FTL
FTL (Full Truck Load) is a road-freight mode in which a single shipper books an entire truck or trailer, origin to destination, with no co-loading. FTL is the road equivalent of FCL in ocean freight: the trailer is sealed at origin and travels directly, giving faster transit, lower damage risk and a single point of accountability.
FTL is the cost-effective choice when a shipment fills, or nearly fills, a trailer — typically more than 10 to 12 standard pallets. For smaller consignments, LTL consolidation is more economical. Transport management systems plan FTL loads, optimise routing and match capacity to demand.
FTL is the road twin of FCL: once you have enough to fill a trailer, dedicating a whole truck is faster, safer and cheaper per pallet than sharing, because it skips terminal consolidation entirely — sealed at origin, driven direct.
whole truck
A shipper with 20 pallets books an FTL truck — sealed at origin, driven direct, no terminal handling. Paying LTL rates on 20 pallets would cost more and take longer because of the consolidation and multiple stops.
When is FTL cheaper than LTL?
Roughly when a shipment fills or nearly fills a trailer — typically more than 10–12 pallets. Below that, LTL (paying only for the space used) is usually cheaper.
Is FTL the same as FCL?
They are the road and ocean equivalents — FTL dedicates a whole truck, FCL a whole container. Both mean one shipper, sealed and direct, with no consolidation.