FedEx Freight’s “targeted volume controls” on select shippers amplify industry-wide less-than-truckload capacity constraints that are reshaping the LTL business and sending rates soaring.
LTL Trucking Logistics
LTL Trucking Logistics
News pertaining to the transportation and logistics services provided by LTL (Less than truckload shipping or less than load (LTL) carriers, which transport relatively small freight. The alternatives to LTL carriers are parcel carriers or full truckload carriers. Parcel carriers usually handle small packages and freight that can be broken down into units less than 150 pounds (68 kg). Full truckload carriers move freight that is loaded into a semi-trailer. Semi-trailers are typically between 26 and 53 feet (7.92 and 16.15 m) and require a substantial amount of freight to make such transportation economical
Finally, the most commonly referenced LTL are shipments via “common” carriers that handle freight above what would normally ship via FedEx Ground, or UPS or U.S. Mail parcel services (about 150 pounds), to just under what would usually be considered a Truck Load at about 20,000 pounds or more than 14 pallets. LTL common carriers are also more likely to accept loose (non-palletized) cargo than the other two. The biggest of the LTL “Common” Carriers are the Freight divisions of FedEx and UPS, and YRC Freight (Formerly Yellow Freight and Roadway). Other large national carriers include YRC, FedEx Freight, or UPS Freight, such as: Old Dominion Freight Lines, Saia, or Estes-Express to name a few.
Top 25 LTL Trucking Companies
Webcasts
Jun 17, 2021 2:00PM EDT
Jun 24, 2021 2:00PM EDT
Jun 8, 2021 1:00PM EDT
News & Analysis
16 Jun 2021
Vancouver-based Freightera, an online trucking marketplace, has found that more environmentally friendly motor carriers are often lower in cost as well.
11 Jun 2021
CEO Darren Hawkins pledges cooperation with congressional subcommittee investigating its $700 million loan and defends Yellow’s claim to be a major military trucking supplier, saying CARES Act saved critical LTL capacity as well as jobs.
04 Jun 2021
The US for-hire trucking industry has added 25,100 jobs over the past three months, but the US economy appears to be expanding faster than trucking recruiters can hire workers.
03 Jun 2021
Double-digit year-over-year increases in volume and revenue at Old Dominion Freight Line set a benchmark for US economic and LTL sector growth since the worst point of the recession.
21 May 2021
Less-than-truckload carriers are becoming a transload option for importers forced to choose between speed and cost of delivery amid port congestion and intermodal delays.
19 May 2021
US shippers and truckers are struggling to expand their trailer pools as demand for drop-and-hook trailer service rises and manufacturing backlogs stretch into 2022.
14 May 2021
Regional LTL carrier A. Duie Pyle is expanding its integrated logistics center in Hagerstown, Maryland, as existing customers seek more services, including managed transportation and warehousing.
12 May 2021
Transportation and warehousing firms losing employees may be competing more often with contractor-based gig economy businesses; trucking, however, is expanding its payroll.
04 May 2021
A partnership between AscendTMS and uShip to combine instant LTL capacity with truckload capacity is designed to enable shippers that typically struggle to secure space from LTL regional and national carriers.
04 May 2021
B2B firms and manufacturers report increasing demand despite no relief from delivery delays, rising raw materials, and transportation costs.
03 May 2021
US LTL pricing continues its climb, as inflationary pressures from driver wages to the cost of purchased transportation accelerate rate hikes. Both carriers and 3PLs report high LTL volumes.
30 Apr 2021
Estes Express Lines is gaining new business near seaports, but the fourth-largest LTL carrier is also investing in infrastructure, technology, and people, propelling its growth ahead of competitors.
28 Apr 2021
Freight broker and forwarder C.H. Robinson is growing LTL volume "faster than the marketplace” as US shippers scramble to find available capacity for shipments.
22 Apr 2021
The second-largest standalone US LTL carrier says it will build four to six additional terminals this year, as demand for retail and industrial freight pushes LTL carriers to expand.
21 Apr 2021
The 50 largest US trucking operators increased combined revenue 7.4 percent in a recession as consumers drove frenzied freight demand.
20 Apr 2021
Unadjusted US tonnage data from the American Trucking Associations shows freight returned to the highways after a frozen February, propelling truck spot pricing to a new ceiling.
19 Apr 2021
The asset-light, long-haul LTL carrier Roadrunner Freight is pursuing 'enterprise’ shippers as well as 3PLs as it re-engineers its network while focusing on service quality and operating margins.
13 Apr 2021
Darrel Harris joined the former YRC Worldwide in November and will now lead efforts to transform Yellow into a profitable multi-regional less-than-truckload carrier.
05 Apr 2021
US trucking companies reversed a three-month decline in jobs in March, but they haven’t escaped the employment crater created by the COVID-19 pandemic and recession.
01 Apr 2021
US trucking companies already running at full capacity will soon be receiving even more freight as manufacturing activity expands.
30 Mar 2021
Truck driver pay is improving, and that may be keeping more drivers behind the wheel, rather than jumping from job to job.
23 Mar 2021
A veteran of freight broker GlobalTranz has landed an $8 million funding round to enhance a multi-carrier marketplace and transportation management system for less-than-truckload shippers.
16 Mar 2021
Tight truck capacity is a prime reason for the growth of dedicated trucking, but not the only one. Shippers are using dedicated as a tool to influence customers and reshape supply chains.
16 Mar 2021
Although the less-than-truckload sector is experiencing unprecedented growth thanks to changes in the e-commerce supply chain, it is still operating with the shackles of decades past and has largely been shielded from new entrants.
11 Mar 2021
US freight demand is “through the roof” after supply chains broke down during February’s winter storms, trucking companies say. More freight may be shifting from spot markets to contractual partners as networks are restored.
11 Mar 2021
Small regional or localized LTL carriers may also be riding the e-commerce wave, providing capacity for local fulfillment and delivery, while their larger competitors carve out middle-mile business.
05 Mar 2021
The transportation and warehousing sector lost fewer jobs than anticipated in February, but trucking companies saw deeper than expected job losses in a storm-wracked month.
03 Mar 2021
To secure capacity, truck shippers must offer freight that ‘fits’ a carrier’s network of lanes, vehicles, and drivers, speakers at a virtual TPM21 panel said.
02 Mar 2021
Old Dominion Freight Line in February handled more and heavier LTL shipments than a year ago as shippers hit hard by winter storms searched for truck capacity.
25 Feb 2021
COVID-related dock bans on truck drivers and greater use of digital receipts are leading to more clashes over short or damaged shipments, according to speakers at a T&LC webinar.
22 Feb 2021
Less-than-truckload carrier Yellow is opening 12 driver training schools as operators across the US trucking industry are struggling to find enough experienced drivers to satisfy growing industrial and retail freight demand.
17 Feb 2021
Texas is the epicenter of supply-chain damage caused by Winter Storm Uri, but the disruption is being felt nationwide. Mexican imports by truck may be delayed for days.
12 Feb 2021
Old Dominion Freight Line is closely following big box retail customers, adding new service centers as e-commerce spurs construction of new distribution centers.
08 Feb 2021
The loss of 84,300 trucking and warehousing jobs in January -- actual numbers before seasonal adjustment -- makes prospects for tighter capacity and higher rates for US shippers in the months ahead more certain.
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