FTL, LTL or groupage: which transport mode suits your shipment?

You have eight pallets ready for a customer in Birmingham. Do you book a full trailer for them, or do you let the shipment ride on a combined trip? That choice determines what you pay and when your cargo arrives at the unloading point. FTL, LTL, and groupage are the three standard forms in international road transport. The distinction lies mainly in the number of loading meters your shipment occupies. In this blog, you will read what these three forms mean, when to choose which, and what the costs are.

What is FTL transport (Full Truck Load)?

FTL stands for Full Truck Load. At EASY Road Transport, we speak of FTL for orders between 11 and 13.6 loading meters. The entire trailer is then reserved for your shipment, from the loading address to the unloading address. No freight from other shippers is included, so the driver makes a direct trip.

What is FTL transport in practice? A standard tautliner is 13.6 meters long and offers space for 33 standard Euro pallets. If you utilize most of that space, a full trailer is almost always the logical choice. Regarding weight, a maximum of 40 tons applies within the EU for the entire combination including cargo. Within the Netherlands, that limit is 50 tons.

What is LTL transport (Less Than Truck Load)?

LTL stands for Less Than Truck Load, or a truck that is not fully loaded. In English, this is also called a part load. With us, every order under 11 loading meters falls into this category. Everything between one and 32 pallets is therefore an LTL shipment.

What is LTL for you as a shipper? You only pay for the loading meters your goods occupy. The remaining space in the trailer is filled with general cargo from other shippers. As a result, the driver visits one or more additional addresses along the way.

What is groupage?

Groupage is the merging of multiple LTL shipments into one trailer. The driver loads at different addresses and unloads the freight at various locations as well. Such a complete round is called a file in freight forwarding. Consolidation is the professional term for bundling all those individual shipments.

Groupage vs LTL is a question that often comes up. LTL describes your shipment: a load that does not fill the trailer. Groupage describes the trip on which that shipment travels, together with freight from other companies. Every groupage trip therefore consists of LTL shipments. An LTL shipment can also ride on a trip with only two stops.

Large networks work with hub-and-spoke systems. Freight arrives at a hub and is transferred via cross-docking to the trailer for the final destination. In urban distribution, the last leg is often handled by smaller vehicles. A 13.6-meter trailer simply cannot enter the city center.

The differences between FTL, LTL, and groupage at a glance

The difference between FTL and LTL lies in the number of loading meters your shipment occupies. Groupage is not a separate shipment type; it is the way multiple part loads are combined on one trailer. These are the most important points at a glance:

• FTL: 11 to 13.6 loading meters, one shipper per trailer, a direct trip without intermediate stops.
• LTL: less than 11 loading meters, where your cargo shares the trailer with freight from others.
• Groupage: the trip itself, with multiple loading and unloading addresses in sequence within one file.
• Rate: with FTL you pay for the entire trailer; with LTL and groupage, we charge per loading meter.
• Lead time: FTL follows the shortest route; with groupage, an extra day may be needed due to intermediate stops.

Don’t know how many loading meters your shipment takes up? Use the loading meter calculator or read how to calculate loading meters (LDM) yourself. You only need the dimensions of your pallets or packages for this, not the number of cubic meters.

When to choose FTL?

FTL is the obvious choice as soon as your shipment covers 11 loading meters or more. Don’t know exactly where you’ll end up in advance? Then calculate your shipment first by using the loading meter calculator. That limit of 11 loading meters determines which form is most favorable.

Even with less volume, a full trailer can be wise. If you are transporting fragile or high-value goods, the cargo remains in place from the loading address to the unloading address. The freight is not transshipped or re-secured along the way.

A tight delivery appointment also speaks for a full trailer. The driver travels directly to your unloading address, making the arrival time easy to predict. That delivery speed is crucial for production lines that must be supplied on time. If you choose a full trailer, we provide FTL transport throughout Europe.

When is LTL or groupage smarter?

If your shipment remains under 11 loading meters, you only pay for the space you use with groupage. That is where the cost-efficiency of part loads lies: the fixed costs of the trailer are divided among multiple shippers. For companies that send a few pallets of general cargo weekly, this is the standard procedure. Do you regularly send smaller shipments within Europe? Then our groupage and LTL service is the logical starting point.

Groupage also suits a steady, smaller flow of goods to the same region. You don’t have to wait until you have enough volume to fill an entire trailer. That keeps your inventory moving and your delivery times short, even for customers who only take four pallets at a time.

Costs and lead time compared

With FTL, you pay one rate for the entire trailer, regardless of how many cubic meters you ultimately fill. Per loading meter, this is usually the most favorable, as long as you actually utilize the trailer. With LTL and groupage, we charge per loading meter, keeping a small shipment affordable. If you calculate the price per pallet, it is often higher with groupage than with a full trailer.

For lead time, we at EASY Road Transport maintain a 2-day transit time between loading and unloading. If you load on Monday, we unload on Wednesday. The average lead time is thus 3 days for destinations within our direct service area in Europe. For part loads, an extra day may be added because the driver visits multiple addresses. Our trailers run back and forth daily, so we can load and unload every day of the week.

Rates in road transport fluctuate with fuel prices, tolls, and available market capacity. Figures and developments in the sector are published by the trade association TLN.

EASY Road Transport: FTL, LTL, and groupage under one roof

At EASY Road Transport, we arrange all three forms from Barendrecht. For full trailers, we provide FTL transport throughout Europe, with the United Kingdom as our main corridor. For smaller shipments, you can book groupage or LTL transport, where your cargo travels on a combined trip. Our EASY Roaders look at each shipment to see which form best suits your planning and budget.

We also handle the customs documents for trips to and from England immediately. This way, your trailer does not stand unnecessarily at the border. Not sure which transport mode suits your flow of goods? Contact our EASY Roaders, and we will calculate it together. EASY!

Frequently asked questions about FTL, LTL, and groupage