The primary advantage of using an LTL carrier is cost. The price of sending a shipment using an LTL rather than an FTL carrier is significantly lower. The LTL carrier competes with parcel carriers, who generally will not accept shipments of more than 70 to 100 pounds in weight. This competition gives usually results in LTL carriers offering lower rates per pound than parcel carriers.
The shipments are sorted and placed on local vehicles for delivery. Each individual shipment is handled a number of times from the time it is picked up from the customer until it reaches its final delivery location.
