Shipping basics
LTL vs FTL: Which Should You Use?
June 26, 2026 · Updated September 26, 2026 · 5 min read
LTL (less-than-truckload) means your pallets share a trailer and you pay for your share. FTL (full truckload) means you book the whole trailer. Which one is cheaper depends mostly on how much of the trailer you fill, and the LTL carriers publish the lines where they start charging you for the space anyway. Here is how each is priced, and how to tell which side of the line your shipment is on.
How each one is priced
| LTL | FTL | |
|---|---|---|
| Priced on | Freight class, weight and lane, minus a discount, plus fuel and extras | The whole truck on your lane |
| Freight class | Yes: density decides much of the price | No |
| Route | Through the carrier's terminals, with transfers | Pickup straight to delivery |
| Handling | Loaded and unloaded at each terminal | Loaded once, unloaded once |
For LTL, start with your freight class: density sets the class, and the class sets the rate. For how an LTL rate is built step by step, see LTL freight.
How much a full truck holds
A 53-foot dry van is about 630 inches long inside and carries about 42,000 to 45,000 lb. Standard 48 × 40 pallets fit 26 on the floor loaded straight (13 rows of 2), or up to 30 when turned, according to trailer makers ATS and Hale Trailer. Every pair of pallets loaded straight uses 4 feet of trailer length. Use the truck load calculator to see how many of your pallets fit.
Where LTL stops being LTL
LTL carriers do not let a big shipment ride forever as a share of the trailer. Each one has a capacity-load or lineal-foot rule in its tariff, and past that line it charges for the space as a block:
- XPO: from 14 feet of a 28-foot pup trailer (with the load at least 49 in wide and 51 in high).
- FedEx Freight: 15 feet or more of trailer at 5 feet wide, or over 15,000 lb.
- R+L Carriers: more than 16 feet of trailer.
- Estes and Old Dominion: 20 feet or more, or 20,000 lb or more.
- Saia: 21 feet or more, or 20,000 lb or more.
With pallets two across, 8 pallets take 16 feet and 10 pallets take 20 feet. So somewhere between about 7 and 11 standard pallets, depending on the carrier, an LTL shipment starts to be billed like a partial truck. That is the point to ask for three prices: standard LTL, a volume LTL quote, and a truckload.
When LTL wins
A few pallets, well under the capacity-load lines, going to a normal business address. You pay only for your share, and a dense load earns a low class. Light, bulky freight is where LTL can hurt: every major carrier sets a minimum charge for low-density shipments over a few hundred cubic feet, so check those rules on our carrier pages first.
When FTL wins
When you fill a large part of the trailer, when the goods are fragile enough that fewer transfers matter, or when the date is fixed and you want the truck to go straight there. A truckload price does not depend on freight class, which helps light, bulky goods that would rate a high class as LTL.
For a shipment in between, don't guess. Build one request and send the same numbers to LTL carriers and truckload brokers with the freight quote builder, so the prices you get back can be compared line by line.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between LTL and FTL?
LTL (less-than-truckload) shares a trailer with other shippers and is priced by freight class, weight and lane. FTL (full truckload) books the whole trailer for one shipment, priced for the truck on your lane, whatever you load into it.
At what point is FTL cheaper than LTL?
There is no fixed number, but the LTL carriers' own rules show where to start comparing. Their capacity-load rules begin at 14 to 21 feet of trailer or 15,000 to 20,000 lb, depending on the carrier. Once a shipment gets near those lines, get a truckload quote as well as a volume LTL quote.
How many pallets fill a 53-foot truck?
26 standard 48 × 40 pallets loaded straight, two across in 13 rows, or up to 30 when they are turned, according to trailer makers ATS and Hale Trailer. A 53-foot van carries about 42,000 to 45,000 lb of cargo.
What is a capacity load in LTL?
It is the point where an LTL carrier stops pricing your freight as a share of the trailer and charges for the space as a block. XPO starts at 14 feet of a 28-foot trailer, FedEx Freight at 15 feet, R+L past 16 feet, Estes and Old Dominion at 20 feet and Saia at 21 feet, or at 15,000 to 20,000 lb.