What is Less Than Truckload Shipping Anyways?
Less than Truckload, otherwise known as LTL shipping is one
method of shipping goods that don’t require an entire truck to be shipped. The
shipment that is being sent can fit in a truck with other shipments and does
not require an entire forty-eight to fifty three foot trailer to haul it. Truckload and LTL services are similar in
that they both offer different services depending on what the client needs
shipped. Trucking services include
residential pick up and deliveries as well as lift gate services, guaranteed
services, freeze protection, bottom line cost and transit to name a few.
With any shipping service, including LTL products will move
from one point to another using a variety of methods that include truck, air,
railway and water. When shipping within
the United States, shipping via truck lends to infinite possibilities consider
time and place. There is no waiting on a
railway and their defined schedule. LTL
shipping offers both flexibility and decreased costs when it comes to shipping. Freight carriers in the U.S. operate in a
manner that allows for truck load services or less than truck load services.
This allows small companies the ability to
compete in the ever bustling and changing business world.
There are defined characteristics of LTL shippingcarriers. Many less than truckload
carriers use van trailers and enclosed trailers to move goods for their
clients. Some but not many also offer
refrigeration services. This is less
common in LTL shipping than in FTL. It
is common to see rear roll up doors in many vehicles specializing in LTL
shipments. The entrance area with these
carriers is often times smaller than trucks that offer swing doors. Some LTL carriers use pup trailers in
hauling. When using a pup trailer most
LTL carriers will not accept anything from a shipper that is bigger than one pup
trailer. They can easily maneuver and
pick up ad deliver shipments when using pup trailers. Often times when full a carrier will pull
tandem pup trailers to their destination making the most of their time on the
interstate roadways.
Pup trailers allow goods to be sorted and stored then easily
dropped. The packages are sorted by
destination and can easily be maneuvered throughout carrier terminals to their
final destinations. Many carriers use
central hubs to collect deliveries from LTL shippers. This allows the goods to be delivered using
smaller carrier trucks. Carrier trucks
are designed to deliver packages while also picking up shipments that will need
to be sent through the distribution channel out for delivery in another part of
the country or world.
When you consider logistics and the world we live in it is
simply amazing. Business owners using
LTL shipping methods to allow customers to receive their goods within a day or
two of ordering it. Instant
gratification is something that is facilitated using the services of well laid
out LTL shippers and carriers. Think
about how amazing the system is the next time you order something that has to
be shipped from overseas or from a state thousands of miles from yours. It is amazing how fast it can actually get
from the sellers location to your door step.
