FTL Freight is a method of freight shipping that is an essential part of most operations. There are a number of ways to ship your items, and you want to make sure that you are using both the most expedient, the safest, and the most cost-efficient choice for your cargo.
What Exactly Is FTL Freight?
FTL Freight is referring to Full Truck Load Freight. Now you may initially look at it and think that means that you have to have a large shipment in order to use it, but this is not the case.
What it basically refers to is the practice of having a truck carrying one dedicated shipment. This means that the journey of the truck is dictated by that single shipment.
It distinguishes itself from LTL which stands for Less Than Truckload, where your shipment is transported with other people’s shipments, and the journey is going to be determined by where all the shipments onboard need to be delivered.
There are advantages to both, and you may decide that you are best going with LTL instead.
Why Might I Need FTL Freight?
The first and most obvious answer as to why you might need FTL Freight is that you have a full truckload, but it isn’t quite that simple. There are other very valid reasons why FTL may be the better solution for you.
You may have something that you need to get from A to B without a whole lot of stops along the way, and while you may have considered LTL because of the size of the shipment, but while it perhaps doesn’t need to be expedited, time is a factor.
Also, it may be something that is delicate or needs special handling, and that is going to be easier with FTL. It may, of course, be something that the client wants, and is willing to pay for as well.
What Are The Benefits of FTL Freight?
- If you have a full truckload, or close enough to fill a truck, FTL Freight is going to work out as the cheaper method of transporting your goods.
- You are going to have to worry less about weight and size restrictions if you are using a whole truck.
- If you need to handle the shipment in a special manner because it is fragile, or perhaps it contains perishables, or hazardous materials, as aforementioned, FTL makes this no problem.
- There is less handling and no transferring between trucks, which is great with delicate goods.
- It is going to get there quicker because the journey only has one stop.
- If your customer wants a dedicated shipment this is going to be the best method.
When you are trying to decide between whether FTL Freight or LTL is going to be the best choice for you and your shipment, having a company that has had years of experience making sure that shipments get where they need to go in the best manner possible is essential.
If you were to use American Manufacturing Solutions to handle your shipping needs, or to help with many of the other aspects of your supply logistics that they could help with, you can be confident that it's being handled, and you can focus on making your business even more successful.
