A very interesting question to ask in the transportation industry as so many people still are confused with this terminology.

FTL or full truckload is when a truck’s entire trailer is utilized. Generally, carriers that provide these services utilize 53’ foot long-haul trailers that allow them to drive long distances and take on larger contracts.

LTL or less truckload is when a truck’s partial trailer is utilized. This means there is space for the carrier to fill in with other client’s products. This may be beneficial in a way because you can take on more than one client at one run. However, this methodology is prone to accidents, damages to client’s products, and slow delivery speeds.

At Highway King Transport, we recommend the use of FTLs to those who utilize it for the simple reason of expedited services. FTLs take less time for shipments to be delivered and its dedicated service per load.

However, there are also disadvantages to FTL as it can mean larger prices to pay and larger quantities necessary to make sense of the price. If you have only 10 skids of products, it would not make sense to utilize an FTL carrier as you would be ripped off. You would essentially be paying for a half-empty trailer at a full trailer’s price.