Trucking services are a form of ground freight that move cargo from point A to point B over land. Trucks use shipping routes to move goods throughout the United States to deliver shipments for various industries. Shipping by truck allows you to move large or small shipments, as well as shipments that require special conditions. Shipping by truck can also be very economical, especially if departing from a major port such as Los Angeles or New York City.
Different Types of Trucking Services
There are many trucking services to choose from, each with its own benefits and drawbacks. To have your cargo delivered quickly, safely and economically you need to understand your options. Then you can determine which trucking method fits your business’s needs.
LTL or Partial Truckload
This option is for shippers whose cargo does not fill an entire truck, but is over 100lbs. Less than Truckload shipping, LTL, allows shippers to put their goods on a truck along with others where they only pay for the space they use. This option is an economical way to ship goods over land that does not require an entire truck. Yet, you will have less control of shipping routes and timing since you are sharing the cargo space with others.
FTL or Full Truckload
Full Truckload is a great shipping option when you have a shipment that fills a full freight trailer (typically measuring 8’-8.5’ wide, 12.5’-13.5’ high, and 40’-53’ long) or you need a dedicated truck trailer just for your goods. Selecting to ship FTL allows you to have more control over truck route and timing than LTL shipping.
Flat Bed Trucking Service
Flat bed trucks are ideal for easy loading and unloading of cargo. This type of truck is ideal for transporting goods already packaged into shipping containers, vehicles or other materials that are not susceptible to weather. Industries such as construction and farming industry typically use flatbed trucking services to ship their oversized machinery and building supplies.
Refrigerated Trucks or Reefer Trucks
Temperature controlled trucking services are needed to move perishable goods. These trucks are ideal for shipping produce, meats, cheeses, fish and poultry. The pharmaceutical, medical and chemical industry also use temperature controlled trucks to move their perishable cargo. These special types of trucks can allow you to control a variety of conditions, such as temperature and humidity. They also allow for special monitoring and tracking giving you peace of mind and offer FTL or LTL options.
Intermodal Freight Shipping
This method of shipping means that your goods are shipped using multiple modes of transport. For instance, using rail and trucking services may provide the most economical solution. While rail shipping can be fast, dependable and economical, it also has limitations in the destinations it can deliver the goods. That is when having a trucking service make the final delivery to a specific location makes sense. For example, a shipping container could be transported by rail from New York to Nebraska and then by truck to Norfolk, NE.
Expedited Trucking Service
This is also known as Straight Truck Delivery Service and is a method for getting cargo from Point A to Point B in a hurry anywhere and anytime. This method is useful when cargo is too large or too fragile to ship by air freight, but still needs to get to its destination fast.
White Glove Service
This specialty service is ideal for shipping delicate items or when you need someone to take care of the packing and unpacking of the items for you. Unlike standard freight services that will pick up the cargo curbside already packaged, white glove services will arrive at a designated location, pack and load the items for you. They will transport the items by truck to the destination, then unpack the items and remove all of the packing materials from your business. It is a complete solution.
How to Choose the Trucking Service Right for Your next Domestic Shipment?
When choosing the best trucking service for your next shipment there are a series of factors you need to consider. Your answers to these questions will allow you to determine what the best method of freight shipping is for you. Have these answers handy when you contact your cargo shipping service to schedule your shipment.
- What are the pickup and delivery locations?
- What is your budget?
- What is the shipment size?
- How fast you need your items delivered?
- Does the cargo require special conditions?
- Do you need or want someone to handle the packing and unpacking for you?
Using a Freight Forwarder to Ship Your Domestic Cargo by Truck
A freight forwarder is a logistics expert that can help plan your next shipment for you. They have industry relationships that will arrange the trucking service to best match your needs and get your cargo to its destination quickly and safely. A freight forwarder, like Mach 1 Global Services, takes the guesswork out of shipping by truck and will provide you with the most effective, stress-free shipping solution.
