LTL Freight Guide
How to ship LTL freight. Quote, book, and track in minutes.
LTL freight shipping lets you move 1 to 12 pallets without paying for a full truck. With Warp, you get an instant all inclusive rate, book online, and track your freight in real time from pickup to delivery. No freight class lookups. No fuel surcharges. No terminal handling charges. This guide covers everything you need to know to ship LTL freight today.
1 to 12 pallets · All inclusive pricing · 99.1% on time · Trusted by Walmart, Saks Fifth Avenue, and 2,000+ shippers
Trusted by leading retailers and shippers
What is LTL freight shipping
LTL stands for less than truckload. It is a freight shipping method where your pallets share truck space with other shippers instead of paying for a full 53 foot trailer.
LTL is the right choice when you have 1 to 12 pallets that do not fill an entire truck.
Your freight is picked up, consolidated with other shipments at a facility, transported via line haul to the destination market, and delivered to the final address.
With traditional carriers, this process involves 3 to 5 terminal handoffs, freight class lookups, and layers of surcharges. With Warp, LTL runs through cross dock facilities with 1 to 2 touches and all inclusive per pallet pricing.
Step 1: Measure and weigh your pallets
Before getting an LTL quote, count your pallets and record the total weight and dimensions (length, width, height) of each pallet. Accurate measurements ensure an accurate rate. With Warp, you do not need a freight class or NMFC code.
Traditional carriers require these codes and will reclassify your shipment after pickup if the class is wrong, which changes the price. Warp calculates LTL rates per pallet based on weight, dimensions, and distance. No classification.
No reclassification risk.
Step 2: Get an instant LTL quote
Go to the Warp self serve platform. Enter your pickup zip code, delivery zip code, pallet count, total weight, and dimensions. Warp returns an all inclusive per pallet rate in seconds.
That rate covers pickup by a local 3rd party carrier, routing through a Warp operated cross dock facility, line haul to the destination market, and final delivery. There are no fuel surcharges, no accessorial fees, and no terminal handling charges.
The quote is the invoice. Compare your Warp rate against traditional carrier quotes, but remember that traditional quotes do not include the surcharges that add 20 to 40% to the final bill.
Step 3: Book your LTL shipment
Once you have your rate, click book. Schedule your pickup date and time window. Warp assigns a local 3rd party carrier who arrives with the Warp driver app.
The driver scans each pallet at pickup, giving you real time visibility from the first touchpoint. You can also prepare a bill of lading (BOL) through the Warp platform or use your own.
For recurring shippers, Warp generates BOLs automatically with all shipment details pre filled.
Step 4: Your freight moves through the Warp network
After pickup, your freight goes to a Warp operated cross dock facility. This is not a traditional terminal where freight sits on a dock waiting for trailer builds. Warp cross docks are designed for flow.
Freight arrives, gets sorted by destination, and moves onto the next line haul. Your shipment touches 1 to 2 facilities instead of the 3 to 5 typical with traditional LTL carriers.
Fewer touches mean faster transit, lower damage risk, and lower cost. Our AI backbone, Orbit, monitors every load in real time and flags late pickups, missed scans, route deviations, and delivery exceptions before your team has to ask.
Step 5: Track your shipment to delivery
Warp provides end to end visibility on every LTL shipment. Live GPS tracking shows exactly where your freight is at every stage. Scan events confirm when pallets are picked up, received at the cross dock, loaded for line haul, and delivered.
At delivery, the driver captures proof of delivery photos and electronic signatures through the Warp driver app. For enterprise shippers, Warp pushes scan events, GPS updates, and delivery confirmations directly into your TMS via API.
No check calls. No status request emails. No wondering where your freight is.
When to use LTL vs other freight modes
Use LTL when you have 1 to 12 pallets that do not fill a full truck. If you have fewer than 3 pallets in a metro area, a cargo van may be faster and more cost effective for same day delivery.
For 1 to 6 pallets going to locations without a dock, a 26 foot box truck with a liftgate is often the best option. For 13 or more pallets or a full truck, FTL (full truckload) gives you a dedicated trailer.
Warp offers instant quotes across all four modes so you can compare and pick the right one for each shipment.
Frequently asked questions
What is LTL freight?
LTL stands for less than truckload. It is a freight shipping method where your pallets share truck space with other shippers. LTL is used when you have 1 to 12 pallets that do not require a full 53 foot trailer.
Warp routes LTL through cross dock facilities instead of traditional terminals for fewer touches and lower cost.
How do I ship LTL for the first time?
Count your pallets and record the weight and dimensions. Go to the Warp self serve platform, enter your zip codes and pallet specs, and get an instant all inclusive rate. Book online, schedule pickup, and track your freight in real time.
No account setup, no freight class lookup, and no phone calls required.
Do I need a freight class to ship LTL?
Not with Warp. Traditional carriers require freight class and NMFC codes, which add complexity and reclassification risk. Warp calculates LTL rates per pallet based on weight, dimensions, and distance.
No freight class lookups and no post shipment reclassification adjustments.
How much does LTL shipping cost?
LTL cost depends on pallet count, weight, dimensions, and distance. Warp LTL averages 24% less than traditional carriers because rates are all inclusive with no fuel surcharges, no accessorials, and no terminal handling charges.
Get an instant rate on the Warp self serve platform.
How long does LTL shipping take?
LTL transit times vary by distance. Short haul lanes (under 500 miles) typically transit in 1 to 2 days. Cross country lanes transit in 3 to 5 days. Warp LTL transit times are shown on every lane page alongside carrier comparisons.
Same day and next day options are available for local LTL in metro markets.
What is the difference between LTL and FTL?
LTL (less than truckload) moves 1 to 12 pallets on shared trucks. FTL (full truckload) gives you a dedicated trailer for 13 or more pallets or any shipment that fills a truck.
LTL costs less per shipment but takes longer because freight is consolidated at facilities. FTL is direct from origin to destination.
How do I track my LTL shipment?
Warp provides live GPS tracking, scan events at every touchpoint, and proof of delivery photos with electronic signatures on every LTL shipment. Our AI backbone, Orbit, monitors loads in real time and flags exceptions before your team has to ask.
Enterprise shippers can receive all updates via TMS integration through API.
About the Warp freight network
Warp is a technology-driven freight network that combines cargo van, box truck, LTL, and FTL capacity under one operating system. Shippers get instant rates, real-time tracking, and access to 50+ cross-dock facilities, 1,500+ active lanes, and 9,000+ cargo vans and box trucks nationwide.
The network is supported by 20,000+ vetted carrier partners.
Unlike traditional brokers, Warp uses AI to match the right vehicle to every load based on weight, dimensions, urgency, and cost targets. Cross-dock operations reduce transit time by eliminating unnecessary terminal transfers.
Pool distribution and zone-skipping programs help enterprise shippers lower per-unit delivery costs while maintaining tight appointment windows.
Self-serve shippers can quote, compare, and book freight online in under two minutes. Enterprise accounts get dedicated capacity planning, committed rate programs, and a named operations team. Every shipment includes scan-level visibility from pickup through final delivery.
Warp operates across the contiguous United States with regional density in the Southeast, Texas, Midwest, and Northeast corridors.
Cross-dock facilities in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York, Savannah, Orlando, Charlotte, Indianapolis, Columbus, Denver, New Orleans, and Milwaukee support faster transfers and fewer touches on recurring lanes.
Freight modes and vehicle types
Cargo vans handle loads up to 3,500 pounds and 400 cubic feet, ideal for time-sensitive deliveries, last-mile retail replenishment, and lightweight palletized freight.
Box trucks carry up to 10,000 pounds and 1,500 cubic feet, fitting most regional distribution and store delivery needs without requiring a loading dock.
Dry vans and full truckloads move 42,000+ pounds for high-volume lanes and recurring programs. LTL shipments share trailer space on optimized routes through Warp cross-docks, reducing per-pallet cost by consolidating multiple shippers on the same vehicle.
Warp does not default every shipment to a 53-foot trailer. The AI engine evaluates load weight, cube, delivery window, and cost to recommend the right vehicle. Shippers see all available mode options with live pricing in one comparison screen before booking.
Cross-dock operations
Cross-docking at Warp facilities eliminates warehouse storage. Inbound freight is sorted and transferred directly to outbound vehicles, typically within hours.
This reduces dwell time, lowers damage risk, and compresses delivery windows. Warp cross-docks support pallet-in, pallet-out operations with scan-level tracking at every handoff point.
Facility locations are selected for corridor density: Atlanta handles Southeast retail flow, Chicago serves Midwest manufacturing and replenishment, Houston covers Texas industrial distribution, and New York supports dense Northeast delivery. Each facility operates on appointment-based scheduling to prevent congestion and maintain throughput consistency.
Enterprise freight programs
Enterprise shippers get committed rate programs, dedicated account management, and custom SLA design. Warp builds lane-by-lane rate structures that account for volume commitments, seasonal variation, and mode flexibility. Operations teams monitor shipment execution daily and intervene proactively when exceptions occur.
Self-serve freight quoting
The self-serve portal lets shippers enter origin and destination, load details, and delivery requirements to see live rates across all available modes. Quotes include estimated transit time, vehicle type, and total cost.
Booking takes one click. After booking, shippers track every shipment with real-time GPS location, milestone updates, and proof of delivery documentation.
Industries and use cases
Retail shippers use Warp for store replenishment programs that deliver to hundreds of locations per week on tight appointment windows. Apparel brands use zone skipping to bypass regional parcel sortation and reduce per-unit delivery cost.
Food and beverage companies rely on time-definite delivery for perishable goods. Manufacturing operations use Warp for inbound vendor consolidation, combining multiple supplier shipments into fewer, fuller loads through cross-dock facilities.
Distribution companies use pool distribution to serve multiple delivery points from a single origin, splitting full truckloads at cross-docks into smaller last-mile vehicles.
Urgent freight recovery covers emergency capacity needs when primary carriers fail or demand spikes unexpectedly. Middle-mile optimization reduces cost and transit time on the longest segment of multi-leg shipments.
Ship your LTL freight today.
Enter your pallet count, weight, and dimensions. Get an instant all inclusive LTL rate and book in minutes. No freight class required.
1 to 12 pallets · All inclusive pricing · 99.1% on time · Trusted by Walmart, Saks Fifth Avenue, and 2,000+ shippers