LTL: An important shipping option to include in your freight planning

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E-commerce has changed the way consumers purchase, across both wholesale and retail sectors. It has also driven optimization in many related aspects, one of them being freight transportation, and the variant that has benefited the most from this growth is LTL (Less Than Truckload) shipping. This option involves finding available freight capacity to share with other shippers, a topic that Professor Marcos Panaggio, of the OBS Business School, explains as follows: 

“Also known as Consolidated Freight or, in some cases, Partial Freight, conceptually “Less Than Truckload” shipping involves sharing space and the transportation medium. Although this modality applies to any medium, we will focus specifically on trucking.” 

To understand the concept better, it is important to first understand the meaning of Full Truck Load (FTL). This is the best known and most common means of trucking; it is a profitable and fast option for those who require the use of, as its name implies, a complete truck to carry their freight. 

However, there are loads that do not fully occupy a complete truck and the LTL modality provides a solution to this problem. Despite being more complex in its operation due to the fact that the freight carried by a given truck belongs to several shippers, it represents a much more flexible and substantially cheaper way of shipping smaller loads. The greater the demand for LTL shipping, the lower the shipping prices. 

Before contracting an LTL service, it is important to bear in mind the following: 

Transit time: Users of this service must take into account that any given truck in the LTL modality carries goods from different shippers, and the handling of each particular shipment requires documentation, validation and controls, all of which could translate into longer lead times. However, the transit time depends directly on the logistics and skills of each carrier, so it is very important to use an experienced and recognized carrier such as Almex. 

Total cost: LTL users must be aware of all the costs involved, including rates in distribution centers, customs, loading and unloading between operators, etc.

Trackability: It is especially important in LTL shipping to be able to track the location of each shipper’s given cargo at all times. This requires choosing a carrier with a range of user-friendly tracking options to ensure total visibility of the shipment, and that is what Almex offers. 

LTL is a very specialized market niche that you should consider to benefit your business in the case of smaller loads; Almex is the market leader in this category of shipments. We have service options strategically designed to meet your objectives. Whether you want to make a single shipment or establish a distribution network, we can offer a solution that suits your needs.  

Don’t think twice; just get to know us! 

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