If you are involved in shipping, you need to consider how much you are spending and when. Truckload services are there, offered by a company in diverse formats, to take into account the amounts of freight that needs to be set off. While it is the norm to think of a singular load packed to the top with the freight from a single company, this is not always the case. In fact, shipping cargo or freight can be in various amounts. It is up to the client to decide which shipping services will best work to meet his or her company’s need and to fulfill the contract they have with the distributor or seller.
Types of Truckload Services
When it comes to shipping freight, there are only two basic types of truckload services that need to be considered. These are:
* A Full Truckload (TL)
* Less than a truckload (LTL)
They may also be delivered via one way, private fleet, intermodal container or private fleet. Much will depend on not only your personal preferences and the company’s/freight’s requirements, but the options provided by your third party logistics company. For many companies, however, less than truckload services proves to be their best option.
What Are Less Than Truckload Services?
Less than truckload is shortened to LTL. The term refers to a load that is not a full truckload. Less than truckload services is a company that accommodates a variety of shipping needs for clients who do not have a full freight load nor the services to ship, operate or insure the fleet of vehicles or employees to handle them. These are third party logistic services.
While freight is moved from Point A to Point B in the same fashion as those of truckloads i.e. Truck, rail, ship or rail, the goods of several different companies may be combined in a single truckload. This is less expensive for all parties concerned than shipping partial loads individually. It makes shipping freight this way cost-effective.
Techniques Employed by Less Than Truckload Services
There are many techniques used to ensure the LTL freights are cost-effective for everyone concerned. These include utilizing the following methods:
* Time consolidation – Freight is detained until a specific time. By doing this, the truckload services can ensure the largest load possible for shipment
* Multi – stop load – This requires combining multiple direct LTL freight loads or shipments into a single unit when both the requirements of the company and cost reductions are maximized.
* Pool distribution: This requires the conversion of several direct LTL freight shipments into what is called a blended mode. This employs both LTL and full truckload services and one specific final location where they are consolidated as a full truckload bound for the same terminus.
Less Than Truckload Services
LTL is one mode of moving freight across the country and even the globe. That favor it by those has not the vehicular and employee capacity or the amount of products/freight, to make owning their shipping services a viable and fiscally responsible possibility. Instead, they turn to trucking services that employ LTL. In this way, third party truckload services can ensure their freight is delivered on safely, inexpensively and on time.
