FTL And LTL Shipping Method: Key Differences And Which One Should You Choose?

E-commerce businesses ship ordered items to customers by leveraging two main shipping methods – FTL and LTL. FTL stands for Full-Truckload, and LTL stands for Less-Than-Truckload. Among the logistics and freight shipping communities, both these terms are quite common. If you have just started operating an e-commerce business and are seeking the best mode for shipping ordered products, acquiring comprehensive knowledge about both FTL and LTL shipping is essential.

What Is Full-Truckload Shipping?

A shipment large in volume and weight and capable of filling up an entire semi-truck trailer is known as Full-Truckload shipping. In the case of FTL shipments, contract is signed with one carrier, and the truck doesn’t stop anywhere along the way. Such a shipping method ensures the utmost safety to the freight due to minimal touches. You will make the most of your invested money when the freight volume is enough to fill up the entire truck, and the freight qualifies for a full-truckload rate.

What Is Less-Than-Truckload Shipping?

A shipment that’s large enough to ship through a parcel carrier but significantly small to fill a whole semi-truck trailer is known as Less-Than-Truckload shipping. Such shipments only contribute to the extra miles and leave substantial unutilized space of a semi-truck trailer. To make the trip economical, carriers that offer LTL services transport several LTL freights together.

Advantages Of FTL Shipping

1. Shipping a larger volume of shipments, utilizing the FTL Shipping method, is an economical choice.
2. Your goods will remain protected and undamaged as your shipments will remain in only one truck until the same reach the final destination.

3. Utilizing FTL service will help you ship your freight faster.

Advantages Of LTL Shipping

1. LTL shipping method doesn’t harm the environment that much because fewer trucks are used to ship the same number of total freights.
2. Shipping several small volume orders consistently can help you reduce warehouse costs and retain more precise inventory.
3. You need to pay only for the freight’s weight and the space of the truck it uses.

Which Shipping Method Should You Choose?

Both LTL and FTL shipping methods can come to your benefit significantly when it comes to shipping freight. All you need to take into consideration are the volume and weight of the shipments. Choose LTL shipping when the freight is large enough for parcel shipment, and for shipments that can fill an entire semi-truck trailer, choose FTL shipping, which will be significantly economical.

Hello, I am Justinn Morales from USA. I am working in USA well known company in USA.