There are hundreds of LTL or less-than-truckload freight carriers in the United States, making it challenging to choose the best LTL company for your business. Here is everything you need to know about the best LTL companies.

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How to find the best LTL company

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LTL or less-than-truckload freight is an integral part of many companies’ supply chains and logistics networks, and working with the best LTL company can make a difference in some industries. These are the top considerations when finding the best LTL company for your business.

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1. LTL transit times

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LTL transit times sometimes take longer because LTL freight carriers also carry other customers’ freight and may need to stop at other terminals or destinations.

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Check if the LTL company or carrier has a reputation for delays or missed deliveries. On-time delivery and reliability are essential. The best LTL companies will offer reliable estimates or average transit times for your route when you get a quote. 

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Best-in-class LTL companies like Mothership will provide alerts and real-time tracking for every shipment. Mothership also boasts a 97% on-time rate, contributing to deliveries as quickly as 11 times faster than other LTL companies.

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2. LTL pricing and shipping costs

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LTL deliveries are generally cost-efficient for businesses because the freight carrier can consolidate multiple shipments into one truck. Instead of hiring an entire truck, shippers only pay for the portion or volume of the truck that their goods take up with an LTL shipment.

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LTL companies calculate shipping costs and freight rates using the cargo’s weight and volume, the route or freight lane distance, and the freight classification.

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The best LTL companies or carriers offer transparent rates and provide quotes in a few minutes without the need to work through a freight broker or another intermediary. They should also provide accurate rates upfront and keep additional charges, rebills or adjustment charges after the fact only when required to give businesses certainty and confidence with their shipments.

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Some LTL companies or carriers offer discounts for contracts or the quantity or frequency of shipments. It never hurts to ask about pricing. For example, Mothership cuts final-mile freight costs by up to 50% and provides transparent pricing upfront with no hidden fees.

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3. LTL coverage and network areas

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The LTL industry is large and fragmented. Many LTL carriers are small and may focus on carrying only a specific type of freight or transporting freight in limited service networks of certain regions, city pairs or freight lanes.

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Large or nationwide LTL carriers may not always be a sure bet for shippers, as the LTL industry is changing rapidly because of mergers, acquisitions and even some company shutdowns and bankruptcies.

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The best LTL company or carrier has an extensive network of trucks, hubs and terminals to serve a robust area. Notably, Mothership has the largest box-truck network in the U.S., with about 120,000 trucks nationwide.

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4. LTL damage rates and freight claims

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Multiple customers can share the same truck in an LTL freight shipment, increasing the risk of damage. The best LTL companies or carriers keep your freight secure and limit handling to what is necessary.

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Look into an LTL company or carrier’s historical damage rate. Ask if they regularly work with fragile shipments or delicate or high-value goods, as those companies will usually be better at avoiding lost or damaged freight.

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Don’t forget to evaluate an LTL company’s claims process. It should be straightforward to make a claim, and the coverage or protections available should be enough to cover your freight’s value.

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The best LTL companies might also offer freight insurance at a low cost. Mothership offers freight insurance for as little as 13 cents for every $100 of cargo value and even covers cargo theft.

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5. LTL customer service

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Freight and shipping can be complex, but working with an LTL company or carrier should not be difficult. 

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The best LTL company should have accessible and responsive customer support or an intuitive interface where you can get the answers and details about the shipments without asking the company. For comparison, Mothership has a U.S.-based customer support team of LTL-industry experts and responds to inquiries in 60 seconds.

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Who is the best LTL company or carrier?

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The best LTL company can deliver your freight with little or no damage in the shortest time and at the lowest cost. Thousands of shippers rely on Mothership because they can book shipments in less than one minute and instantly dispatch their freight to the nearest carrier from a pool of well-vetted LTL carriers.

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For context, Mothership is a tech marketplace matching freight with top carriers for more reliable, lightning-fast deliveries nationwide, specializing in less-than-truckload and same-day shipments. Working with Mothership takes the guesswork out of choosing the best freight carrier, helping shippers avoid costly mistakes from unreliable shipping companies, pricey rates from brokers and markups from other supply chain and logistics industry intermediaries.

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What is LTL freight?

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LTL, or less-than-truckload freight, is the movement of different goods from multiple customers on the same truck or shipment. The shipping method commonly refers to an amount of freight, typically pallets, which are between individual packages or parcels and an entire truckload of cargo.

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Small and medium-sized businesses in industries as varied as apparel and fashion, building materials, commercial appliances and cooling, consumer-packaged goods, furniture distribution and medical supplies often use LTL shipping to move goods to and from various distribution centers or even deliver directly to consumers’ residences and convention centers.

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LTL can refer to the amount of freight moved or the freight carriers that move the cargo, as some freight carriers specialize in delivering less-than-truckload quantities of cargo.

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Can you send refrigerated freight through LTL?

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Many LTL carriers specialize in moving refrigerated or temperature-controlled goods, including alcohol, beverages, food, pharmaceuticals and other perishable items. Refrigerated or temperature-controlled freight is often carried on refrigerated trailers or reefers to keep a consistent temperature in transit.

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Shipping refrigerated or temperature-controlled goods typically cost more than standard LTL freight shipments because of the specialized equipment and the extra care and handling needed. Demand for refrigerated trailers, seasonality and the required turnaround time can also impact shipping rates.

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Rick Chen is the director, communications at Mothership. He was previously the head of communications or company spokesperson for Credit Karma, Gusto, Metromile and Blind and has been featured in accounting, HR, insurance and tech trade publications and national outlets like CNBC, Forbes, Lifehacker, Reuters, Rolling Stone and more.