Full truckload shipping is the simplest concept in freight - and one of the most operationally consequential decisions a growing business makes. You book an entire trailer. Your freight is the only freight on it. It moves directly from your dock to your customer’s dock without terminal stops, consolidation, or any of the hub-and-spoke handling that defines LTL. That simplicity is why FTL exists, and why it remains the backbone of North American freight movement.
But the simplicity of the concept masks the complexity of executing it well. Choosing the right equipment (dry van, flatbed, reefer, step deck), understanding how FTL pricing works (market-rate, not class-based), knowing when FTL beats LTL on total cost, and vetting carriers across a market of 750,000+ active trucking companies - these are the decisions that determine whether FTL shipping is efficient or expensive for your operation.
This guide covers everything a shipper needs to know about full truckload freight: what it is, when to use it, how equipment types differ, how rates are structured, how FTL compares to LTL, and what to look for in a truckload carrier or broker. If you ship LTL today and are evaluating whether FTL makes sense for some or all of your lanes, this is the starting point.
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For LTL shipping, see our Ultimate LTL Freight Guide.
FTL stands for full truckload. It is a freight shipping mode in which a single shipper books the entire capacity of a truck trailer - typically a 53-foot or 48-foot trailer - for one shipment.
The trailer is loaded at the origin, sealed, and driven directly to the delivery destination without intermediate stops, terminal transfers, or consolidation with other shippers’ freight.
The key distinction from LTL (less-than-truckload) is that FTL gives the shipper dedicated, exclusive capacity. In LTL, multiple shippers’ freight shares a single trailer, and the carrier routes shipments through a network of terminals and hubs to consolidate loads. In FTL, there is no sharing and no terminal handling. Your freight occupies the entire trailer from door to door.
An important nuance: you do not need to fill the entire trailer to book FTL. You are purchasing the capacity - the right to exclusive use of the trailer for your shipment. If your freight fills half the trailer but the shipment is time-sensitive, high-value, or operationally incompatible with LTL consolidation, booking an FTL with unused space can still be the most cost-effective and lowest-risk choice. You are paying for the isolation, the direct transit, and the schedule control, not just the cubic feet.
FTL is not always the cheapest mode on a per-shipment basis, but it is often the most rational when any of the following conditions apply:
The clearest FTL trigger is volume. If your shipment is 10 or more standard pallets, weighs 10,000 pounds or more, or occupies roughly half or more of a 53-foot trailer’s floor space, FTL is almost always cheaper than LTL on a per-pallet basis. At this volume, you are effectively buying the truck anyway through LTL pricing - except with less control, more handling, and slower transit. Most shippers find the crossover point between LTL and FTL economics lands somewhere around 8–12 pallets, depending on the lane and commodity.
FTL moves directly from origin to destination. There are no terminal stops, no hub transfers, and no waiting for consolidation with other shippers’ freight. On a lane where LTL might take 3–5 business days through a carrier’s terminal network, FTL can deliver in 1–2 days. For production shutdowns, just-in-time manufacturing, retail replenishment deadlines, or any situation where a late delivery has a commercial cost that exceeds the freight cost, FTL’s direct routing is the right answer.
Every touch point in LTL - loading at origin, transfer at terminal, consolidation with other freight, transfer at destination terminal, delivery - is an opportunity for damage, mishandling, or misrouting. FTL eliminates all intermediate touches. The freight is loaded once, sealed, and unloaded once. For electronics, fine machinery, medical equipment, finished furniture, glass, artwork, or any cargo where a single damage event is more expensive than the freight cost, FTL’s reduced handling is worth the premium.
Many hazardous materials shipments require or benefit from dedicated capacity due to compatibility restrictions, special handling requirements, and regulatory constraints on co-loading with non-hazardous freight. FTL provides the isolation and documentation control that hazmat compliance requires. If your freight carries a DOT hazard class, check with your broker about whether FTL is required or recommended for your specific commodity and quantity.
Reefer FTL is the right mode when the shipment fills most of a refrigerated trailer, when the product cannot tolerate the terminal handling and consolidation delays inherent in reefer LTL, or when the temperature band is so narrow that any co-loading risk is unacceptable. Full loads of frozen food, large pharmaceutical shipments at controlled room temperature, and time-critical perishable produce during harvest season are all natural reefer FTL candidates.
Learn about Freightzy’s reefer services program.
Compare reefer LTL vs reefer FTL.
Not all truckloads use the same trailer. The right equipment type depends on your freight’s dimensions, weight, commodity characteristics, and loading requirements. Here are the five most common FTL equipment types.
The dry van is the standard enclosed trailer and the workhorse of North American trucking. Interior dimensions on a 53-foot dry van are approximately 53 feet long, 8.5 feet wide, and 9 feet tall, providing roughly 3,400 cubic feet of enclosed space and a typical payload capacity of 42,000–45,000 pounds. Dry vans are loaded and unloaded from the rear doors using forklifts, pallet jacks, or hand loading.
They protect freight from weather, road debris, and external contamination during transit. Most palletized, boxed, or packaged freight moves in dry vans - consumer goods, retail products, industrial parts, packaged food (non-temp-controlled), paper products, electronics, and general manufacturing output. If your freight is palletized and does not need temperature control, open-top loading, or oversized clearance, a dry van is the default.
A flatbed is an open trailer with no sides, roof, or doors. The standard flatbed deck is approximately 48 feet long and 8.5 feet wide, with a deck height of about 60 inches from the ground, providing roughly 48,000 pounds of payload capacity. Flatbeds allow loading from the top, sides, or rear using cranes, forklifts, or roll-on equipment - making them essential for freight that is too tall, too wide, too heavy, or too irregularly shaped to fit through the rear doors of a dry van.
Common flatbed commodities include structural steel, lumber, construction materials, heavy machinery, large vehicles, pipe, industrial equipment, and prefabricated building components. Flatbed loads require tarping or covering for weather protection (the carrier typically provides tarps) and tie-down securement using chains, straps, or binders.
A reefer trailer is a standard-length enclosed trailer equipped with a mechanical refrigeration unit powered by a separate diesel engine. Reefer interiors are slightly narrower than dry vans due to insulation thickness, providing roughly 2,900–3,200 cubic feet of usable space. Payload capacity is typically 42,000–44,000 pounds. Reefer trailers run at three primary temperature bands: frozen (0°F / -18°C), chilled (34–40°F / 1–4°C), and protect-from-freeze (45–65°F / 7–18°C).
Common reefer FTL commodities include frozen food (full production runs), fresh produce (harvest-season volume), dairy, meat, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and floral products. The reefer unit runs continuously during transit, and temperature is monitored via sensors and GPS tracking.
Explore Freightzy’s reefer services program.
Step deck (also called drop deck) trailers have a two-level deck: a raised front section and a lower rear section that provides additional vertical clearance for tall freight. The lower deck is typically 37–40 feet long with a deck height of approximately 36 inches from the ground, accommodating loads up to about 10 feet tall without requiring overheight permits. Step decks handle heavy equipment, tall machinery, vehicles, and construction components that exceed dry van height limits but do not require the extreme low clearance of a lowboy.
Lowboy trailers (also called low-beds or double-drops) sit even lower to the ground - deck height as low as 18–24 inches - providing maximum legal height clearance for the tallest and heaviest loads. Common lowboy freight includes bulldozers, excavators, cranes, large generators, industrial turbines, and heavy vehicles. Lowboy loads frequently require permits for overweight or oversize dimensions.
A Conestoga trailer combines the weather protection of a dry van with the side-loading capability of a flatbed. It uses a retractable tarp-and-frame system that rolls back to expose the full flatbed deck for crane or forklift loading from the top or sides, then rolls forward to enclose the freight for transit. Conestoga trailers are used for freight that needs both weather protection and non-rear-door loading access - tall machinery, pre-assembled structures, or delicate equipment that cannot be loaded through a 96-inch-wide rear door.
Other specialty equipment includes double-drop trailers for extremely heavy loads, curtain-side trailers for side-loading consumer goods, and removable gooseneck (RGN) trailers for self-propelled equipment drive-on loading.
The FTL shipping process is more straightforward than LTL because there are no terminal handoffs. Here is the typical flow:
1. Request a Quote: Provide your origin and destination, commodity description, weight, dimensions, equipment type needed, pickup and delivery dates, and any special requirements (liftgate, hazmat, tarping, temperature control). Your broker or carrier returns a rate based on lane, equipment, and current market conditions.
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2. Carrier Matching: Your broker matches your shipment with a vetted carrier from their network based on equipment availability, lane coverage, safety score, on-time performance, and rate. For specialized equipment (flatbed, reefer, lowboy), carrier matching is more targeted because not every carrier in the network runs every equipment type.
3. Pickup: The carrier dispatches the trailer to your origin facility on the agreed date. Your team loads the freight, the driver or your team seals the trailer, and the bill of lading is signed. From this point, the trailer is dedicated to your shipment.
4. Direct Transit: The trailer moves directly from origin to destination. No terminal stops, no hub transfers, no consolidation. For solo drivers, federal hours-of-service regulations allow approximately 500–600 miles per day. For team drivers (two drivers alternating), 1,000+ miles per day is achievable, which is how expedited FTL works. Transit time on a typical FTL lane is 1–3 days for regional moves and 3–5 days for cross-country.
5. Delivery: The trailer arrives at the destination facility, is unsealed, and your freight is unloaded. The receiver signs the delivery receipt (proof of delivery). Any discrepancies (damage, shortage, wrong product) are noted on the BOL at this point.
6. Invoicing: The carrier or broker invoices the shipper. FTL invoicing is typically simpler than LTL because there are no per-hundredweight calculations, no freight class adjustments, and fewer accessorial variables. The rate is per truck.
FTL pricing is fundamentally different from LTL pricing, and understanding the difference is critical for shippers evaluating truckload freight for the first time.
LTL rates are calculated using a published tariff: rate per hundredweight (CWT) multiplied by shipment weight, adjusted by freight class, distance, and accessorials. The tariff is relatively stable and predictable. FTL rates are market-driven: the price for a given truck on a given lane on a given day is determined by supply and demand for carrier capacity. This means FTL rates fluctuate - sometimes significantly - based on several factors:
Lane and Distance: Rates are quoted per truck, not per mile, but distance is a primary input. Longer lanes generally cost more, but lane density matters - a high-volume corridor like Toronto–Chicago or LA–Dallas may be cheaper per mile than a thin lane with limited carrier coverage.
Spot vs Contract Rates: Spot rates are one-time rates for an individual load, set by current market conditions. Contract rates are negotiated for a fixed period (typically 3–12 months) at a locked price, providing cost predictability but less flexibility. Spot rates tend to be higher during tight capacity periods and lower during soft markets. Contract rates provide stability but may be above or below the spot market at any given time.
Equipment Type: Flatbed, reefer, and lowboy loads typically command higher rates than dry van because the equipment is more specialized and the available carrier pool is smaller. Reefer loads also carry additional fuel cost for the refrigeration unit.
Seasonal Capacity: Produce season (April–October), holiday shipping (October–December), and year-end manufacturing pushes all tighten capacity and drive spot rates up. Planning ahead and booking early in tight markets is the most effective cost management strategy.
Deadhead and Backhaul: Deadhead is the empty miles a carrier must drive to reach your pickup location. If your facility is far from major freight corridors, carriers build that cost into the rate. Backhaul is the return freight a carrier can pick up after delivering your load. If the destination market has strong outbound freight (giving the carrier a reload), the rate to get there is lower. If the destination is a “dead zone” with limited outbound freight, the carrier charges more because the truck will drive back empty.
Fuel Surcharge: Applied as a percentage of the linehaul rate, indexed to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s weekly diesel price report. This is standard across the industry and fluctuates weekly. It is not a hidden fee - it is a pass-through cost that tracks diesel prices.
Accessorials: Additional services like liftgate, driver assist (helping unload), detention (waiting time at pickup or delivery), layover, tarping (flatbed), and escort vehicles (oversized loads) add to the base rate. Declare all accessorials when quoting to avoid surprises.
For LTL pricing mechanics, see How Are LTL Shipping Rates Calculated?
The decision between FTL and LTL is not about which mode is better - it is about which mode fits the shipment. Here is a summary framework:
Choose FTL when: The shipment is 10+ pallets or 10,000+ lbs, transit time is critical, the freight is high-value or fragile, the commodity cannot tolerate consolidation, or schedule control is essential. FTL wins on speed, handling reduction, and operational control.
Choose LTL when: The shipment is 1–10 pallets and can tolerate 3–5 day transit through the carrier’s terminal network. LTL wins on cost for partial loads because you pay only for the pallet positions your freight occupies.
The gray zone: Shipments of 6–12 pallets or 5,000–15,000 pounds often fall into a “gray zone” where both modes are viable. In this range, volume LTL (space-based pricing for larger LTL shipments) and partial truckload (PTL) can offer better economics than either standard LTL or a full FTL. The smartest approach is to quote the same shipment on all three modes and compare total cost - including handling risk and transit time, not just linehaul rate.
For a detailed side-by-side comparison of FTL and LTL across cost, transit, handling, scheduling, and temperature control, see our dedicated comparison guide.
Learn more about LTL vs FTL: Differences, Costs, and When to Choose Each.
Read more about Standard vs Volume LTL.
Freightzy sources FTL capacity across Canada, the United States, and Mexico from a vetted carrier network spanning all three countries. For shippers moving full truckloads across the Canada–U.S. border - which is one of the highest-volume cross-border freight corridors in the world - FTL requires a broker that works both sides of the border.
Cross-border FTL adds a customs layer that domestic FTL does not have. CBSA (Canadian Border Services Agency) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) require commercial invoices, certificates of origin, and commodity classification.
Reefer FTL crossing the border requires temperature compliance records through customs. ATA Carnets apply for temporary imports (trade show equipment, demo units, goods returning after exhibition). Border transit timing affects overall delivery - a 1–2 hour border delay on a time-sensitive FTL can miss a receiving appointment.
Freightzy is headquartered in Guelph, Ontario, and cross-border freight between Canada and the United States is one of our core operational specialties. We handle CBSA, CBP, and brokerage coordination as part of the FTL service, and we build border buffer time into transit planning so customs processing does not create downstream delivery failures
LTL freight shipping in Canada.
The U.S. truckload market has more than 750,000 active carriers, and nearly 96% of them own 10 or fewer trucks. That fragmentation is why most shippers work with freight brokers rather than contracting with individual carriers directly. A broker aggregates capacity from thousands of carriers, vets them for safety and performance, and matches the right carrier to each load. Here is what to evaluate when choosing an FTL partner:
Carrier Vetting: Does the broker vet carriers for FMCSA safety scores, insurance coverage, equipment age, and on-time performance? Or do they just post loads on a board and take the cheapest bid? A good broker’s vetting process is the difference between a reliable carrier and a claim waiting to happen.
Lane Coverage: Can the broker source capacity on the lanes you ship? For shippers with cross-border Canada–U.S. lanes, lane coverage includes carriers authorized to operate in both countries with the proper border-crossing capabilities. For Mexico lanes, it includes carrier relationships with Mexican trucking partners or cross-border drayage operations.
Equipment Variety: Does the broker cover all the equipment types you need - dry van, flatbed, reefer, step deck, lowboy - from a single relationship? Or will you need separate brokers for specialized equipment? The operational complexity of managing multiple broker relationships for different equipment types adds overhead and reduces accountability.
Tracking and Visibility: Real-time GPS tracking, automated status updates, and proactive exception alerts are baseline expectations in 2026. If the broker cannot show you where your truck is and what its ETA is at any moment during transit, the technology gap will show up as phone calls, emails, and uncertainty every time a shipment is in transit.
Pricing Transparency: Does the rate include fuel surcharge, or is it quoted separately? Are accessorials declared and priced upfront, or do they appear as surprise line items on the invoice? The best FTL brokers quote all-in rates with every cost component visible before booking.
Whether you are shipping a full dry van of consumer goods to a distribution center, a flatbed of steel beams to a construction site, or a reefer load of frozen food across the Canada–U.S. border, Freightzy’s FTL program matches your freight with the right carrier and equipment from our vetted network. Get a truckload quote in minutes, or contact our team to discuss your lanes, volume, and equipment requirements.
Explore Freightzy's FTL Services.
Get an FTL quote or contact our team to discuss your specific lanes, commodities, and compliance requirements.
Full truckload shipping is a freight transportation mode in which a single shipper books the entire capacity of a truck trailer for one shipment. The trailer is loaded at the origin, sealed, and driven directly to the delivery destination without intermediate terminal stops or consolidation with other shippers’ freight. FTL is the preferred mode for large shipments (typically 10+ pallets or 10,000+ pounds), time-sensitive freight, high-value or fragile cargo, and any shipment that benefits from direct transit with minimal handling. Standard FTL equipment includes 53-foot dry vans, flatbeds, refrigerated (reefer) trailers, step decks, and lowboy trailers.
FTL stands for full truckload. It refers to any freight shipment that books the entire capacity of a truck trailer, as opposed to LTL (less-than-truckload) where multiple shippers share trailer space. Despite the name, FTL shipments do not need to physically fill the entire trailer - the shipper is purchasing dedicated, exclusive capacity for their freight regardless of how much of the trailer is used.
FTL rates are market-driven and vary based on lane (origin and destination), distance, equipment type (dry van, flatbed, reefer, step deck), current capacity availability (spot market conditions), time of year (seasonal demand), fuel surcharge, and accessorials. As a rough benchmark for standard dry van FTL in North America, rates typically range from $1.50 to $3.50 per mile depending on market conditions, with an average around $2.00–$2.50 per mile for standard non-expedited lanes. A 500-mile dry van load might cost $1,000–$1,750; a 1,500-mile load $2,250–$5,250. Reefer, flatbed, and specialty equipment add premiums. The most accurate way to price your specific lane is to request a quote with actual shipment details.
No. You are booking the capacity of the trailer, not the space. Many shippers book FTL with trailers that are only half or two-thirds full because the shipment requires direct transit, cannot tolerate LTL consolidation, is time-sensitive, or contains high-value freight that benefits from isolation and reduced handling. If your shipment is in the 6–12 pallet range and you are not sure whether LTL or FTL is the better value, ask your broker to quote both modes on the same lane so you can compare total cost including handling risk and transit time.
A dry van is an enclosed trailer with solid walls, roof, and rear doors. It protects freight from weather and road conditions and is loaded/unloaded through the rear. A flatbed is an open trailer with no walls or roof, allowing loading from the top, sides, or rear using cranes, forklifts, or drive-on ramps. Dry vans are the standard for palletized, boxed, and packaged freight. Flatbeds are used for oversized, heavy, tall, or irregularly shaped freight that cannot fit through dry van doors or needs crane loading - structural steel, machinery, lumber, construction materials, vehicles. Flatbed loads require tarping for weather protection and tie-down securement.
Use FTL when your shipment is 10 or more pallets or 10,000+ pounds, when transit time is critical and you cannot afford 3–5 day terminal-routed LTL transit, when your freight is high-value, fragile, or operationally sensitive and cannot tolerate multiple handling points, when the commodity is hazardous and requires dedicated capacity, or when you need direct schedule control (specific pickup and delivery appointments). For shipments in the 6–12 pallet range, compare LTL, volume LTL, and FTL quotes side by side - the crossover point depends on the lane, commodity, and how much handling risk you are willing to accept.
Yes. Freightzy sources full truckload capacity across Canada, the United States, and Mexico from a vetted carrier network. Cross-border FTL between Canada and the U.S. is one of our core operational specialties - we are headquartered in Guelph, Ontario, and our operations team handles CBSA and U.S. Customs coordination, commercial invoicing, border transit timing, and temperature compliance for reefer FTL. Whether you are shipping dry van, flatbed, reefer, or specialty equipment across the border, we manage the full cross-border chain.