If you are in the freight business or the supply business, then you probably know that you have two options for moving freight around the country. LTL (less than truckload) shipments and FTL (full truckload) freight. But aside from these two freight classifications having different names, what do they mean for you, and what do they mean for your business?
Well, FTL shipping means that you have a full truckload, and your goods are going to fill the entire truck. These shipments might weigh around 20,000 pounds or more, and they often cost more to ship out your entire load. However, if you need your items shipped out fast, then you might want to use FTL shipping.
Since everything is secure and placed on one truck, then you just have the one truck and the one location where everything will be dropped off. Additionally, you also have less risk of having items being damaged during transfer as well.
However, LTL shipments only take up part of a truck. This often means that you will be sharing the truck with several other companies who also have LTL freight shipments, and together, all of your orders will make up one full truck. This can be great because you will be paying less for the space, and LTL shipments can get out fast as well.
Instead of waiting for an entire truck’s worth of goods to be ordered from your business to justify sending out your orders, you can place smaller orders on LTL freight and have them delivered by a truck. There can be a slight time delay if you are on a truck that does multiple stops, but it is often better than waiting.
Is LTL Freight or FTL Freight The Best For You?
For your business, you might already know which one is better for you based on your size. For example, smaller businesses tend to use LTL freight more often because they don’t have the inventory or the orders to justify using a larger truck. While bigger companies often get a whole truck because they are fulfilling big orders and have the capacity and funds for it.
However, there are specific times when you might need a certain type of freight shipped regardless of the size of your business. For example, if you are shipping more than six pallets at a time, then the full truckload option will work for you. This will prevent fragile items from being constantly loaded and unloaded together into different trucks.
Additionally, FTL is better whenever you need a firm delivery date as well because the truck will pick up your goods and get them right to the customer. For smaller shipments, you will need to use LTL freight because it will be more cost effective, and if you have some flexibility in your delivery dates then the lighter option can work for you as well.
No matter what type of freight you need for your goods, you need a company that can manufacture those goods as well, and that company is always going to be American Manufacturing Solutions.
