A lot of people in the world today see LTL Freight and their mind start to spin. What does it mean, how does it work, benefits of using LTL, challenges of using LTL, etc. You’re in luck because after this short blog you will have a clear picture of LTL freight.
Less than load (LTL) freight means goods or products that doesn’t take a full truck to transport it. With LTL trucks there are several shipments on the same truck moving at the same time. Usually a LTL shipment will be on pallets and can range in weight from 100lbs to 10,000lbs. With LTL you combine partial loads to create a full truckload. It can be shipped standard, expedited, or guaranteed. You can also ship LTL freight with different services (Lift gate, inside, or residential pickup/delivery, etc.) which require assessorial (additional) fees.
One of the major benefits of using LTL freight is the cost. Because you are sharing the truck space with other shippers you only pay for the portion of the truck that you use not the whole truck. LTL freight is environmentally friendly because it results in fewer trucks on the road which reduces the emissions in the environment. LTL freight also helps smaller companies that can’t afford the high shipping costs of full truckloads that larger companies can.
There are some challenges of using LTL. Time is a major challenge with LTL because you have several shipments on the truck going to multiple locations taking longer for your freight to arrive. Another challenge is finding a carrier that will handle LTL freight because every carrier doesn’t handle them. Attention to details is another major challenge. For example, if you don’t have the correct class, weight, locations, etc. it will affect the price of the LTL shipment.
LTL freight is a option for your company that can be very efficient and cost effective. I hope this helps you understand LTL freight better and when you are ready to make your next or first LTL freight shipment give us a call, we will make it very painless, easy, and save you money.
From your logistic professionals at Genesis Consulting