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Does LTL and FTL shipping confuse you? In the world of freight shipment, you would find many people confused between full truckload and less than truckload. If you’re in the same state, make sure you read until the end. It’ll help you settle on the best shipping method for your company’s needs.
What Exactly Is a Full Truckload?
Full truckload transport is typically known for transporting commodities to be gone in a single parcel delivery. In other words, it indicates that you are booking the weight slot for the full dedicated truck.
Most commonly, FTL shipping is employed for big or bulky orders. Avoiding the hassle of having the vehicle make multiple stops at various drop-off locations or storage facilities can save a lot of time and effort.
Right from the initial pick-up location to the delivery destination, everything on the truck shall remain as it is. Unlike LTL services, which may transport many loads in a single truck, FTL transport services are primarily intended for a single load. If a company decides to ship heavy goods over a long duration, FTL is the best choice.
What Is Less Than a Truckload?
Less than truckload is precisely the opposite of Full truckload shipping, where small quantities of packages are in focus. Package delivery services often handle shipments weighing less than 150 pounds or that may be readily disassembled into individual components.
For it to be cost-effective, semi-trailer trucking requires an entire truckload of goods. Freight weighing anywhere from 150 to 15,000 pounds is typically hauled by such a truck. That’s one of the reasons you find the logistics businesses opting for LTL shipments, as it gets them on budget.
The load has no exclusivity since it can share the truck with loads from different companies. Also, the load can change multiple times from one truck to another, being more susceptible to risks.
Major Differences to Keep in Mind While Choosing Between FTL & LTL
1) Way of Handling
As we discussed, FTL is all about picking it up from the main location and delivering it to the final spot. On the other hand, for Less than a truckload, there is a lot of loading and unloading at various spots and even between the vehicles. As the chances of damage increase in LTL, you must carefully look for the packaging.
2) Freight Detailing
The pricing for commodities is set as per the classification of them set uniformly across by The National Motor Freight Traffic Association. It goes all the way from class 50 to 500, in total, making it 18 different freight classes. On the other hand, the movers won’t care about the specifications in terms of FTL.
3) Accessorial Charges
The drivers in the case of FTL are highly focused, which will be a major safety benefit for your packages. The case of extra fees is dynamic in the case of FTL. Though LTL shipping isn’t like that, extra charges are implied upon disruptions.
Last Words
FTL and LTL may sound similar, but they are two completely different shipping concepts. They carry their respective features. So, if you want to make a good decision, figure out the market scenario along with your budget and decide on the sort of freight shipping to go for. Get the right logistics partner for your business who can advise you to make the right decision for your commodities and your company’s budget. Most of the time, small and medium companies wanting to grow their business make the wrong decisions due to the need for more knowledge in logistics and transportation. A good partnership with a qualified logistics service provider can significantly affect operation costs.
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