What is FTL Shipping?

FTL shipping stands for full truckload, meaning that the shipment of freight will take up an entire truckload by itself. FTL shipping is typically used when you need to shop ten or more pallets of goods. It’s easy to know whether you’re going to need full truckload shipping or less than truckload shipping. Although, sometimes smaller shipments can benefit from full truckload shipping like if your shipment is high risk, FTL may be the better option. FTL shipments stay on the same truck the entire duration of travel and aren’t transferred during transport so there’s less risk of damage. It’s also quicker than LTL shipping.

Why choose FTL Shipping?

When deciding whether to use LTL shipping or FTL shipping there’s 2 main factors that you need to decide. Firstly, do you need a full truck for the amount you want to ship. Simple enough if you have enough freight to fill a full truck you want to ship with FTL. The other reason would be if you have a partial load, but would still prefer the benefits of a dedicated truck. When you ship FTL you can utilize the entire truck and not just a small portion of it. If you have high risk packages you would want to use FTL shipping to limit the amount of movement your packages will sustain, thus reducing the risk of something going wrong. Another great reason for FTL shipping is that you don’t have to make stops. If time is of the essence then FTL shipping will get your freight where it needs to go the fastest, and the safest.

Factors that Determine FTL Shipping Rates

Location is one of the largest factors to determine shipping rates. The further the distance, the higher the price. Another large factor to shipping rates is the weight of the freight being shipped. The weight of the shipment factor in determining the freight class which is going to directly impact rates. The mode of transportation can up the price as shipments can be expedited which will typically cost an additional fee. The type of freight being shipped can also up the cost. If you’re shipping something that requires special handling or equipment such as perishables, fagiles, or hazardous items will likely lead to higher costs.

Location
Weight
Mode
Type

What’s the difference between LTL and FTL?

The main difference between LTL and FTL is the amount of trailer space that your freight shipment requires. Less than truckload (LTL) is used when freight only takes up a portion of a trailer rather than a full trailer where you would need FTL shipping. LTL Shipping makes stops along the route where FTL shipping does not. FTL shipping is going to me more expensive, but it may be more cost efficient for your business to ship with this method.

Why Use FreightCost?

At FreightCost we can offer access to over 38 national and regional LTL carriers allowing you to choose the carrier and rate that fits your LTL shipping needs. We offer Traditional LTL which allows you to get up to 8 pallets and up to 10000 lbs. We offer Partial and Volume Shipments if you don’t need a full truck load, but need more cargo than what tradition LTL offers you. To our customers we also offer Zone skip LTL opportunities, ask us how! We also offer Specialized LTL such as pooling and consolidation to help optimize your LTL freight costs. There’s no limit to what FreightCost can do for you or your business so stop in today or give us a call and get started!