subject: Ltl Shipping: Is It Something I Need? [print this page] When dealing with large scale cargo trucking, most of the time there is going to be two basic options that are available for shipping. LTL and FTL are the two most basic models that are used for organizing shipments of this size. Trucking companies typically find that these two services essentially encompass everything that their customers require. Also, if your San Francisco courier service offers one of these types of services, it is nearly a sure bet that they also offer the other.
LTL stands for less than truck load, whereas FTL stands for full truck load. Essentially, this means that when you're shipping LTL that you are not paying for all of the available space in the vehicle that you're shipping in. Instead, you will be paying a fee based on the percentage of the load that you are actually taking up with your cargo.
This is a very cost effective option for shipping cargo that falls in the 100-10,000 lbs category. If a company is shipping something smaller than that category, then they typically can easily find shipping with a regular parcel courier. If, on the other hand, they're shipping cargo that weighs more than those 10,000 lbs, then FTL is usually their best option. There is a huge portion of all cargos shipped that fall in that middle range somewhere however, which makes LTL the best option.
There are times even when shipping within that weight class though that a client may decide to opt for a different type of shipping instead. This typically comes as a result of the client deciding that speed is very important in their shipment. When you're shipping something on an FTL basis, the courier company is going to make your delivery as fast as possible, because yours is the only cargo on the truck. When shipping LTL though, you sometimes have to wait longer for the shipment to be made, because there are other clients on board as well, and the deliveries will simply be made in the most logical fashion, based on the route that the driver is taking to the final destination.
Choosing between LTL and FTL shipping usually comes down to deciding whether savings or speed is more important to a client. Obviously, the closer that a shipment is to that 10,000lb weight, the easier it becomes for them to decide as they will be saving less and gaining more speed.
by: Orlando Hopkins
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