Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Full Truckload Freight Allocation

In today’s modern, fast-paced world, it can be tough for shippers to find the best way to save money, reduce risk, and ensure optimal use of time when they are planning transportation. The last thing any shipper wants is product waiting on the dock or getting sent to the wrong location. With a little guidance and knowledge, shippers can unlock cost savings and add greater efficiency when they use full truckload shipping rather than less-than-truckload shipping. Here’s a quick run-down of full truckload freight allocation and which businesses may benefit.

What is Full Truckload Freight Allocation?

Full truckload freight allocation, also called full truckload shipping, is the use of an entire truck for a given shipment. Truck type can vary depending on the carrier and includes dry van, backhauls, flatbeds, refrigerated, and intermodal. Generally, full truckload has three common maximum factors which include “shipping 44,000 pounds of product, accommodating 48 standard pallets, or shipping 2500 ft.³ of product.” Generally, companies shipping out over 10,000 pounds of product and ten or more pallets find full truckload shipping is the best bet for them. This type of freight delivery takes the products from Point A to Point B directly without stops in-between.

The Importance of Planning and the Pitfalls of Poor Allocation

Planning and visibility are critical when utilizing full truckload. There can’t be any disconnects between the freight managers and company stakeholders. Why? Compliance management, tracking ability, and analysis are just a few of the reasons planning has to be perfect. Also, many times, full truckload is used to transport large quantities of delicate product, so times have to be properly planned out from load to unload. If a truck doesn’t have enough room for all the product, there can be consequences such as loss and premium shipping costs to get the product there on time. Too much room in the truck and you’ve lost some profit margin because you’re paying for space you aren’t using.

Benefits of Full Truckload Shipping

When shippers use full truckload freight allocation, there are several benefits. They generally have faster transit time, better shipping rates, and have fewer risks. Full truckload is ideal for high risk or delicate shipments for just these reasons. The full truckload market also has over three hundred and fifty thousand owner-operators looking to fill trailers as compared to the ten national less than truckload carriers in the US. This large group of owner-operators is motivated to give personalized service, a competitive quote, and other premium services to earn regular business.

Utilizing full truckload may be a good fit for your business, but it can come with hassles. From accurately judging the weight and ensuring high-level visibility, there are several things that can go wrong when managing full truckload freight allocation. Many companies opt to instead work with a 3PL that has the expertise and relationships to secure transport and negotiate a great rate. Do you need to ship a full truckload and don’t know where to start? Reach out to JIT Services us for advice.