Truckload shipping is freight transport in which a

semi-trailer A semi-trailer is a trailer (vehicle), trailer without a front axle. The combination of a semi-trailer and a tractor truck is called a ''semi-trailer truck'' (also known simply as a "semi-trailer", "tractor trailer", or "semi" in the United Sta ...

intermodal container An intermodal container, often called a shipping container, or a freight container, (or simply "container") is a large metal crate designed and built for intermodal freight transport, meaning these containers can be used across different Mode ...

is filled entirely with one type of

cargo In transportation, cargo refers to goods transported by land, water or air, while freight refers to its conveyance. In economics, freight refers to goods transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. The term cargo is also used in cas ...

. It differs from

less-than-truckload shipping Less-than-truckload shipping or less than load (LTL) is the transportation of an amount of Cargo, freight sized between individual Package delivery, parcels and full Truckload shipping, truckloads. Parcel carriers handle small packages and freig ...

(LTL) in which freight from multiple customers is combined in one trailer. A truckload carrier is a trucking company that contracts entire trailer-load to a single customer.

Description

The three types of truckload shipment are dry van, flatbed, and

refrigerated Refrigeration is any of various types of cooling of a space, substance, or system to lower and/or maintain its temperature below the ambient one (while the removed heat is ejected to a place of higher temperature).IIR International Dictionary of ...

. Truckload shipments are used for large shipments of freight and typically run on 48 foot or 53 foot dry van trailers which hold 24 or 26 pallets respectively. If multiple truckloads are needed for a large shipment, truckload shipping generally is cheaper, faster, and less damaging to goods than booking a large number of

trips. Efficiency and productivity of the goods' packaging can be improved in truckload shipping. Compared to less-than-truckload, full truckload is cost-effective when weight is high. Full-truckload freight is faster than LTL because it is sent directly to the destination and does not make stops to pick up or drop off other cargo.

Packaging

Freight is usually loaded onto

pallet A pallet (also called a skid) is a flat transport structure, which supports goods in a stable fashion while being lifted by a forklift, a pallet jack, a Loader (equipment), front loader, a Jack (mechanical), jacking device, or an erect cra ...

s for

unit load The term unit load refers to the size of an assemblage into which a number of individual items are combined for ease of storage and handling, for example a pallet load represents a unit load which can be moved easily with a pallet jack or fork ...

s. Sturdy

shipping container A shipping container is a container with strength suitable to withstand shipment, storage, and handling. Shipping containers range from large reusable steel boxes used for intermodal shipments to the ubiquitous corrugated box design, corrugated b ...

s such as

crate A crate is a large shipping container, often made of wood, typically used to transport or store large, heavy items. Steel and aluminium crates are also used. Specialized crates were designed for specific products, and were often made to be reus ...

s or

corrugated fiberboard Corrugated fiberboard, corrugated cardboard, or corrugated is a type of packaging material consisting of a fluted corrugated sheet and one or two flat linerboards. It is made on "flute lamination machines" or "corrugators" and is used for maki ...

boxes are commonly used. Carriers have published tariffs that provide some guidance for

packaging Packaging is the science, art and technology of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use. Packaging also refers to the process of designing, evaluating, and producing packages. Packaging can be described as a coo ...

Packaging engineer Packaging engineering, also package engineering, packaging technology and packaging science, is a broad topic ranging from design conceptualization to product placement. All steps along the manufacturing process, and more, must be taken into ...

s design and test packaging to meet the specific needs of the

logistics Logistics is the part of supply chain management that deals with the efficient forward and reverse flow of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the Consumption (economics), point of consumption according to the ...

system and the product being shipped. Truckload shipments are sometimes broken down into individual containers and further shipped by LTL or

express Express, The Expresss or EXPRESS may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * ''Express: Aisle to Glory'', a 1998 comedy short film featuring Kal Penn * ''The Express: The Ernie Davis Story'', a 2008 film starring Dennis Quaid * The Expre ...

carriers. Packaging for TL often needs to withstand the more severe handling of individual shipments. A typical full truckload for a dry van trailer consists of 24 standard pallets of cargo that weighs up to 45,000 lbs. (or more).

History

When the US

Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...

expanded in the 1950s, the trucking industry took over a large market share of goods transportation, which had previously relied primarily on railroads. The Interstate Highway System allowed merchandise to travel door to door from a distribution center in one area to a distribution center in another area, and it made long-distance freight transport faster.

Sources

* Constantin, James A. and Hudson, William J.. Motor Transportation: Principles and Practices. The Ronal Press Company. New York, 1958. Pages 149–154. * Bardi, Joseph E., Coyle, John J., and Langley, John C. Jr..The Management of Business Logistics: A Supply Chain Perspective. Cengage Learning, 2000. Pages 45–58, 67–81. * McKinlay, A. H., "Transport Packaging", IoPP, 2004 * Fiedler, R. M, "Distribution Packaging Technology", IoPP, 1995

External links

''Merriam-Webster'' definition of truckload

''FTL Freight Services'' definition of Full Truck Load
{{Trucking industry in the United States Freight transport