LTL
What is LTL (less than truckload)?
LTL, less than truckload, moves freight that does not need a whole trailer: your shipment shares the truck with others, paying for the space and weight it occupies across a carrier's terminal network. It is rated from freight class, weight, distance and density, and it travels through hub terminals, which make it cheap per mile but variable at the ramps.
What sets the price
- Freight class: a density and handling rating that decides the base rate per hundredweight.
- Weight and distance: heavier, longer moves cost more per shipment, with breaks at published weight breaks.
- Density: how much space the freight takes relative to its weight, measured at the door.
- Accessorials: liftgate, residential, inside delivery, appointment, oversize: each adds a line.
- Minimum charges: small shipments often pay a floor price regardless of weight.
Where LTL bills surprise people
Reclass: the carrier measures at the terminal, disagrees with the class you declared, and bills the difference after delivery. The defense is measurement before the label goes on (dimensions and weight on the BOL that match what you actually built), because a reclass argued before shipping costs a phone call and one argued after costs the delta.