LTL (less than truckload) is freight shipping for loads too large for parcel carriers but too small to fill a trailer on their own. Your pallets travel alongside other shippers' freight in the same truck, and you pay for the space you take up rather than for the whole vehicle. Most LTL shipments fall somewhere between one and six pallets.
The economics are straightforward. Booking a full truck for two pallets wastes most of what you paid for. LTL splits that trailer cost across several shippers, so each one pays a fraction. What you give up is directness: an LTL shipment usually passes through one or more terminals on its way, where freight gets unloaded, sorted, and reloaded onto the next truck heading in your direction.
LTL vs FTL vs parcel
| Mode |
Typical size |
How it's priced |
Transit |
| Parcel |
Individual boxes, usually under 70kg each |
Per package, by weight and dimensions |
Fastest, with the densest delivery network |
| LTL |
Roughly 1 to 6 pallets |
By weight, freight class, and distance |
Slower, with terminal stops along the way |
| FTL |
A full trailer, or enough volume to justify one |
Flat rate for the whole truck |
Direct, no intermediate handling |
The crossover point between LTL and FTL is worth checking rather than assuming. Once a shipment reaches roughly six to eight pallets, LTL pricing often climbs close enough to a full truck rate that booking the whole trailer costs little more and arrives faster with less handling.
How LTL pricing actually works
Freight class is the part that surprises people. LTL carriers assign each shipment a class based on density, how easily it stacks, how fragile it is, and how likely it is to be damaged or stolen. A pallet of dense, sturdy goods occupies less space per kilo and sits in a cheaper class than a pallet of light, bulky, awkward items.
That matters because your declared class drives your rate. Get it wrong and the carrier reclassifies the shipment after pickup, then sends an adjusted invoice. Those corrections arrive weeks later, land outside whatever you budgeted, and require someone to reconcile them against the original quote. Accessorial charges work the same way: liftgate service, residential delivery, inside delivery, and appointment scheduling all get added after the fact if they weren't declared upfront.
Where LTL fits in a cross-border supply chain
LTL usually appears on the domestic legs at either end of an international move. Goods arrive by ocean container, clear customs, and then need to travel from the port to a fulfillment center or from your warehouse into an Amazon facility. Those inland legs are frequently too small for a full truck.
Inbound shipments to marketplace fulfillment centers are a common case. Amazon assigns which facility receives your stock, and the assigned split often produces several smaller consignments heading to different locations instead of one large one. Each of those moves fits LTL better than FTL, and each one adds handling touches where a pallet can go missing or arrive short, which is why reconciling what was shipped against what was received matters on this leg specifically.
What brands get wrong with LTL
- Declaring the wrong freight class. The reclassification invoice shows up weeks after delivery and rarely matches anyone's forecast. Measure and weigh pallets properly before quoting.
- Forgetting accessorial charges. A delivery address without a loading dock needs liftgate service. If that wasn't on the booking, it appears on the invoice instead.
- Packing for parcel instead of freight. LTL freight gets loaded, unloaded, and reloaded at terminals. Shrink wrap, proper pallet construction, and clear labeling reduce the damage that extra handling causes.
- Missing the point where FTL becomes cheaper. Shippers who default to LTL out of habit sometimes pay more than a full truck would have cost, and wait longer for it.
FAQ
How many pallets is LTL?
Usually between one and six. Below that, parcel shipping often works out cheaper. Above it, full truckload pricing starts to compete, and the exact crossover depends on the lane, the weight, and the freight class.
Why is LTL slower than full truckload?
Because LTL freight moves through terminals. Your pallets get unloaded, sorted with other shippers' freight, and reloaded onto trucks heading toward the destination. FTL goes directly from pickup to delivery with none of that handling in between.
What is freight class and why does it change my price?
Freight class is a rating based on density, stackability, fragility, and handling risk. Dense, sturdy, easily stacked goods rate into cheaper classes. If the class you declare doesn't match what the carrier finds, they reclassify it and bill you the difference afterward.
Getting freight from a port to a fulfillment center, at the right mode and the right cost, is part of how eBrands runs inbound logistics for the brands we operate. See how freight forwarding fits into the chain.
