LTL shipments usually consist of 6 standard size pallets or less. There are some instances where a carrier will accept more than that, but every carrier has it’s own set of rules. So it is very important to have someone like us to help verify what is the best option. You don’t want to run into issues where you exceed the carrier limits as those mistakes can be very costly.
We also have guaranteed LTL options as well in case your shipment is time sensitive and must arrive by a certain date. Be aware of a standard guaranteed option, and what that entails, as every carrier has different rules. There are also different types of guaranteed offerings, and different policies that go with each.
Also, the biggest misconception with LTL are transit times. Whenever a carrier tells you their posted transit days, you need to understand that it basically means that is the quickest amount of time that you will receive your shipment. A lot of people think that is when they will receive your shipment, which is not correct. Keep in mind, you do not count the day it picks up, nor do you count weekends/holidays. We always try and double the transit days for customers so they have realistic expectations. For example, if it is posted as a 5 day transit we will sell it as 5-10 days. An 8 day transit would be 8-16 days. A next day transit, we would say 1-3 days. Also, keep in mind for LTL, it can take them a day or two to actually complete the pick up. So we always try and make it clear of what your expectations should be, and to make sure that everyone is on the same page.
Make sure that your shipment is fully insured when you are making your selections. Or at least know what the carrier liability is, and compare that to the total shipment value, and see what it might cost to fully cover the goods as well. Rates for insurance start at $25 which covers up to $4,000. To give you an idea, $10,000 in coverage would cost $50. The truckload insurance is much cheaper because the risk is much less than LTL since there is a lot of transloading from truck to truck.
We work with 50+ LTL carriers, and here is a short list of some of our partners:
