Journey of LTL Freight

Although LTL (less-than truckload) remains one of the most popular ways to ship by truck, some shippers might not be fully aware of the journey that their LTL freight undergoes in the transportation process. After all, a lot happens to your LTL Freight in-between the pickup and the destination. Soon after your freight forwarder contacts the carrier’s dispatcher, the process begins with the carrier immediately selecting the route, truck and truck driver for your LTL shipment. A local driver will arrive at the pickup location to receive the LTL shipment. Lift gate service may or may not be required at this point.

Now the interesting thing occurs in the LTL freight journey. The local driver takes your freight to the origin terminal. Many different procedures could occur at the terminal. An inspection could be made on your LTL freight shipment. In addition, clerical procedures, such as double-checking your information on the bill of lading, could occur. The most important thing that could happen is the cross docking procedure, which unloads your freight from the truck and loads it on another truck to either a break bulk center, which is a larger terminal, or to the destination. Either way, the journey of LTL freight concludes when a local driver takes your freight to the destination, which usually occurs during morning hours.

This normal journey of your LTL freight is included when you receive an instant freight shipping quote online. The journey of your LTL freight might be substantial, but it all starts when you pick up the phone and call your logistics provider.