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What Is FTL (Full Truck Load)? A Shipper’s Guide

What Is FTL (Full Truck Load)? A Shipper’s Guide

In recent years, cargo freight forwarder companies, shippers, and other logistics specialists have created outstanding ways and strategies to overcome the obstacles they’ve faced in the shipping and transportation of goods.

One of the most typical services from logistics services is FTL shipping or full truckload shipping. Unless you are a freight driver or have worked at a freight company, you may not be familiar with the term full truckload. Don’t worry; this post will fill you in on everything from what FTL is and how it works.

FTL: What Is It?

Full truckload shipping — also known as FTL transportation — is a type of freight transport. It is applicable when you ship and receive the entire container load. This method differs from less-than-container load shipping, which is more commonly used in freight transportation.

FTL shipping is usually used for big shipments that need to fill the whole truck or almost the entire truck. By choosing FTL, you ensure that your shipment is the only one being transported on the truck.

You can reserve the truck at full capacity even if you don’t need to fill every available space. This way, you won’t have to worry about your goods getting lost or being stuck with other products at any time.

What Can Be Shipped via FTL?

With a full truckload, you may transport anything from massive machinery to power generators or sealed containers.

With this type of service, you pay a fixed amount per trip or kilometer, depending on your preferences.

When Is FTL a Better Choice for Shipments?

Here are some reasons why FTL shipping may be a better option for shipping your goods.

  • FTL shipping is cheaper if you ship more than six pallets at a time or if your shipment is large enough to fill or nearly fill an entire shipping container.
  • If the product that needs to be transported is fragile, and you don’t want excessive loading or unloading, FTL is the best option. FTL transport requires less handling because there is no transferring between trucks in the middle of the journey. 
  • The chance of your products getting lost or damaged is minimal, unlike in other shipping services.
  • If you have strict pickup and delivery deadlines, try out FTL shipping. FTL shipments arrive at their destination faster because the truck makes no other pickups or drop-offs along the way.
  • Full truck loads are much less constrained by size and weight limits.

Final Thoughts

FTL services can be extremely economical for businesses due to the quick delivery of goods to customers. The disadvantage of this type of service is that it can be expensive for some companies due to its high shipping costs. 

Jansson is an independent agent for Landstar, a well-known name in the logistics and transportation industry. We guarantee timely delivery of your products wherever they need to go. You can contact us today to learn how we can help accomplish your shipping goals.

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