Less Than Truckload Freight or LTL for short is a growing business that has strong demand. The need for businesses to have access to LTL freight carriers can be often confusing for those new to the freight carrier business. This niche business continues to grow primarily due to two main reasons. First, parcel carriers usually have a max weight of 150 lbs and the other being motor freight carriers wanting full truck loads. So, LTL fits obviously in between for those shipping a mix of packages.

Less than truckload shipments usually weigh between 75 lbs and sometimes north of 10,000lbs. Groups of smaller packages consolidated together at the various terminal hubs to fill other enclosed trailers for line hauls to specific locations. LTL can be a valuable addition to your business offering an economical way to ship goods quick and affordable. Usually freight is moved daily as drop offs are in the morning and pickups are done in the afternoon. The down time in between stays busy. This is usually when freight is offloaded and inspected for weights and measurements that conform to the bill of lading which is the paperwork for the various shipments.

Transit times for LTL are generally a little longer than full truck load carriers. Usually the location of terminals of the various companies plays the most important role in determining the time frame for delivery. The reason for this is multiple sorting and reloading which can add days to the overall transit time. When selecting a LTL shipper please remember to consider if that particular carrier services that region and doesn't have to hand the cargo off to another regional carrier.

In summary, shipping less than truckload freight is an afforable way to move freight across the country. Don't forget volume pricing is available for those shipping larger amounts of freight.