Small businesses owners who ship fewer products and spend less money on freight can rely on LTL shipping (Less-Than-Truckload shipping) to save them big money in the shipping department. LTL shipping rates are usually a fraction of their FTL shipping (Full-Truckload shipping) counterpart and require fewer trucks moving shipments, therefore reducing emissions and creating fuel efficiency.
What Does LTL Mean in Shipping?
LTL means Less-Than-Truckload and refers to a lighter shipment that does not utilize the entire shipping space of the truck. This is opposite to FTL, or Full-Truckload, wherein a single shipment requires the entire shipping space. A single LTL shipment often includes products from various distributors as opposed to just one, meaning a single LTL shipment can contain products from various companies. The size of any given LTL shipment is usually between 150 and 10,000 pounds.
Who Uses LTL Shipping?
LTL shipping is the common shipping method of choice for small business owners who often ship many, smaller packages to the same destination. Due to how LTL shipping rates are calculated, if a business owner is shipping multiple, smaller packages rather than fewer, larger ones, the weight breaks used to calculate LTL shipping rates will save that business owner money.
How Long Does LTL Shipping Take?
Generally, LTL shipments can take anywhere from 1 to 10 business days to arrive. This is a very loose average and largely depends on multiple factors:
How much time per day the truck driver is allowed to stay behind the wheel How populated the destination's area is The inbound and outbound traffic the destination's area is experiencing How many stops and transfers are required Inclement weather and unexpected delays
Is LTL Shipping Cheaper Than UPS Shipping?
This usually depends on how much volume you're shipping, but the answer is usually yes. While the process of LTL shipping is usually longer and more involved than UPS shipping, the amount of money you'll save will be substantial.
The primary differences you'll experience when switching from UPS shipping to LTL shipping will lie in the shipment preparation and loading processes. You may also have to communicate with the freight company that's shipping your goods on a more consistent basis.
How Are LTL Shipping Rates Calculated?
LTL shipping methods are easier on the wallet for small business owners because the cost per hundredweight (CWT) of each minimum weight break for LTL shipments decreases as shipment weight increases; in other words, the heavier your LTL shipment (and as long as it stays under 10,000 pounds), the cheaper it'll be for you to ship.
A number of other factors go into calculating LTL shipping rates:
- Shipment Weight
- Shipment Density
- Shipment Freight Class
- Distance to Travel
- Any Accepted Discounts
- Shipment Accessorial Charges
- And Others
If you'd like to learn more about LTL shipping and its specifics, contact a reputable and experienced LTL shipping company.
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