When looking at shipping products over 100 pounds, it’s smart to look for a transportation and logistics company in order to save your company on shipping costs. There are typically two different ground freight options available for this – FTL and LTL, and we have defined them below to help you decide what may work best for your company.
FTL Shipping
Short for “Full Truckload” shipping, FTL shipping means that you are using one truck for just your product. This can mean you either are shipping enough product to fill one entire truck, or that you prefer to charter a truck to contain just your own products. Often when a company has a high number of pallets to ship, when the packages are high risk, or when the shipment is time sensitive, a FTL shipping option is chosen as the best option.
FTL loads will cost more than LTL loads, but will arrive more quickly and with greater peace of mind for higher risk shipments.
LTL Shipping
Short for “Less than Truckload” shipping, LTL shipping combines shipments from multiple customers onto one truck. Less than truckload shipping is more affordable than chartering a full truck, as you will be sharing the costs of shipping with other companies. Each company pays for only there portion of the space used within the truck, and the length of travel for their shipment.
Because LTL shipments often make several stops and may have to pack and re-pack the load, these shipments will take longer to reach the destination point. This option can be significantly more cost effective and is usually more ideal for small businesses.
When deciding between LTL or FTL shipments, you should consider the size of the shipment, your budget, the speed at which you need it delivered, and if the shipment is delicate in any way (ie. temperature sensitive, fragile).
