Partial Truckload & LTL
Too big for parcel, too small for a trailer of its own. This is the band where the routing decision matters more than the rate negotiation — because the same six pallets can be priced two completely different ways.
Terminal Network or Direct Trailer?
LTL moves your freight through a hub-and-spoke network. A local truck collects it, brings it to a terminal, and it is unloaded and reloaded — possibly several times — onto line-haul trailers before a final delivery vehicle takes it out. That handling is what makes LTL affordable for one or two pallets, and it is also what puts your freight on and off a forklift four or five times.
Partial truckload skips all of it. Your freight is loaded onto one trailer alongside a small number of other partial shipments and stays there until delivery. No terminals, no reloading, no freight class. As a rule of thumb the two curves cross somewhere around six pallets or twelve linear feet: below that LTL is usually cheaper, above it a partial usually wins on both price and damage risk. Fragile, tall, or oddly shaped freight often justifies a partial well below that crossover.
| LTL | Partial Truckload | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical size | 1–6 pallets | 6–20 linear feet |
| Typical weight | 150–15,000 lbs | 5,000–25,000 lbs |
| Priced on | Freight class, weight, distance | Space used and distance |
| Handling touchpoints | Four or more | Two — load and unload |
| Freight class required | Yes | No |
| Transit | Slower, terminal-dependent | Closer to truckload speed |
Operational Safeguards
Class Checked Before Tender
A reclassification after the fact is the most common unexpected charge in LTL. We verify density and classification against your actual dimensions rather than accepting the figure on the previous bill of lading.
Accessorials Declared Up Front
Liftgate, residential delivery, inside delivery, limited access sites and appointment requirements are all separately chargeable. Declaring them at quote time is far cheaper than having the driver discover them.
Packaging Built for Handling
LTL freight will be stacked on, strapped against and forklifted by people who have never seen it before. We advise on palletising, banding and stretch wrap before it ships, not after a claim.
Why Your Freight Class Is What It Is
LTL pricing runs on the National Motor Freight Classification, a scale that historically ran from class 50 for dense, durable, easily stowed freight up to class 500 for light, bulky or fragile freight. Four characteristics drive it: density, stowability, ease of handling and liability. Of those, density does most of the work, and the classification system has been restructured in recent years to lean on density more explicitly for the majority of commodities.
Density is simple arithmetic you can do before you ask for a quote. Multiply length by width by height in inches, including the pallet and any overhang, and divide by 1,728 to get cubic feet. Divide the total weight by that figure and you have pounds per cubic foot. A pallet measuring 48×40×48 inches occupies 53.3 cubic feet; at 900 lb that is roughly 16.9 pounds per cubic foot — and it is that number, not the description of the goods, that will decide most of your rate.
| Charge | Triggered By |
|---|---|
| Reclassification | Actual density differs from the class tendered |
| Linear foot / capacity load | Shipment occupies more than roughly 12 linear feet |
| Liftgate, origin or destination | No dock or forklift at the site |
| Residential or limited access | Homes, schools, military bases, construction sites |
| Inside delivery | Delivery beyond the tailgate or threshold |
| Reconsignment | Address changed after the freight is in the network |
Cheaper Without Negotiating
Measure After Wrapping
Stretch wrap, corner boards and any overhang count toward the dimensions the carrier will measure. Quoting the pallet footprint and measuring the finished unit is where most reclassification charges begin.
Stack If the Product Allows
Two stackable pallets take one floor position. Marking freight as non-stackable when it does not need to be doubles the space you are paying for.
Consolidate Same-Day Orders
Three separate LTL shipments to the same metro area on the same day almost always cost more than one partial. Tell us what else is going out and we will look at combining it.
We Will Price It Both Ways
Send pallet count, dimensions and weight. You will get an LTL number and a partial number side by side, with the handling difference spelled out rather than buried.