What is LTL freight?
The LTL vs FTL decision starts with one question: how much of a trailer does your freight need? LTL means less than truckload. Your pallets share a trailer with freight from other shippers, and you pay for your share.
What is LTL shipping in practice? The LTL carrier picks up your pallets, takes them to a local terminal, consolidates them onto a linehaul trailer with other freight, and moves them to a terminal near the destination, where they go onto a delivery truck. Your freight may be handled at more than one terminal on the way. The rate is built from four things: the freight class of what you ship, the weight, the lane (origin and destination), and accessorials such as a liftgate, a delivery appointment or a limited-access address.
NMFTA, which maintains the National Motor Freight Classification, says “shipments of one to six pallets are considered LTL,” and that larger shipments are good candidates for volume LTL if the carrier offers it.
What is FTL (full truckload)?
FTL means full truckload: you hire the whole trailer. NMFTA notes that “most commonly, FTL freight means a load that can fill a 53-foot dry van trailer.” The truck goes straight from your dock to the destination. The freight is loaded once and unloaded once, with no terminal transfers and no other shippers’ pallets around it.
Truckload is normally priced for the truck on the lane, plus accessorials such as detention and extra stops, rather than by freight class. You pay for the trailer whether you fill it or not.
What is the difference between LTL and FTL?
| LTL | Partial truckload | FTL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical size | 1 to 6 pallets | More than standard LTL, less than a full trailer | Up to about 26 floor-loaded pallets in a 53 ft van |
| Shares the trailer | Yes, with many shippers | Yes, with one or a few | No |
| Handling | Cross-docked at terminals, often more than once | Usually stays on one truck | Loaded once, unloaded once |
| Transit | Slowest: pickup, terminal, linehaul, terminal, delivery | Usually faster than LTL | Fastest: direct |
| Price set by | Freight class, weight, lane, accessorials | Trailer space and weight used, lane | The truck for the lane, plus accessorials |
| Best for | Small, sturdy palletized freight | Mid-size or fragile loads | Large, heavy, fragile or time-critical loads |
Pallet count: where LTL ends and FTL begins
Floor-loaded and single-stacked, a 53 ft dry van holds about 26 standard pallets. The arithmetic: a standard pallet is 48 x 40 in. Two across take 80 in of the trailer’s width, and 13 rows at 48 in deep take 624 in, which is 52 ft.
Two variations change the count:
- Turned pallets. With the 40 in side running lengthwise, 15 rows take 600 in, so up to 30 pallets fit if the trailer’s inside width is at least 96 in (two 48 in sides).
- Stacked pallets. Freight that can bear weight and fits under the roof can be double-stacked, up to twice the floor count.
Weight is the other limit. 23 CFR 658.17 sets the maximum gross vehicle weight on the Interstate System at 80,000 lbs, or less where the bridge formula dictates. The tractor, the trailer and the fuel all count toward that total, so the cargo limit is well below 80,000 lbs. Dense freight such as stone slabs, steel, bottled drinks or bagged cement often reaches the weight limit long before it fills the floor.
For loading patterns and weights on a full trailer, see full truckload shipping.
Where partial truckload fits between LTL and FTL
Partial truckload is the middle option. You book part of a trailer, and the load normally rides on that truck all the way, sharing it with one or a few other shipments instead of passing through terminals. Pricing usually follows the space and weight you take, not freight class. It suits shipments past standard LTL size, or fragile freight you want touched less, when a whole trailer would go half empty.
Volume LTL is a related option: an LTL carrier quotes a larger shipment specially, but the freight usually still moves through its terminal network.
Quotes and lanes are on our partial truckload shipping page.
When does LTL win, and when does FTL win?
| Your shipment | Usually the better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 6 sturdy pallets, standard timing | LTL | You pay only for your share of the trailer |
| More than 6 pallets, or over 12 linear feet | Compare volume LTL, partial and FTL quotes | NMFTA’s volume LTL range; it says a truckload carrier would expect LTL under 12 linear feet |
| Fragile, high-value or easily damaged | Partial truckload or FTL | Fewer terminal transfers, fewer touches |
| Heavy or dense, fills most of the floor | FTL | You are near the trailer’s limits anyway |
| Time-critical | FTL or expedited freight | Direct from pickup to delivery |
| Staying inside Southern California | Box truck | Direct, no terminals |
Six standard pallets loaded two across take three rows of 48 in, which is 12 linear feet. That is why both rules of thumb land in the same place.
What about freight inside Southern California?
For a local or regional move, neither LTL nor a 53 ft trailer is always the right tool. A 20 to 26 ft box truck runs direct, with no terminal in the middle, and it reaches docks and street addresses a tractor-trailer cannot. On our 2026 rate card, a box truck starts at $200 for the first 20 miles. After the first 20 miles, mileage can start as low as $1.20 a mile, depending on the vehicle and the route, and it is set on your written quote. Valencia to downtown Los Angeles is about 40 miles by road, so that run is the $200 base plus mileage for the other 20 miles, before extras. A liftgate, a pallet jack or a charge for weight over 1,000 lbs is added only when the job needs it, and listed on your quote. See pallet shipping for how single pallets move around the region.
All of it is laid out on our freight shipping from Los Angeles page.
How freight class changes an LTL rate
LTL carriers price by freight class, one of 18 NMFC classes running from 50 for the densest freight to 500. Denser freight that is easy to handle gets a lower class and a lower rate. Since July 19, 2025, many items are classed purely by density, so measuring your pallets accurately matters more than it did. The freight class guide shows the current density chart and a worked calculation.
What to send for an LTL or truckload quote
- Both addresses, noting any end that has no loading dock or is not a business
- How many pallets, and each one’s length, width, height and weight
- What the freight is, plus its NMFC item number or class if you have it
- Whether the pallets can be stacked
- Liftgate, appointment or inside delivery needs at either end
- The date the freight is ready
LTL and truckload are quoted per shipment. See LTL shipping and truckload shipping for how each works with us, or request a written quote with the details above.
