LTL FTL

Less than truckload shipping or less than load LTL is the transportation of relatively small freight. The alternatives to LTL carriers are parcel carriers or full truckload carriers. The general freight carriers in the US offer two types of service Full Truckload FTL service or Less Than Truckload LTL. While the FTL carrier moves full containers or trucks of one product from one customer the LTL carrier moves goods from many different customers on one truck. Less than truckload shipping or less than load LTL is the transportation of relatively small freight. The alternatives to LTL carriers are parcel carriers or full truckload carriers. Parcel carriers usually handle small packages and freight that can be broken down into units less than 160 pounds 69 kg. Choose our standard service to meet all of your regional’ inter regional’ and long-haul needs. This service is available for direct shipments within the 49 contiguous states and to and from Canada. Truck transportation can move large items faster than rail as the shipment is not dependent on the railroads timetable. The general freight carriers in the US offer two types of service Full Truckload FTL service or Less Than Truckload LTL. Interposal shipping is considered advantageous by some shippers because there is no handling of the freight when it changes from one carrier to the next. Pallets are used to consolidate many items into one easy to move container. Because handling is reduced it also reduces damage and loss increases security and allows quicker transport. Less Than Truckload LTL and Full Truckload FTL are types of freight shipping that sound exactly as they are described. With a quick overview of the vocabulary and a few highlights of the benefits of truckload shipping we can help you decide which way is the best way to fit your shipping needs. TL also called FTL refers to a full truckload. Freight is loaded into a semi trailer that is between 26\50 feet long. TL shipments require a lot of freight to make this shipping option economical. A truckload carrier is a trucking company that generally contracts an entire trailer load to a single customer. This is as opposed to a less-than truckload LTL company that generally mixes freight from several customers in each trailer. LTL or less than truckload is a service offered to freight and trucking companies for shippers who only need a small delivery of goods at a time. Unlike full truckload drivers LTL drivers haul multiple shipments at one time on the same trailer each with a different destination. Partial truckload or load to ride freight can be thought of as the next step up from LTL freight. Partial truckloads usually consist of loads that take up lots of space with very little weight and in cases where more than 11,000 pounds of freight or 10 or more pallets are being shipped. LTL shipping is much more cost effective when compared to other available shipping options. The main advantage to using an LTL carrier is having items transported for a fraction of the cost of hiring an entire truck and trailer for one shipment. Since the carrier is moving multiple shipments from multiple shippers the freight carrier pools all the shipments into a single truck. The concept is now like cost sharing with friends where each shipper pays a fraction of the cost of the truck. Full truckload is usually considered the best choice but this only works if the volume is there for many companies that remains a big if. While organizing multiple stop truckloads often proves more challenging and expensive than it’s worth LTL shipping allows you more control when you consistently have multiple loads of numerous small shipments. Pool programs such as pool distribution are where multiple truckloads of LTL shipments are taken to a staging area and reassembled on multiple trucks for distribution. Then there is pool consolidation where multiple LTL shipments from multiple locations are picked up, brought to a central staging area or loading dock then onto a truck for line haul. Pool programs adapt nicely to last minute volume changes in orders. These programs save time and money over using the multiple stop truckload method. When you’re less than truckload shipment being shipped to several locations throughout a region or country LTL provides great flexibility. While LTL shipping often requires a little more time to bring other freight together having several LTL shipments going to similar places will allow your company to drive the cost down by consolidating multiple shipments from multiple customers to create a load. Less than truckload shipping is an ideal way for developing companies to benefit through cost, control and flexibility. It allows organizations to move smaller quantities of materials at lower prices while helping to increase a truck’s capacity and efficiency for everyone involved.