LTL vs. TL Shipping: The Differences

Many producers face the issue of scale as they attempt to expand their business into a larger market. The difficulty in this problem is the financial risk that producers must take, but they can mitigate this by modifying the type of shipping used to transport their products. By using a carrier that offers LTL shipping, you can take the process slowly and ramp up production when you are ready.

Here is a closer look at the differences in LTL vs. TL shipping:

Less Than Truckload (LTL) Shipping

LTL shipping includes the transport of any freight that does not require all the available cargo space within the truck. Here are some of the pros and cons of this method of shipping:

Pros of LTL

• It doesn’t require you to have enough product to fill the truck.
• It’s less expensive than using the full truck because you share costs with shipping partners.

Cons of LTL

• It takes longer for the product to be delivered.
• It is more difficult to track your shipment when it moves between several trucks.

Truckload (TL) Shipping

TL shipping is when the producer can create enough product to fill the entire bed of a truck for shipment. This is used most frequently when the truckload freight shipment weighs greater than 15,000 pounds.

Pros of TL

• It’s much quicker because you aren’t relying on other shipments.
• There is less chance of products being damaged in transit if they aren’t moving between trucks.

Cons of TL

• It requires the shipper to fill the entire truck with their products.
• The individual shipping carrier is more responsible if there are any problems.

For more information on truckload and less-than-truckload shipping, contact the freight professionals at Diversified Transportation Services. We can help you understand all the differences between LTL vs. TL shipping and can connect you with the right partner for your exact shipping needs.