Less than truckload freight shipments, commonly abbreviated as LTL, are shipments that exceed the size limit required to be able to ship as a single package through the mail (a parcel shipment). Despite being too large for a parcel carrier, less than truckload shipments are too small to fill an entire semi-truck trailer, leaving lots of wasted space and contributing to “empty miles.” In order for shipping to be mutually beneficial between the shippers and trucking companies, carriers often ship multiple LTL shipments together to make the trip economically sensible. This way trailers aren’t traversing our highways carrying only air.

HOW ARE LTL FREIGHT RATES CALCULATED?

LTL freight shipping rates are calculated according to the shipment’s weight, dimensions, and freight class. The NMFTA is the association that oversees freight classes for LTL freight shipping. The NMFTA developed a system that places LTL freight shipments into 1 of 18 different freight classes. These freight classes begin at 50 and increase to 500, the higher the freight class the higher your freight charges.

CAN I SAVE MONEY USING VOLUME LTL SHIPPING?

Yes, most of the time you can save money using LTL volume shipping. A customer must accept a limited carrier liability in order to receive these special rates. In order for an LTL freight shipment to comply the shipment must meet certain criteria. The shipment must be at least 8 linear feet with a total weight exceeding 5,000 pounds.

TIME CRITICAL LTL FREIGHT SHIPPING

LTL carriers offer various accelerated freight services. These services shorten an LTL’s transit time by 1 or more days. This service is referred to as day critical or urgent freight shipments. There are also time-sensitive shipments that require time critical service. These shipments generally have an LTL shipment delivered before noon on a designated day.

HOW DO I SHIP AN LTL FREIGHT SHIPMENT?

After you receive your LTL freight rate, the next step is the booking process. Freight-Specialist provides you with everything you need. The main document is called a BOL (bill of lading). The BOL is given to the LTL trucking company along with your shipment. Once the driver makes pickup the driver affixes a label with a pro number on the BOL. This pro number allows you to track your shipments progress online.

WHAT IF MY PALLET IS NOT A STANDARD?

As recent as March 5th, 2018 many LTL carriers published new regulation to their tariffs. Pallets that exceed 8ft in length are assessed extreme length fees. Standard sized pallets measure between 40×48 and do not exceed 48×48. Some carriers have yet to apply this rule but will do so in the near future.

IS MY FREIGHT HAZARDOUS?

Manufacturers and distributors can tell you if a shipment is deemed hazardous for transport. A MSDS tells you everything you need to know about hazardous shipping. Hazardous classes in the MSDS table vary from 1 to 9 and packing groups are from 1 to 3.