FTL vs LTL

The two modes are different industries that happen to use the same highways.

Truckload. A shipper books a trailer; a driver picks up, drives to the receiver, delivers. One bill of lading, one rate for the move, one carrier responsible for the freight the whole way. Pricing is per mile or per load and moves with the spot market. Tracking is a matter of one truck. This is the world freight brokers mostly live in.

LTL. A shipper with three pallets pays for three pallets’ worth of a trailer. The carrier picks up on a local route, takes the freight to a terminal, sorts it onto a linehaul trailer with other shippers’ freight bound the same direction, moves it through one or more hub terminals, and delivers on a local route at the other end. Pricing is by freight class, weight and distance from the carrier’s tariff, with accessorials for liftgates, residential stops and limited-access sites. Tracking uses the carrier’s PRO number. Transit is measured in days, not hours, and each handling at a terminal is a chance for damage.

For the paperwork: a truckload move has a rate confirmation between broker and carrier, and a BOL. An LTL move has the carrier’s BOL with class and NMFC codes, the PRO number, and an invoice that may differ from the quote after reweigh or reclassification. Both end in a signed proof of delivery.