to CPE device type. Various embodiments are tailored to support architectures having device-level shapers and/or network address translators (NAT) in user-side network nodes and/or in a provider-side network node.