What is LTL (less than truckload)?
Your freight shares a trailer with other shippers’ freight, and you pay only for the space and weight you use.
What is LTL, in plain terms
An LTL carrier picks up pallets from many shippers, brings them to a terminal, sorts them by destination and loads them onto line-haul trailers. At the far end the freight is sorted again and delivered on a local truck. One trailer can carry a dozen or more shipments that have nothing to do with each other.
That shared trailer is why LTL is cheap for small shipments and why it is slower and handles the freight more than a dedicated truck. Each terminal stop is another forklift move.
When LTL is the right mode
Roughly 1 to 6 pallets, LTL is almost always the cheaper way to move it. Past six pallets, volume LTL or a partial truckload often wins, and a full trailer’s worth goes truckload.
LTL also fits when the date has a little room. If a delivery cannot be a day late, a dedicated expedited truck costs more but removes the terminal stops.
How an LTL price is built
The carrier prices from its tariff using the freight class, the weight and the lane, then subtracts a discount and adds a fuel surcharge and any accessorial charges, such as a liftgate or a residential delivery.
Freight class comes from density, so the dimensions on the bill of lading matter as much as the weight. If the carrier measures something different at the terminal, the invoice changes.
Related terms
Quick answers
What does LTL stand for?
Less than truckload. It is freight that does not need a whole trailer, so it rides with other shippers’ freight.
What is the difference between LTL and FTL?
FTL, full truckload, books the whole trailer for one shipper and goes straight from pickup to delivery. LTL shares the trailer and moves through terminals, so it costs less for small loads and takes longer.
Do I need a loading dock for LTL?
No. Without a dock at either end, ask for a liftgate truck. It is an extra charge, so put it on the quote request rather than finding it on the invoice.
Shipping a few pallets?
Send the ZIP codes, the weight and the pallet count and we come back with LTL rates you can book.