Full truck load services: how FTL shipping works
By Jeff Davidson. Updated October 2026
What full truck load means
In a full truck load, one shipment gets the whole trailer. The truck picks up at the shipper, drives to the receiver and delivers, without stopping at terminals to load or unload other freight along the way. The shipment doesn't have to physically fill the trailer. If a shipper wants the trailer to themselves, for speed, security or because the freight is heavy, they buy the full truck.
That simple model is the core of most trucking. The majority of owner-operators and small carriers haul full truckload freight: dry van, reefer, flatbed and other trailers moving one customer's load from A to B. When people talk about load boards, spot rates and rate per mile, they're usually talking about full truckload.
Full truck load vs LTL
The break-even between the two depends on the shipment and the lane, but large shipments often cost about the same or less as a full or partial truckload, and arrive faster with less risk of damage. Our guide to LTL freight rates explains how the smaller side is priced.
| Full truckload (FTL) | Less-than-truckload (LTL) | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical size | Half a trailer or more, or heavy freight | 1 to about 6 pallets |
| Route | Direct, pickup to delivery | Through terminals, with sorting |
| Speed | Faster, set by distance and hours of service | Slower, set by the network |
| Handling | Loaded once, unloaded once | Handled at each terminal |
| Pricing | Per mile or per load | Per hundred pounds, by class and weight |
| Best for | Large, urgent, fragile or high-value freight | Small shipments |
How full truckload transport is booked
Shippers buy full truckload service in three main ways. They can contract with an asset-based carrier, a trucking company with its own trucks, often for regular lanes at agreed rates. They can use a freight broker, who finds a carrier for each load and handles the coordination. Or they can post loads on digital platforms and load boards themselves. Large shippers often use all three: contract carriers for steady lanes and brokers for the overflow and the spot loads.
For a single load, the steps are similar whichever route is used. The shipper gives the pickup and delivery details, dates, equipment, weight and any special requirements. A carrier is assigned and a rate confirmation is signed. The truck picks up, the driver signs the bill of lading, the load is tracked in transit, and the receiver signs at delivery. The carrier invoices with the signed paperwork and gets paid.
How full truckload is priced
Full truckload pricing is usually per mile or a flat price per load, plus a fuel surcharge and any accessorials such as extra stops, detention or tarps. The rate depends on the lane, the distance, the equipment, the season and the balance of trucks and loads in the market that week. Our guide to full truckload rates covers what moves them, and the load-to-truck ratio shows one way the market's balance is measured.
Urgent loads cost more. When a shipment needs a truck today, a broker may post it as a hot load at a higher rate. Our guide to hot loads in trucking covers what that means for both sides.
Choosing a full truck load company
For shippers comparing full truck load companies, the price is only part of it. Look at whether the carrier or broker has active authority and insurance on FMCSA's public records, how they handle tracking and updates, their on-time record on your lanes, how claims are handled, and who you call when something goes wrong. A cheaper quote that misses appointments often costs more in the end.
If you're unsure whether a shipment is big enough for a full truck, estimate its density and class with the freight class and density calculator. Light, bulky freight that would land in a high LTL class is often a good candidate for a partial or full truckload instead.
- Authority and insurance. Check active operating authority and insurance on FMCSA's public records.
- Equipment fit. The right trailer type, length, and any temperature or securement needs.
- Communication. Tracking, check calls and a named contact.
- Service record. On-time pickups and deliveries on your lanes, and how problems were handled.
- Clear terms. Rate, fuel, accessorials and detention written before the load moves.
Dedicated, contract and spot full truckload
Full truckload service comes in a few commercial forms. Spot freight is booked one load at a time at that day's market price. Contract freight is priced for a period, often a year, on lanes a shipper moves regularly, with the carrier or broker committing to cover a share of the loads. Dedicated service goes further: a carrier assigns trucks and drivers to one shipper's freight, often paid weekly or per mile whether or not every truck is full.
Each suits different freight. Spot is flexible and follows the market up and down. Contract gives both sides more predictable prices and volume. Dedicated gives the shipper guaranteed capacity and the carrier steady work, at the cost of flexibility. Our guide on what a dedicated lane is in trucking covers how carriers win and keep regular lanes.
For carriers: running full truckload freight
If you haul full truckloads, the work is finding loads that keep the truck moving at rates above your costs. Spot loads come from load boards and brokers, steadier freight from repeat lanes and direct shippers. The quieter skill is lane planning: choosing loads into areas with good outbound freight, so the next load is close and the empty miles stay low.
Price every load on all its miles. A full truckload that pays well per loaded mile can still lose money after a long deadhead. If the boards near you are empty, our page on what to do when you can't find loads covers the usual causes and fixes.
BY Jeff Davidson, Dispatcher
Updated October 2026