Looking for a better way to send or receive small orders? LTL shipping may be the answer!
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Why Should You Choose LTL?

Less than truckload shipping can prove useful to any company that regularly ships or receives smaller orders. From keeping costs low to quicker transit times, LTL services can help improve your company’s business and success rates. More advantages of LTL include:

1. Reduced costs
2. Detailed tracking
3. Extra services available
4. Less environmental impact

1) Reduced Costs

Since you only need a portion of the truck space, LTL shipping rates are generally lower than paying for an entire vehicle. In many instances, LTL liability limits are much greater than FedEx and UPS CWT programs. Consider this a shipment weighing 350 pounds at freight class 50. One LTL carrier would limit liability to $700.00 ($2.00 per pound), whereas the parcel carriers would limit liability to $100.00 for the exact same shipment. Each LTL carrier has its own unique liability limits in regards to a loss or damage claim. Make sure to cross-examine your carrier’s rules tariff.

Additionally, remember that a company’s advertised prices may not be set in stone. Since the LTL marketplace offers a competitive landscape, with as many as 20-25 carriers for any given route, carriers are likely to be open to negotiating their costs. To find the best rates for your business, use an LTL rateshopper and save yourself some money.

2) Detailed Tracking

Even though your shipment shares space with other clients’ packages, LTL companies still make sure you can track your shipment and watch for a projected delivery date. Through the shipment reference number (pro#) and other information, you’ll be able to track your items at any time.

LTL shipping can also cut down on transit time, depending on the carrier. For instance, for a shipment from Houston, TX to Little Rock, AK, FedEx Ground has a published transit time of two days. Meanwhile, the LTL carrier Averitt Express offers a one-day transit. That extra day can make all the difference in a rush job!

Pro Tip: Business owners: Don’t overload your workload by handling all shipping functions in-house. A shipment manager can help you keep an eye on your orders!

3) Extra Services Available

LTL carriers pay close attention to your shipments and provide special services that shipping a full truckload wouldn’t allow. For instance, small orders can be delivered straight through your business’s front door as long as you’re present to receive them (inside delivery charge). There’s no way you could bring an entire truckload of goods inside! This just helps you get your supplies faster.

5) Less Environmental Impact

Taking advantage of an LTL shipping method lets the transport company use fewer trucks to transport their clients’ supplies, ultimately cutting down on the waste those trucks produce during a long drive. By shopping small and sharing the transport space, you can help contribute to a cleaner planet.

How Can LTL Carriers Help Your Business?

Of course, using LTL shipping doesn’t guarantee that all your business’s delivery woes will be resolved immediately. But if you need an effective method to keep your costs low and increase delivery speed, smaller shipments and specialized parcel carriers can certainly help.

Still want to learn more about LTL advantages? Join the conversation to see how this shipping method helps other business owners every day.

The post The Pros of LTL Programs appeared first on Freight Cowboy - Shipment Management.

It used to be pretty easy to choose between a small parcel and LTL. The old rule was anything over 150 pounds should be transported with an LTL carrier. However, many parcel shipping companies (like FedEx and UPS) have changed their dimensional and oversized package policies, that may warrant LTL as a cheaper alternative.

So, how then do you know when to use small parcel shipping or LTL? Consider the following.
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Weight & Shape

Obviously, the size and weight need to be a major consideration when selecting a small parcel or LTL carrier. You also want to think about the shape and size of your packages. Small parcel shipments are typically more automated than LTL. LTL carriers use forklifts to move packages while small parcel uses conveyor belts. Often times people prefer LTL when the packages are oddly shaped or over 150 lbs, because of the careful handling of your shipments.

The Final Destination & Transit Times

Something else that you should consider when choosing your parcel carrier is the final destination of your shipments. Is the shipment going to the 15th floor of a building? If so, small parcel will be the best avenue to take, as there will not be any inside delivery charges accessed. Is the address a residence? In this case both LTL and parcel carrier do charge for this service, however, the charges are much higher via LTL.

If shipping via a ground service on a parcel carrier, in some cases an LTL carrier will actually get it there quicker. A quick example would be from Houston, TX to Little Rock, AR: FedEx ground has a published transit of 2 days, while LTL carrier Averitt Express has a published transit of 1 day.  

Pro Tip: If your company is making top quality products, but the customer doesn’t receive the delivery in a timely manner or their shipment is damaged, it can negatively affect your business.

Price

The final consideration is the price. In most cases, your company will need to invest in software to simultaneously rate both modes of transportation and determine which route is the cheaper or effective option. Fuel surcharges alone could warrant the use of the parcel carrier, as their surcharges are dramatically cheaper than the fuel surcharges of LTL carriers. In an upcoming article, we will discuss the highly underutilized parcel Hundredweight and Multiweight programs of FedEx and UPS, as they can be an effective replacement for some of your LTL shipping needs.

So, Small Parcel or LTL Shipping?

After carefully considering the above, you should know which shipping service will be best for your deliveries. Are you interested in learning more about the benefits of LTL or parcel shipping? Join us on Facebook to speak with our shipping management team today.

The post Small Parcel Shipment Vs LTL: When to Use What appeared first on Freight Cowboy - Shipment Management.