Shipping your goods from one location to another can be a hassle especially if you are dealing with huge goods. Such shipments can sometimes take up undetermined space. This is where the concept of full truck load or less than truck load plays its part. Because the trailers have limited sizes, it is hard to predict if your shipment will take up the entire space or would need a section of the trailer. This is a hard choice for shippers, but do not worry! We are here to solve this dilemma for you guys.
The Importance of LTL vs FTL Freight Shiping
Choosing between LTL and FTL services can significantly impact your businesses. If you make a wrong choice, it can lead to huge revenue losses within months. This will happen because a lot of times, you will be charged for the space that you are not even using.
Acknowledging Freight Classification & its Impact on Shipping
The freight size is a very important factor for determining the LTL shipping rates. There are 18 freight classes established by the National Motor Freight Traffic Association, which range from class 50 to class 500.
On the other hand, Full Truck Load shipping rates are majorly based on factors like shipping distance, weight, and lane, rather than freight class. It can have a huge impact on your overall costs.
LTL vs FTL: The Use Cases
LTL: Fostering Competence for Compat Deliveries
If your shipment does not require an entire truck, less than load shipment is what you should choose. It lets you pay only for the space occupied by your freight. This can lead to significant cost savings. Less than load shipments is the best shipment solution if your load weighs between 150 and 15,000 pounds.
Full Truck Load: If You Need the Whole Space
A full truck load is the perfect solution for you if you have a large shipment that would fill an entire truck, or if you need the shipment to arrive quickly. With full truck load services, your cargo is the only cargo on the truck. This means it can be delivered directly to its destination without any stops on the way. This is also a safe way to deliver the goods as it is the only cargo in the truck. This significantly reduces the risk of damage to your goods while loading and unloading.
Manage Your Expenses & Multiply Savings in Freight Transport
If you have smaller shipments, booking a less than truck load service is an effective strategy to share costs with other shippers without compromising efficiency. It is not only about balancing cost-efficiency with timely deliveries but also optimizing shipping routes to decrease fuel consumption and idle time. Digital freight platforms or carrier contracts can reduce the shipping costs and increase dispatching efficiency for financial gain.
Major Takeaways
Choosing between LTL and FTL shipping depends on your shipment’s size, urgency, and type. One must consider all the methods to save huge amounts and boost efficiency.
Important factors to Evaluate While Choosing LTL & FTL Shipping Options
Evaluate Delivery Time Requirements
A full truck load and less than truck load is very different from each other when it comes to the time they take to ship your goods. FTL offers a much faster transit time as the goods are loaded on a truck that is shipped straight to the destination.
On the other hand, less than truckload freight shares space with other freight. This means the goods will be delivered one by one as per the proximity.
The Importance of Ultimate Delivery Point
The delivery location makes a huge difference. If the location is remote or hard-to-reach, Full Truck Load is preferred. After using FTL services, you won’t have to worry about your shipment getting lost at the stoppages of other shipments.
However, if the shipping location is in a major hub or metropolitan area, LTL services is the way to go. These carriers are experienced in the area, and they know the routes very well, which helps them reach the destination faster.
The Impact of Carriage Dispatching on Business Operations
Determining the right shipping method creates a chain of events throughout your business. It goes beyond merely shifting items from one location to another. The path you take plays a huge role in managing inventory and the level of satisfaction of your customers. This should be considered as a priority if you wish to cut some costs without compromising on quality.
Convert Your Shipping Procedure into High-Efficiency Operation
FTL services give you more control over your shipments by scheduling pick-up times as per your convenience. You can also track your goods in motion with continuous tracking.
Moreover, flexible shipping methods like LTL services give you room for efficient utilization and cost-sharing among multiple shippers. Organizations can refine their transporting means for adeptness, prompt truckload, and maximum profitability.
Bottomline
After learning so much about LTS and FTL services, you must have understood the basic difference between these two. Ful Truck Load is for faster shipment of goods that take up an entire container.
Less Than Truckload is used for shipments that do not cover the entire trailer and is cost effective. It is also slow as compared to FTL services.
Now you will have to decide based on your requirements. If you want a faster shipment experience, you can go for FTL services. But if you are okay with a little delay and want to be cost-effective, LTL shipment is the best for you. If you are still confused between these two, you can always contact professionals like Unify Logistic Solutions.
Unify Logistic Solutions is a logistics agency who has expertise in shipment planning. With experts ready to help you at every step, we provide the smoothest logistics experience. Just give us a call and tell us the dimensions of your shipment and we will find the right truck for you. We also make sure that you can track your shipment while it is in transit.
This is how we fulfill our promise of Zero Damage, Zero Delay!