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Less Than Truckload (LTL) vs Full Truckload (FTL) – What is the difference?

How can FTL and LTL be defined in the transportation industry? And which one would you select when you are shipping your shipments all over Canada, Ontario, or the United States?

With regard to land freight, there are several options to select from, including Full Truckload, Partial Truckload, Less Than Truckload, and Intermodal shipping. 

This requires having knowledge of what kind of shipping service you need and how to accurately coordinate those services. A good thing to start in teaching yourself about shipping services is by educating the differences between full truckload (FTL) shipping and (LTL) less than truckload shipping. We are going to take a look at how these strategies vary and how to recognize which one you need for your parcel.

Both less than truckload and full truckload are modes of transportation for your cargo, but as their name proposes there is a single key difference in both, i.e., size of goods shipped and quantity.

What is Less than Truckload (LTL) Shipping?

LTL is used for the transportation of small freight or when freight will not need the use of a whole trailer. Businesses select this affordable option when the consumer demand for their products is stable or average. 

This shipping method can be used to weigh anywhere between 150 and 15,000 pounds, which will define the less-than-truckload freight charges you need to pay along with a number of other things. LTL freight in Canada is typically in the form of big crates on pallets surrounded in oversized wooden crates, plastic, or corrugated containers.  If many packages are delivered to the exact destination, less than truckload will often be cheaper than a parcel. Driver compensation has been a major factor in the recent hike in low truckload shipping charges is a big reason LTL freight is more expensive.

What is Full Truckload (FTL) Shipping?

Full truckload is when you use a whole truck to only ship your shipments. Full truckload can define two things; either you have limited goods to fill a full truckload or you have a partial load but you select a dedicated truck. Full truckload is generally chosen when businesses have more than 10 pallets or more to ship, when time is an issue or when they have high-risk packages (full truckload is quicker).

The expense of full truckload is more than less truckload, but it will deliver your goods quicker, we are proud to highlight that our full truckload pickup and delivery arrives on time most of the time.

FTL shipping is also used for delicate freight shipments that may not transport well with additional goods in the truck. While full truckload freight rates tend to be higher than low truckload freight rates, some businesses find it necessary to use a more dedicated shipping method.

Advantages of LTL include cost-effective freight transportation and are ideal for small businesses. Advantages of FTL include the best way to transport large shipments, ideal for high-risk or delicate freight shipments. Considerably quicker than LTL and good for higher consumer demand.

Which to select?

The decision is entirely yours in the end. We have supplied the necessary information to make a wise choice between LTL and FTL shipping. Now, choosing a freight type that meets your shipping demands is up to you.

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