What is full truck load (FTL) in shipping? from CJ Darcl Logistics's blog

FTL stands for Full Truck Load shipping which is a concept where one shipment or freight occupies the whole or entire space of a truck. As in FTL shipping, it involves the use of the whole capacity of the truck – say from a semi-trailer, container truck, or any other type of freight vehicle – to transport commodities or products through a stated distance.

FTL shipment is normally adopted when a shipper has lots of merchandise to dispatch at a time or when they need a particular transportation for their commodities. This mode of transport has several advantages such as quicker delivery cycles, lower chances of damage or loss within the shipment since it is not consolidated with other shipments, and more efficiency within the transportation chain.

Full trailer load shipping is chosen in those cases when a company has many goods to deliver, needs to do it quickly and effectively or just wants a certain truck for its cargo exclusively. However, FTL shipping may be slightly expensive as compared to LTL, where many shipments from distinct shippers are consolidated in a single truck.