4 Things to Know about Less Than Truckload Shipping

Less Than Truckload shipping refers to a shipment that doesn’t require a full trailer or container to ship. A great deal of our shipping is done using Less Than Truckload shipping. There are several benefits to full truckload (FTL) shipping and there are several benefits to LTL shipping (LTL).

We’ll cover some elements of Less Than Truckload shipping here:

1. The first thing to know about LTL shipping is that it doesn’t mean that your cargo is strapped to the deck of a ship. This isn’t an efficient way of moving cargo. There are situations in which cargo is moved on pallets or secured to the deck, but most LTL cargo is still containerized. It simply shares a container with other cargo. This helps us save space and transport more since cargo containers can be stacked safely. This in turn helps lower costs since more can be transported at a time.

2. LTL carriers will transport with a range of road vehicles. For smaller cargo, a van trailer or pup trailer might be used. These use roll up doors for rear access. The trucks that carry these are usually local, so won’t be equipped with sleeper births. These trucks are more compact and maneuverable, making them faster and more nimble for city driving. This optimizes this stage of LTL transport for efficiency at speed.

3. Shipping rates are determined by a range of factors: These include weight, lane, and additional services. Weight is easy enough to figure out. This factors into freight class, which we’ll cover in a moment. “Lane” is a term that means the pick-up and destination locations. Obviously, the distance impacts the cost.

4. To figure out these rates, we use a term called freight class. Freight class includes measurements beyond weight. For instance, we move freight with a density of less than 8pcf at Freight Class 150. The same vehicles at a density of more than 8pcf are moved at fright class 100. Moveable parts can also change freight class. For instance, we ship axles without moveable parts at freight class 55. Axles with moveable parts on skids are shipped at freight class 85.