If you are a small company, you still can take advantage of the services provided by a full-service truckload freight shipping company. Even if you do not have a full load of items to ship, you can still use trucking services by utilizing LTL. LTL means “less than a truckload,” and is reserved for companies that need to ship a small amount of product.
The Cost of Shipment
The cost of the shipment is based on the amount of space that is used on the truck. Therefore, even if you have one pallet of goods, you can add the merchandise to the truck and pay only for the space you use.
Because space is an important consideration in the cost, you have to consider the way the merchandise is packed. Make sure the items you ship are packaged so they are condensed and will take up minimum space. Usually, shipments that are classified as LTL will take longer to deliver. That is because, to make full use of the truck, drivers will haul merchandise and equipment from a variety of companies. Therefore, the driver is not usually going to one place.
He may be delivering and picking up shipments from a variety of locations. While your cost is lower for an LTL pick-up and delivery, the amount of time it takes for transport is extended as well. That is one point you need to keep in mind if you choose to have items delivered by LTL.
FTL Delivery
Truckload freight shipping can include hauling items by FTL too. FTL is defined as full truckload shipping and is usually utilized by large companies with one major shipment to make. For instance, if you have a large merchandise shipment going to a Big Box store, then it typically will be defined as FTL freight. Companies also use shipping services to haul large construction equipment.
For example, if a major construction company is initiating a project out-of-state, then it will use the services of a full-service logistics provider to haul the equipment to the site. This type of transport is also used to haul large pieces of equipment for mining and drilling underground.
Sometimes companies will combine their transportation so they can use both truck and rail services. In other words, part of a shipment is hauled by truck before it is transferred to a rail car or vice versa. This type of transport may be suggested to lower the cost of shipping equipment or merchandise with one form of transportation.
Some companies are involved in shipping containers and may use railroads and ports for export. Trans-shipments can become quite involved and often require the assistance of a full-service freight forwarder to make sure shipments are delivered efficiently and on-time. Get more details.
