| As you may be able to guess by its name, truckload | | | | certain amount of trailer space. By moving your |
| freight is a mode of service that typically moves a | | | | product via truckload freight, you will basically rent |
| single shipment that requires the entire capacity of a | | | | out the entire truck, so a product's dimensional |
| truck. Unlike an LTL carrier, truckload carriers will pick | | | | weight or freight class is not needed in figuring the |
| up the freight from point of origin and drive directly | | | | cost. Carriers will charge you a price per mile based |
| to the consignee. Even though it is not required that | | | | on the origin location and the destination location. The |
| the product being shipped take up the entire space in | | | | origin and destination locations are very important to |
| the trailer, typically a truckload shipment will weigh in | | | | a truckload carrier. A shipment moving from Kansas |
| excess of 20,000 lbs. A truckload shipment cannot | | | | to Florida may cost $1.35 per mile, but a shipment |
| weigh greater than 45,000 lbs. | | | | moving from Florida to Kansas may cost $1.00 per |
| There are many advantages of moving freight with | | | | mile. |
| truckload carriers. The two main benefits are transit | | | | You may ask why would a shipment moving to and |
| times and cost. Typically when moving larger volumes | | | | from the same states have a different cost based |
| of product that require a truckload carrier, your cost | | | | on where the shipment is originating. The answer to |
| per pound to ship the item is lower than shipping | | | | your question is as simple as the theory of supply |
| multiple LTL (less than truckload) shipments.Unlike LTL | | | | and demand. By charging a per mile rate to their |
| carriers, truckload carriers do not have to make | | | | customers, truckload carriers are only making money |
| multiple stops before the freight is delivered to the | | | | when they are moving freight. If a carrier is driving |
| consignee, which allows them to deliver the freight in | | | | down the road with no freight in their trailer, they are |
| a shorter amount of time. | | | | not making any money. |
| When moving a shipment from coast-to-coast, a LTL | | | | This is known as a dead head. In our example above, |
| shipment will make multiple stops and may take up to | | | | a carrier may charge more for moving freight to a |
| 6 business days before it is delivered. Truckload | | | | location like Florida due to their knowledge that there |
| freight will typically not have to make any stops | | | | is not a lot of product being shipped out of that |
| along the way and will be able to deliver the freight in | | | | state. Florida is known as a consumption state. They |
| 3 to 4 days. By law, a driver cannot travel for more | | | | receive a lot of product into their state, but do not |
| than 11 hours without having to take a 10-hour break. | | | | produce enough to keep the trucks leaving their |
| Some truckload companies will hire teams. Teams | | | | state full. |
| consist of 2 drivers being in the truck to allow 1 | | | | Therefore when a carrier has to take a load to this |
| driver to be on their mandatory break while the | | | | type of state, they will charge a higher cost per mile |
| other driver continues to drive the truck. | | | | to compensate them for the likelihood of them |
| One other way to utilize the advantages of using | | | | having to drive a certain amount of miles without any |
| truckload shipping is when a customer may have 2 to | | | | freight to pickup the next load. If a carrier can find |
| 3 larger LTL shipments going towards the same | | | | freight that needs to be moved out of the state of |
| geographic location. These types of shipments will | | | | Florida, they are much more likely to move that at a |
| incur additional stop off fees from the carrier but | | | | reduced cost due to the large amount of trucks in |
| even with those additional charges, the cost per | | | | the area that will agree to move the product cheap |
| pound can still be cheaper than moving the product | | | | just to allow them to have freight loaded in their |
| with an LTL carrier. | | | | truck and allow them to generate revenues. This is |
| Unlike LTL and air freight, you are not renting out a | | | | known as backhaul. |