Shipping is a significant element in the supply chain. It helps link businesses to their customers locally and internationally. However, it may be challenging for small businesses that don’t have massive supplies and less money to pay for truckload shipments. Luckily, less-than-load (LTL) helps smaller companies achieve their shipping requirements. They can still ship their goods in small packages. Read on to learn more about LTL and its benefits.
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What Is LTL Shipping?
LTL, also known as less-than-truckload, is a shipping service that transports small freight or fewer loads. It is mainly used for freight class weights of 150-15000 pounds. This enables businesses to transport small package loads compared to having an entire truckload.
Various parcel services and specialized logistic providers offer LTL services. They offer economies of scale to less-massive businesses so that they have reduced freight costs. Since LTL shipping uses a small truckload, other carriers or shippers often share the free space.
Benefits of LTL Shipping
There are different reasons why you should consider LTL over FLT(full-load-truck) services for your shipping needs. The benefits of LTL shipping include the following:
1. Reduced Cost
Every small and middle-sized business endeavors to reduce its shipping budget. With LTL, they can ship their goods at a reduced cost as they share the cost with different shippers. Splitting the shipping cost helps eliminate the challenge of filling a truck as an individual business. LTL also involves fewer trucks which leads to the use of less fuel.
The shipping price is calculated depending on the destination, freight weight, density, and dimension using a freight class calculator. This makes you pay for the space your goods occupy, thus reducing the shipping cost.
2. Shipment Safety
Proper packaging or palletizing is vital to ensuring cargo safety regardless of what you’re transporting. It prevents damage and loss of cargo while in transit. While it’s often typical to have damaged during freight forwarding, you need to involve LTL services to reduce or eliminate the risk level.
LTL shipping service companies advise shippers to package their goods safely for proper handling and delivery. Firm and stackable goods should be packaged in typical boxes, while fragile and sensitive goods should be packaged in void fillers. You can use crates or boxes for packaging.
3. Easy Tracking and Visibility
Shipping tracking is essential to freight forwarding because it helps you stay calm and get involved in other business duties. LTL shipping provides complete tracing of cargo status and 24/7 monitoring.
Besides the advantage of focusing on knowing the position of your goods, it also helps improve customer experience as they can track their orders. Choosing LTL shipping services will make it possible to know the current position of your cargo anywhere and on various devices, even your phone.
4. Eco-friendly
The use of eco-friendly solutions has been a concern in different business aspects. Regarding shipping, LTL is a better option than FLT because it uses less fuel. This leads to lesser emissions into the environment. Therefore, if you need a simple approach to greener shipping, LTL is the way to go.
5. Handling Small Shipments
Filling an entire truck is challenging for most small and middle-sized businesses. LTL helps businesses to overcome this challenge by offering the option of small package shipping. You don’t have to wait for total cargo so that it can become cost-effective; you can ship small portions while being cost-effective.
The option of small cargo shipping has led to an increase in LTL in the logistics industry. According to research, there has been a significant rise in LTL in the US.
6. Quicker Delivery
Delayed delivery to your customers can lead to losses and a bad reputation. That’s why every business needs a shipping method that delivers their products anywhere as soon as possible. LTL makes this possible because you don’t have to wait for a full truckload. You can book shipping when you need to deliver goods to your customers.
Get LTL Shipping Services
If you are considering shipping that will benefit your business, LTL is the best option. As we’ve seen in this article, the benefits are broad. From saving time, reducing cost, better customer relations, and convenience. Various companies offer LTL shipping services locally and internationally. When looking for one, ensure it’s reputable and experienced in LTL services.
