LTL loads for carriers: how small trucks haul less-than-truckload freight

What is an LTL load?

An LTL load, short for less-than-truckload, is a shipment too small to fill a trailer, usually one to six pallets. Shippers use LTL so they only pay for the space and handling their freight needs. The big LTL carriers run networks of terminals: local trucks pick up shipments, bring them to a terminal, freight is sorted onto linehaul trucks heading toward other terminals, and local trucks deliver it. That network is what makes LTL cheap for small shipments.

For an owner-operator or small fleet, running an LTL network isn't realistic. But LTL-sized freight still reaches small carriers in several ways, and for some equipment, like 26 ft box trucks and hotshots, it's a big share of the work. This guide covers how small carriers haul it and how to price it. For how LTL shipments are priced to shippers, by freight class and weight, see our guide to LTL freight rates.

How small carriers haul LTL freight

• +Partial loads. Shipments bigger than typical LTL but less than a full truck, moved direct without terminals. Two or three partials can fill a trailer. See partial loads.
• +Pallet runs and multi-stop routes. Several small shipments picked up or delivered on one route, often regional.
• +Linehaul for LTL carriers. Some LTL companies use contractors to move trailers between terminals on set schedules, a steady but specialized kind of work.
• +Pickup and delivery contracting. Some LTL carriers and freight forwarders contract local trucks to pick up or deliver shipments in an area.
• +Final-mile and liftgate deliveries. Delivering LTL-sized freight to stores, job sites and homes, often with a liftgate. Common work for box trucks.
• +Freight forwarders and consolidators. Companies that combine many small shipments into larger loads and hire carriers to move them.

Where to find LTL loads

Most general load boards carry partials and smaller shipments alongside full truckloads. They're usually marked P for partial, and some boards let you filter by length or weight to find shipments that fit a smaller truck or a trailer with space left. Search both full and partial loads, and widen your filters if you run a box truck or hotshot, since many postings for straight trucks are small shipments.

Beyond the boards, look for freight forwarders, consolidators, regional distributors and LTL carriers in your area that use contract trucks. Ask the brokers you already work with whether they handle partials and LTL-sized freight on your lanes. Many do, and they're glad to have a smaller truck that can cover it. Some specialized LTL load boards and carrier apps exist too; check each one's own site for what it offers and what it costs. Our guides to how load boards work and freight loads available cover the main sources.

How to price LTL-sized loads

Small shipments are usually offered to carriers as a flat price per load, not per mile or per hundredweight. That makes them easy to misjudge. A $350 pallet run for 80 miles reads as $4.38 a mile, which sounds excellent, until you count the empty miles to the pickup, the time to find two docks, wait, load and unload, and the drive to the next job.

Price LTL work three ways before you accept it. First, all-in per mile: the pay divided by loaded plus empty miles. Second, per hour: the pay divided by every hour the job takes, including stops. Third, against what else the truck could do in that time. A small load that fits on the way to a bigger one is worth more than its rate. A small load that eats a whole afternoon is worth less.

The per-hour number is often the most honest one for LTL work. Compare it with what a normal hour of driving earns your truck. The load profitability calculator shows net per hour after fuel and costs.

Know the freight before you take it

Small shipments come with details that matter more than on full loads. Before accepting, confirm the pallet count, dimensions, weight and whether pallets can be stacked. Ask whether a liftgate, pallet jack, inside delivery or appointment is needed at either end. A shipment that needs a liftgate you don't have, or a residential delivery your truck can't reach, turns into a cancelled load or an unpaid return trip.

Density matters too, especially if you're filling space with several shipments. Heavy, dense freight can max out your legal weight before the trailer is full. The freight class and density calculator works out pounds per cubic foot from the dimensions and weight, which helps you see how much a shipment uses of your capacity.

Paperwork on small shipments

Small shipments mean more paperwork per dollar. Each pickup has its own bill of lading, each delivery its own signature, and a missing signature can hold up payment for the whole route. Photograph every signed document as you go, note pallet counts and any damage at each stop, and send paperwork the same day. On combined loads, keep each shipment's documents separate so the right broker gets the right papers.

LTL work for box trucks and hotshots

LTL-sized freight is the core business for many 26 ft box trucks: pallet runs, retail and furniture deliveries, liftgate drops and expedited small shipments. A liftgate and a pallet jack open up a lot of this work. For hotshots, small shipments of equipment, parts and building materials are common, often time-sensitive and often per load.

For both, the key skill is chaining jobs: finishing one delivery close to the next pickup, so the truck isn't running empty between small, short loads. A day of three well-chained small jobs can pay more than one long load. A day of three scattered ones usually doesn't. Full truckload work, for comparison, is covered in our guide to full truck load services.