Same-day dockless local LTL freight. Metro pallet delivery without the terminal network.
Warp moves 1 to 12 pallets within metro areas using local 3rd-party carriers on the Warp driver app. Direct multistop pickup and delivery, no terminal stop, no multi-day transit. Same-day and next-day, per-pallet pricing, all-inclusive.
Same-day standard · 9,000+ vehicles · 50+ metros · 98.2% on-time · All-inclusive per-pallet pricing
Live all-inclusive rates
What is local LTL and why traditional LTL fails at it
Local LTL is less-than-truckload freight that moves within a single metro area, typically 1 to 12 pallets traveling under 100 miles between origin and delivery. On paper it should be the easiest freight in the country to move.
In practice it is the worst-served segment of the LTL market. Traditional LTL carriers route every shipment through their terminal network regardless of how short the move is.
A 35-mile Chicago delivery gets loaded onto a pickup truck, driven to a terminal, unloaded, staged on a dock, reloaded onto a line haul trailer, moved to a destination terminal, unloaded again, staged again, loaded onto a delivery truck, and finally delivered.
Three days of transit for a move that should take three hours. That is not a service failure. That is the business model.
How Warp handles local LTL differently
Warp skips the terminal network entirely. For local LTL moves, Warp goes dockless. A local 3rd-party carrier on the Warp driver app runs a direct multistop pickup and delivery on a shared vehicle.
Your pallets get picked up alongside other shipments heading the same direction and delivered directly. No terminal stop, no dock staging, no multi-day wait for trailer builds.
The driver gets route guidance, pickup and delivery instructions, barcode scan prompts, and proof of delivery workflows through the app. You get a scan event at pickup, live GPS tracking during transit, and photos plus e-signature on delivery.
Same-day and next-day intra-metro freight
Because the terminal network is skipped, most Warp local LTL ships same-day or next-day within the metro. Loads tendered before the morning cutoff can typically be picked up and delivered the same business day.
Same-day service depends on pallet count, vehicle availability, and pickup timing, so early tender wins. Next-day is standard.
Warp operates 9,000+ box trucks and cargo vans across 50+ major markets, with liftgate-equipped vehicles available for deliveries to stores, restaurants, and urban addresses without loading docks.
Per-pallet pricing is all-inclusive: no fuel surcharges, no terminal handling fees, no dock-level adjustments, no accessorials for standard residential or commercial delivery.
Technology on every local LTL load
The same Warp technology stack that powers long-haul shipments runs on local LTL. The driver app captures pallet scans, GPS position updates, delivery photos, and e-signatures.
Orbit — Warp’s AI operations backbone — monitors every load in real time, flagging late pickups, missed scans, route deviations, and delivery exceptions before your team has to ask.
Your TMS receives scan events, ETA updates, and delivery confirmations through Warp’s API.
For recurring local routes, the Work Queue assigns consistent drivers to your lanes so the same carrier shows up week after week and learns your facility, your dock rules, and your delivery windows.
Warp local LTL vs traditional terminal LTL vs couriers
Three common options cover local pallet freight: traditional LTL carriers (Old Dominion, Saia, XPO, Estes, FedEx Freight), dedicated courier and hotshot services, and Warp local LTL.
Traditional LTL is the default but is slow and expensive for local moves because the terminal network adds cost and transit time.
Couriers and hotshot services are fast but expensive and unpredictable at scale because pricing is negotiated per-load and capacity depends on who has a truck sitting idle.
Warp local LTL runs like a courier in speed (direct multistop, no terminal) but prices like LTL (per-pallet, all-inclusive, transparent) and uses the same scan, tracking, and API integrations as the enterprise network.
You get courier speed at LTL economics.
Use cases for local LTL
Store replenishment: move pallets from a DC or cross-dock to retail stores within the metro, same-day or next-day, with scan events at every dock.
Restaurant and food service delivery: temperature-sensitive pallet freight into commercial kitchens, with liftgate and pallet jack delivery where docks are not available.
Distribution center transfers: move pallets between warehouses inside the metro when inventory needs to rebalance overnight.
Urgent inventory moves: production shortfalls, buffer stock repositioning, and expedite loads that cannot wait for a terminal transit.
Same-day ecommerce delivery: 1 to 12 pallets of DTC inventory moving from a local 3PL or DC into a regional sort facility.
Commercial site deliveries: construction materials, industrial parts, printshop supplies, and office furniture moving into urban commercial addresses.
Pricing: per-pallet, all-inclusive, no fuel surcharges
Warp prices local LTL per pallet. There is no freight class, no NMFC code lookup, no density calculation, no fuel surcharge added at invoice, and no accessorial charges for standard pickup and delivery. The quote is the invoice.
For self-serve shippers, enter pallet count, weight, dimensions, pickup ZIP, and delivery ZIP to get an instant rate.
For enterprise shippers with recurring local volume, your Warp rep builds a custom rate card with locked per-pallet pricing on your lanes, SLAs on pickup and delivery timing, and integration with your TMS or OMS.
Most enterprise programs switch from traditional LTL because per-pallet pricing is more predictable than class-based pricing, even at similar headline rates.
Coverage and market depth
Warp covers local LTL in 50+ US metro markets including all tier-1 cities and most tier-2.
Depth varies by market: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, LA, Miami, New York, and Phoenix have the highest vehicle density and shortest same-day tender cutoffs. Smaller markets have capacity but longer lead times on same-day moves.
For cities without a Warp cross-dock footprint, freight still moves on the local carrier network using the same dockless multistop model — the cross-dock only matters for consolidation loads that need to merge with line-haul traffic.
Explore your market below or get an instant quote for a specific origin-destination pair.
Frequently asked questions
What does Warp mean by local LTL?
Local LTL is less-than-truckload pallet freight moving within a single metro area, typically 1 to 12 pallets traveling under 100 miles origin to delivery.
Warp runs local LTL dockless — direct multistop pickup and delivery on a shared vehicle, no terminal stop, no multi-day transit.
The driver is a local 3rd-party carrier operating through the Warp driver app with live GPS, scan events, photos, and e-signature proof of delivery.
How fast is local LTL delivery with Warp?
Same-day delivery is standard within the metro when loads are tendered before the morning cutoff. Next-day is standard for loads tendered in the afternoon.
Because Warp skips the terminal network, local LTL transit times are measured in hours instead of the 2 to 5 days typical for traditional terminal LTL carriers on the same lane.
How is Warp local LTL priced?
Per pallet, all-inclusive. There is no freight class, no NMFC code, no fuel surcharge at invoice, and no accessorial fees for standard pickup or delivery.
Enter pallet count, weight, dimensions, pickup ZIP, and delivery ZIP on the self-serve quote page for an instant rate. Enterprise shippers with recurring volume get a custom contracted rate card from their Warp rep.
How does dockless work — do I need a loading dock?
Dockless means your freight does not route through a Warp cross-dock facility on local moves. It does not mean you need a dock at pickup or delivery.
Warp dispatches liftgate-equipped vehicles for locations without docks, and drivers handle pallet jack delivery to the curb or into accessible interior locations. Specify lift gate and inside delivery at quote time if needed.
Who are the drivers on local LTL loads?
Local 3rd-party carriers in the origin market who operate through the Warp driver app. These are vetted carriers in the Warp network, not random trucks pulled off a load board.
For recurring routes, the Work Queue assigns consistent drivers so the same carrier runs your lane week after week and learns your facility rules, dock hours, and delivery windows.
Can I track Warp local LTL through my TMS?
Yes. Warp pushes scan events, GPS updates, ETA changes, and delivery confirmations to your TMS, OMS, or WMS via REST API. Webhooks are available for real-time push into custom systems.
Orbit, the Warp AI operations layer, also flags late pickups, missed scans, and delivery exceptions proactively so your team does not have to check manually.
What happens if pickup or delivery is missed?
Orbit flags missed pickups or delivery exceptions in real time and routes them to the dispatch team. Warp’s support team reaches out to the shipper with a new ETA and a recovery plan.
Because the network is dispatch-controlled rather than dependent on a single driver, recovery usually means another local carrier picks up the load the same day. Enterprise accounts get SLAs that spell out response time and credit policy.
Which cities does Warp cover for local LTL?
Warp covers local LTL in 50+ US metro markets including all tier-1 cities (Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, LA, Miami, New York, Phoenix, Seattle, and more) and most tier-2 cities.
Vehicle density, same-day tender cutoffs, and rate availability vary by market. See the market grid below for the cities with dedicated Warp local LTL pages.
Does Warp handle hazmat or temperature-controlled local LTL?
Warp does not handle hazmat on any mode, including local LTL. Hazmat shipments must be routed to a specialty hazmat-certified 3PL or broker. Temperature-controlled local LTL is available in markets with reefer-equipped vehicles.
Contact your Warp rep or note reefer requirements on the quote to confirm capability on your lane.
What is the difference between Warp local LTL and Warp cross-dock LTL?
Local LTL moves within a metro area, skips the terminal network, and typically runs dockless on a direct multistop shared vehicle.
Cross-dock LTL is for cross-metro and cross-country moves that consolidate through a Warp cross-dock facility for line haul.
Both use the same per-pallet pricing model and the same Warp driver app, but they solve different distance and consolidation problems.
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.
Get same-day local LTL rates.
Enter pallet count, weight, and pickup/delivery ZIPs for an instant per-pallet rate. No freight class, no surcharges, no phone calls.
Same-day standard · 9,000+ vehicles · 50+ metros · 98.2% on-time · All-inclusive per-pallet pricing