Truckload shipments are essential to any business. It is the process of getting your products from one place to another in a quick and efficient manner. However, there are key components that go into truckload shipments to make this process go as smoothly as possible. Let’s take a look at what truckload shipments entail and what this process means.
How Does Truckload Shipments Work?
Truckload shipments is a method of transporting goods from one place to another by road. Essentially, a truck driver loads the products, drives to the desired destination, and unloads the product. However, these shipments can vary in price depending on distance traveled, weight of product, and other factors.
What Is Considered a Truckload Shipment?
Anything that is transported via truck is considered a truckload shipment. Some businesses use other forms of transportation to ship their products, such as airplanes or trains. However, truckload shipments refer to shipments with larger dimensions through truck transportation.
What Are the Standard Dimensions of a Truckload Shipment?
Truck trailers can hold up to 45 pallets, with a maximum weight of 43,000 pounds. Moreover, these goods, or freight, can be around 48 to 53 feet in length due to the trailer size.
However, these dimensions can change depending on the truck size with a maximum of roughly 48,000 pounds. However, there are federal limits as to how much weight a truck can carry.
Is Truckload Shipping Expensive?
Rates for truckload shipments can fluctuate. This is depending on the distance the truck will have to travel in order to deliver the freight. Typically, this cost will be around $1.50 to $2.50 per mile.
However, this can increase if the weight of items are larger or if there are route issues, among many other possibilities. You can calculate these rates by taking the mileage between the two destination points and dividing the total rate by this number. This will give you the trucking freight rate.
Is Truckload Your Only Shipping Option?
Truckload shipments are not your only shipping option. Let’s dive into alternative shipping options than truckload shipments.
Less than Truckload
Less than truckload (LTL) shipments refer to a smaller dimension of truckload shipments. For example, these dimensions usually range from 100 to 5,000 pounds.
Moreover, these specific shipments will not fill up the entire trailer. This is intentional because it allows other smaller shipments to fit inside of the trailer as well. Additionally, LTL typically makes several stops to pick up and drop off these shipments.
Intermodal Shipping
Intermodal shipping is when freight is being moved by two or more modes of transportation. Intermodal shipping can include truckload shipments. However, it is not the only mode of transportation.
For example, freight is usually moved by trucks, trains, cargo ships, or aircrafts. This usually is the form of transportation for international shipping where solely truckload shipments are not possible.
Small Package Shipping
As stated in the name, this type of shipping focuses on small packages. These packages weigh less than 70 pounds each, and they are shipped via standard carriers.
Small package shipping is viewed as the most affordable shipping method because these packages are lightweight and they travel via ground. For example, FedEx and UPS fall into this category.
Flatbed Shipping
This type of transportation is used for cargo that does not require a dry van. Additionally, flatbed shipping is best for freight that does not fall into the dimensions of standard truck trailers.
Since flatbed trucks do not have an enclosed space, freight can be loaded and unloaded in every possible way. As a result, cranes and forklifts can assist in the loading and unloading process.
Advantages of Truckload Shipping
Truckload shipments can help your business thrive by maintaining the quality of your products. Here are some of the benefits that come along with truckload shipping!
Flexibility
Truckload shipments can travel anywhere on land. This grants you the flexibility to ship any place that can be transported via road.
Moreover, it can achieve faster delivery and move swiftly to high-volume destinations. Lastly, you do not have to worry much about the weight of these freight since the majority of it falls into the weight limit’s range.
Various Service Options
Truckload shipments grant the customer options on how they wish their freight or products to be delivered. Since it is an enclosed space, these trailers can be customized for the purpose of catering specific freight.
For example, these trailers can be temperature-controlled, making it possible to keep freight dry. Moreover, consumers can specify if they want their freight expedited which can be achieved with truckload shipments.
Direct Route Shipping
With truckload shipments, the shipment goes from Point A to Point B without making any stops in between. This is beneficial in many ways, especially when very expensive items are being shipped or when items need to be expedited. This is one of the biggest advantages of utilizing truckload shipments.
Disadvantages of Truckload Shipping
Even though there are various advantages of truckload shipments, there are also some downsides that come with truckload shipping.
Limited Carrier Capacity
Finding a carrier to ship a truckload shipment is not always the easiest thing to do. However, truckload shipments require a larger trailer for transportation.
As a result, this can narrow down the number of carriers you are able to choose from when searching for a truckload shipping option. Additionally, depending on your location, this can make your choice of carriers even more difficult.
Dependency on the Tractor
A truckload shipment going long-distance runs the risk of something happening with the trailer, which could severely delay the arrival of goods. This is a downside when it comes to shipment times and other factors, such as impacting the quality of transported goods as well.
Costly
A truckload shipment can be costly, and LTL is often a cheaper option. However, truckload shipping is not always an option that can be decided against depending on the freight’s size. Due to this and the scarcity of truck carrier choices, truckload shipping tends to be a more expensive option.
TL or LTL Shipping
The main difference between truckload (TL) shipment and a less-than-truckload (LTL) shipment option is the size of the shipment. Additionally, a shipper can elect to ship via a TL even if the entire trailer isn’t filled, which is similar to how LTL shipments are executed. Moreover, this is a common practice for TL shippers if there is a tight delivery window to meet and the freight’s delivery is expedited.
Why Truckload Shipments Might Be a Good Fit For You
Truckload shipments can be beneficial for your business. They are a better option for those who have large freight and need these products to be delivered in a fast manner.
However, it is more expensive compared to other shipping options. It is important to figure out what you prioritize in regards to your freight to know if truckload shipments are a good fit for you.
Sign up for a FreightWaves e-newsletter to stay informed of all news and trends impacting supply chain careers and operations.