When TL and LTL Freight Take Priority, What’s Left for VLTL Shipments & Partials?

Volume Less-than-Truckload

Volume less-than-truckload (VLTL) is an alternative for shippers with 10-28 linear feet of freight. VLTL shipments move through the LTL hub-and-spoke system, zigzagging between several trucks and terminals. This amount of handling makes the hub-and-spoke network most efficient for Less-than-Truckload (LTL) shipments, not VLTL ones. As a result, the LTL system prioritizes smaller freight over larger freight, dropping VLTL shipments in tight markets.

Partial Truckload

For the most part, partials move via freight consolidators (asset-light LTL carriers) that specialize in specific regions. To book transportation for freight 10-28 linear feet, shippers who need a national reach and desire cost savings tend to get quotes from many consolidators or hire brokers with large networks. This mode doesn’t require freight classification and sometimes separates cargo that’s part of the same shipment.

Supply Chains Have a Real Problem: shipping methods that don’t prioritize midsize freight.

If you ship freight 10-28 linear feet, this problem gives you headache after headache.

To skip the pain and stay competitive in today’s speed-focused freight market, you need a frictionless shipping solution.

Download this Flock Freight white paper to explore your options for midsize freight shipping and get:

• Insights into the current freight market
• A detailed analysis of the choices for partial and volume freight shipping
• An overview of Flock Freight’s solution: shared truckload

Next time you find yourself choosing between consolidators and the hub-and-spoke system, find a service provider who believes you should never sacrifice price, service quality, or speed, and remember your other option: shared truckload.