Less than Truckload

Less-than-truckload, also known as or less-than-load (LTL), is a shipping service for relatively small loads or quantities of freight. Less-than-truckload services are offered by many large, national parcel services as well as by specialized
Often, a company will not wait until a WHOLESALE is running low on product inventory to ship a full truckload of replenished goods. Instead, it will more frequently ship less-than-truckload to mitigate the risk of the potential loss of sales from lack of inventory for its distant customers. The shipping costs of its goods may be incrementally higher, and the delivery time may be longer than for a dedicated full truckload, but the trade-off is more dependable inventory availability.

Firms providing less-than-truckload services can range from specialized services that target a particular audience—say, a business that serves urban markets throughout a certain region—to large, national truck transportation companies that carry a client company's goods across the country.