For many small business owners, shipping can be a huge cost to swallow, especially if your company does not require an entire truck for shipments, you should start to consider using less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping. If you do it right, it can help you cut costs and get your shipments to their destination economically. This article is going to cover what LTL shipping is and how it can benefit you as a business owner.

What is LTL Shipping?

LTL shipping serves as an alternative to full truck-load (FTL) shipping, while FTL shipping is commonly used for large shipments that take up the entire truck, LTL shipping allows multiple shippers to combine several shipments in one trailer. Most LTL shipments are packaged in wooden pallets and crates to provide the shipment a maximum protection. Nowadays, LTL shipping is widely used by smaller companies because of the benefits and flexibility given.

Here are 4 benefits of LTL Shipping:

Cost-effective

Your company might want to ship a few pallets each time, and it can be difficult to fill the entire trailer to its maximum capacity. As you don’t need a full truck-load, there is no need to fill just a portion of the trailer and pay the big sum. In the long run, it costs more than you think. But things are different if you opt for LTL shipping, which is rather cost-effective, as each shipper will only need to pay a fraction of the shipping cost. LTL carriers put all shipments from different shippers onto a single freight truck, therefore, it reduces the overall shipping costs for all parties.

Easy tracking

Who doesn’t want to know what is happening with their shipments? Where is it located, the estimated time of arrival, why the shipment is stuck at the logistic center for so long, these are some of the things shippers should know and always have access to, so immediate action can be taken if things go wrong. Shipment tracking is an important part of the logistic process, it allows shippers to track the order status of every step in the shipping process. The LTL industry has provided clear visibility to shipment locations for decades. Nowadays, many LTL providers have top-of-the-line tracking systems for shippers to keep an eye on their shipments at all times. For example, Spots Logistics allows shippers to get access to the current status and location of the freight anytime, anywhere.

Accessorial services

Besides delivering your shipments, many LTL providers also offer a variety of accessorial services to meet your special needs. Depending on what you need, most of the common services are lift gate, residential delivery or pickup, freight insurance, and many more services. These services come with a cost and it is important to inform your LTL provider with the special requirements you have to avoid unexpected high charging invoices later.

Lift gate: Lift gate is an additional service offered by freight carriers when picking up or delivering freight. It involves using a hydraulic lift termed a liftgate that is installed on the backside of the truck. Residential delivery or pick up: This is considered as special services because LTL is assumed to be dock-to-dock shipping. It most likely requires a lift gate to load and unload the shipment. Freight insurance: Insurance provides additional coverage beyond the legally required protection plan offered by all LTL carriers. Some of the items the additional insurance will cover are the damage of loss due to poor packaging, theft, unforeseen accidents, temperature or natural disaster, or other possibility occurred during the shipping process.

Excellent package handling

Freight packaging is extremely important when it comes to LTL shipping, due to being handled multiple times during the transit and also easier for trucks to make a delivery. The shipments are usually carefully packaged and loaded into the trailer to protect the goods from physical damages. In order to stay competitive, most LTL shippers will go the extra mile to ensure the safety of your packages and protect them at all costs. As mentioned above, LTL providers use advanced tracking technologies to make sure your shipments don’t easily get missing.

Key Takeaways

In recent years, we have seen remarkable growth and expansion in LTL shipping. One of the most significant driving factors for LTL shipping to continue to grow bigger is the surge of online shopping from e-commerce sellers especially after the COVID-19 outbreak, many logistics companies have a tighter capacity as a result of the pandemic restrictions. To wrap up, LTL shipping is the most cost-efficient choice for shippers, who want to ship smaller shipments and do not require a full trailer. Looking at the delivery time and cost savings benefits alone, it serves as the best solution for small businesses.

Spots Logistics is a web-based 3PL logistics aggregator for businesses delivering to Malaysia and Singapore. We deliver parcels to large/bulky cartons to palletized cargo efficiently.

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