ETAs in LTL – PAY UP or WAIT UP!

One of the biggest misunderstood expectations in LTL Freight are transit times even though LTL shipments are the fastest and most economical way to move shipments larger than a parcel but smaller than a truckload.

Weather, traffic, breakdowns, holidays, human error, and terminal backups can all delay your shipment. If your shipment goes cross country the carrier will sometimes chose to put your freight on rail.

Let us check out the LTL Freight Process:

• Your shipment is picked up in a city truck by the carrier.
• It is delivered to the origin terminal where it will be checked through scanners for size, weight, density, and class.
• The shipment is then loaded onto a Linehaul Trailer, waiting for it to fill with other shipments.
• Once the Trailer is full, it is headed to the destination terminal. There can be several terminals stops along the way, where shipments are unloaded, and new shipments are loaded. This is where delays may occur. If a Linehaul Trailer does not fill, it might sit an extra day at the terminal.
• After your shipment arrives at its destination terminal it is unloaded and then loaded on city trucks to be delivered to your destination.

So, if you got a time sensitive delivery and your shipment must meet a deadline, then there are guaranteed, express and overnight by air options available. Some Carriers might be better than others and more consistent with their estimated transit times, but nothing is guaranteed unless your pay for it!