FTL vs. LTL: how to choose between full truckload and less-than-truckload shipping

When a shipment is too big for a parcel service, the next decision is usually between two kinds of truck service: full truckload (FTL, often shortened to TL) and less-than-truckload (LTL). The right choice depends on how much freight there is, how fragile it is, how fast it needs to arrive and what each option costs on the day. This guide explains how the two services work and where the trade-offs sit.

What FTL and LTL mean

The Federal Highway Administration's freight glossary defines a truckload as the "quantity of freight required to fill a truck, or at a minimum, the amount required to qualify for a truckload rate." In practice, a shipper that books FTL gets the trailer for its own freight, whether the load fills it or not.

LTL is the opposite arrangement. The same glossary describes a trailer "loaded with cargo from more than one shipper," made up of loads that do not by themselves meet truckload requirements. The shipper pays for its share of the space and weight, and the carrier fills the rest of the trailer with other customers' freight.

How each service moves freight

The two services run on different networks. An FHWA study of the motor carrier industry explains that a truckload firm moves a shipment "directly from origin to destination." The driver picks up at the shipper's dock and, apart from rest breaks and fuel stops, heads to the consignee.

An LTL operation, by contrast, "collects small shipments from local pick-ups, moves them over the road between terminals in truckloads," and breaks them up at the destination terminal for local delivery, according to the same study. On longer routes, freight may pass through one or more hub terminals. At each terminal it is unloaded, sorted and reloaded onto another trailer.

That structure explains most of the practical differences:

• Handling. LTL freight is moved by forklift several times between pickup and delivery. Every transfer is another chance for damage or for a piece to be separated from the rest of the shipment, so packaging and labeling matter more.
• Transit time. LTL transit depends on terminal schedules and connections, so it can be harder to predict than a direct truckload. FTL transit is mostly a function of distance and driver hours.
• Driver hours. Federal hours-of-service rules at 49 CFR 395.3 let a property-carrying driver drive up to 11 hours within a 14-hour window, after 10 consecutive hours off duty. Long runs are planned around those limits, and the FHWA study notes that carriers sometimes use two-driver teams or relays on long line-haul moves.

Pallets, linear feet and partial loads

Shippers usually describe freight in handling units, such as pallets or crates, along with their dimensions and weight. For larger shipments, carriers also think in linear feet: how many feet of trailer floor the freight takes up, measured along the length of the trailer.

A hypothetical example shows the arithmetic. Pallets measuring 48 by 40 inches, loaded two across with the 48-inch side running lengthwise, use about 4 feet of floor per pair. Ten of those pallets would take roughly 20 linear feet. On the same basis, a 53-foot trailer holds approximately 26 pallets of that size in a single layer, although the real count depends on the trailer's inside dimensions and on whether the pallets can be turned or stacked.

Between a few pallets and a full trailer sits a gray zone. Some carriers offer "volume LTL" or "partial truckload" pricing for shipments that are large for standard LTL but do not fill a trailer, and partial loads may be handled less than standard LTL freight. Names, size limits and terms for these services vary by carrier. It is worth asking how a carrier will rate a shipment of a given size, including any tariff rules that charge large LTL shipments for the trailer space they occupy.

How pricing differs

LTL pricing is built around the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC), published by the National Motor Freight Traffic Association. Each commodity is assigned a freight class from 50 to 500 based on four transportation characteristics: density, handling, stowability and liability. An LTL price typically reflects the class, the weight, the origin and destination and any extra services, often subject to a minimum charge.

FTL pricing is usually quoted for the whole trailer, either as a flat amount per load or as a rate per mile, plus a fuel surcharge and any accessorial charges. Because the shipper is paying for the trailer, the cost per pallet falls as the load gets fuller. Weight still matters: federal rules cap gross vehicle weight on the Interstate System at 80,000 pounds, a figure that covers the tractor, trailer and cargo together (23 CFR 658.17), so the cargo a truck can legally carry is lower than that number.

Whichever service a shipper uses, a motor carrier of property must, on the shipper's request, provide a written or electronic copy of the rate, classification, rules and practices that its charges are based on, under 49 U.S.C. 13710.

Side-by-side comparison

How to choose

No single size or weight decides the question, and each carrier sets its own limits. These questions usually point to the right answer:

1. How much space will it take? Measure every handling unit, including the pallet and any overhang, and work out the linear feet. Freight that fills most of a trailer is often a truckload candidate.
2. How fragile is it? Goods that are easily damaged, hard to repack or awkward to move by forklift may justify a dedicated truck even when they would fit in LTL.
3. How firm is the deadline? If a delivery must arrive on a specific day, ask how each option schedules transit and what happens if a terminal connection is missed.
4. What does each option cost in total? Compare quotes for both services with the same extras included, such as liftgate or appointment delivery, because these charges can change the comparison.
5. Is the freight classified correctly? For LTL, a wrong class or understated dimensions can lead to a reclassification and a higher bill after delivery.

Many shippers use both services: LTL for routine smaller orders and FTL for larger replenishment loads or rush jobs. Revisiting the choice as volumes change is worthwhile, because a shipment that sits between the two can be cheaper one way on one day and the other way the next.