There are many different companies in business offering LTL (Less than Load or Lighter than Load) shipping services. However, not all less than truckload shipping services offer the same services.
Knowing what is a priority for your LTL shipping will be a critical factor. For many companies, there will not just be one priority, but several that have to be met to provide safe delivery of their products.
If you are considering less than truckload shipping services, here are some important tips for narrowing down your choices and making a final choice.
Delivery Range
Most trucking companies are geared to provide either national long haul delivery service or more of a regional service. However, both will complete either type of less than truckload shipping service requested.
Finding out the mix of regional or national shipping experience for the company will be important. If you don’t need a national carrier, a regional company may be faster and more efficient, while a regional company will have more challenges in providing national service as they simply don’t have the experience or system in place.
Delivery Reputation
Whether you are hauling across the city, the state or across the country, working with a company offering LTL services and has a good delivery reputation is a critical factor for any business.
There are some considerations to keep in mind when making a comparison. A long-haul trucking company will usually have a slightly lower delivery rating than a local or regional trucker simply because of logistics. A regional carrier is always within a short distance of the trucking service or a replacement truck while a long-haul service is going to have additional time factors if a truck breaks down.
Also, weather factors are more of a concern with long-haul trucking that local or regional trucking. This can impact the delivery rating to some extent, particularly with the long-haul companies.
