What Is FTL Shipping?

Full truckload (FTL) shipping is the movement of freight in a trailer dedicated entirely to one shipper's goods — from a single pickup location to a single delivery destination, without intermediate stops or shared space. If your freight fills a trailer, or if your shipment needs to move direct without being handled at carrier terminals, FTL is almost certainly the right mode.

How a full truckload move works

A truckload move has four steps: booking, pickup, transit, and delivery.

At booking, a shipper tenders a load to a carrier — either a contracted carrier from their routing guide, or a spot carrier found through a broker or load board. The tender includes the pickup address and date, the delivery address and requested date, the freight description (commodity, weight, piece count), and any special instructions (temperature requirements, hazmat status, appointment requirements).

At pickup, the carrier dispatches a driver to the origin facility. The driver arrives at the scheduled appointment time, backs into a dock door, and the shipper's team loads the trailer. When loading is complete, the driver and the shipper's representative sign the bill of lading, documenting that the freight was received in good order. The driver seals the trailer and departs.

In transit, the driver operates under FMCSA Hours of Service regulations — a maximum of 11 hours of driving in a 14-hour on-duty window, followed by a mandatory 10-hour off-duty break. This means a single driver covers approximately 450 to 550 miles per day. Lanes over 600 miles typically require two driving days.

At delivery, the driver backs into the consignee's dock. The consignee's team unloads the trailer. When unloading is complete, the consignee signs the proof of delivery (POD), confirming receipt. If the freight arrived damaged or short, exceptions must be noted on the POD before signing.

What equipment is used

Most dry freight moves in a 53-foot dry van trailer, which provides roughly 2,500 cubic feet of cargo space and can legally carry 44,000 to 46,000 pounds of payload (within the 80,000-pound federal gross vehicle weight limit). Standard floor loading fits 26 to 30 standard pallets.

Temperature-controlled freight moves in a refrigerated trailer (reefer), which has insulated walls and a diesel-powered refrigeration unit. For open-deck freight — machinery, building materials, oversize loads — flatbed and step-deck trailers are used. This site focuses on dry van and reefer. For open-deck freight, see flatbedeasy.com.

How FTL rates are set

Truckload rates are quoted as a flat amount per load — not per pound or per hundred pounds. A carrier bids on a lane (origin to destination) based on the expected mileage, fuel cost, driver cost, and the market rate for capacity on that lane at that time.

There are two rate types: contract and spot. Contract rates are negotiated in advance for a lane and period, providing price stability in exchange for volume commitment. Spot rates are quoted for a single load and reflect current market conditions — tight capacity pushes spot rates above contract; loose capacity pulls them below.

The total invoice adds a fuel surcharge — calculated as a percentage of the linehaul rate, tied to a published diesel price index — plus any applicable accessorials (detention, liftgate, driver assist, etc.).

What makes FTL different from LTL

The key differences: FTL is door-to-door with no terminal stops, so transit is faster and freight handling is limited to loading and unloading (two events). LTL moves through a network of terminals and is handled five or more times. FTL freight arrives in the condition it was loaded; LTL freight is subject to more handling risk.

For a side-by-side comparison, see the FTL vs. LTL guide.

When to use FTL

FTL is the right choice when freight fills more than half a trailer; when transit time, appointment reliability, or handling sensitivity matter more than per-unit cost; or when the freight has characteristics — unusual dimensions, high value, temperature sensitivity, fragility — that make LTL handling impractical.

The most common mistake shippers make is defaulting to LTL for medium-weight shipments without comparing FTL cost and transit. For loads over 10,000 pounds on lanes longer than 500 miles, FTL is frequently competitive on cost and consistently superior on transit and handling.