LTL Shipping (Less Than Truckload)

LTL shipping (less than truckload) is the part-load option you use when your goods don't fill a whole trailer. Instead of paying for an empty deck, your freight rides alongside other shippers' consignments and you're charged only for the portion of the trailer you take up.

What LTL shipping is

LTL sits between a parcel and a full truck. It suits roughly 1–6 pallets — too much for a courier, too little to justify a dedicated vehicle. The carrier consolidates your pallets with other consignments routed in the same direction, often passing through one or more hubs where loads are sorted and combined. That consolidation process is also called groupage.

Because the trailer is shared, LTL involves more handling and longer, less predictable transit than a direct full load. Each hub stop adds a touchpoint where your freight is moved, so packaging needs to survive repeated handling.

How LTL is priced

LTL is priced on the space and weight you occupy, not on a flat per-truck rate. Carriers quote against one of a few measures:

Pricing basis	What it measures	When it drives the price
Loading metres (LDM)	Floor length your freight blocks, side to side	Long or non-stackable loads
Pallet spaces	Number of standard pallet footprints used	Standard palletised goods
Chargeable weight	The greater of actual vs. volumetric weight	Light but bulky cargo

The carrier bills whichever measure costs most, because all three compete for the same finite trailer. Use the loading metres calculator to work out your LDM before you ask for quotes, and check chargeable weight so a light, bulky pallet doesn't surprise you at invoicing.

When to choose LTL over FTL

Pick LTL when you have a few pallets, your timeline has some slack, and your goods can take normal hub handling. Pick FTL (full truckload) when you fill most of a trailer, need fixed transit times, or ship fragile or high-value cargo you'd rather not have transhipped.

• Volume — under ~6 pallets favours LTL; more than half a trailer favours FTL.
• Speed — FTL goes point to point; LTL routes through hubs and takes longer.
• Handling — FTL is loaded once and sealed; LTL is touched at every consolidation point.
• Cost — LTL is cheaper for small loads; FTL wins per pallet once the trailer is reasonably full.

Our FTL vs LTL guide walks through the break-even point with worked examples, and what is LDM explains the loading-metre maths behind most LTL quotes.

Once you know which mode fits, UMERA turns the request into booked carrier quotes — you enter the pallet count, dimensions and route, and it returns priced offers from carriers running that lane.

FAQ

What does LTL mean in shipping?

LTL stands for less than truckload: a part-load service where your freight shares a trailer with other shippers' consignments and you pay only for the space you use.

How is LTL freight priced?

LTL is priced on loading metres (LDM), pallet spaces or chargeable weight. The carrier charges whichever measure is highest, since each one competes for limited trailer capacity.

When should I use LTL instead of FTL?

Use LTL for roughly 1–6 pallets when you have some flexibility on transit time. Switch to FTL once you fill most of a trailer or need fixed, direct delivery without hub handling.

How long does LTL shipping take?

Longer than a direct full load. LTL passes through consolidation hubs where freight is sorted and combined, so transit is less predictable than point-to-point FTL.