LTL Freight Shipping.
Your Pallets. Your Price.
Share the trailer, pay for only the space you use, and keep big-freight service on shipments of 1 to 6 pallets. Instant LTL rates across a national carrier network, freight class verified before pickup.
Quote Your LTL Shipment
What is less than truckload shipping?
Less than truckload, LTL for short, moves freight that does not need a full 53-foot trailer. Your palletized shipment shares trailer space with freight from other shippers and travels through a national network of carrier terminals, and you pay for only the space and weight you actually use.
That shared model makes LTL the most cost-efficient way to move 1 to 6 pallets. It is also why the details matter: every terminal transfer risks delay, damage, or a billing adjustment when a shipment is set up wrong. AFX Logistics prices your freight across a vetted national LTL network, verifies class and dimensions before pickup, and tracks every scan from your dock to signed proof of delivery.
LTL is the right call when:
- ✓You are shipping 1 to 6 pallets, or 150 to 15,000 lbs
- ✓Freight is palletized, crated, or otherwise dock-ready
- ✓The schedule can absorb terminal transit of 1 to 5 business days
- ✓You send regular small orders to distributors, retailers, or job sites
- ✓Delivery may need a liftgate, a residential stop, or an appointment
Know your class before the carrier does.
Most surprise charges in LTL are not rate hikes, they are reclassifications. A carrier inspects the pallet at the terminal, measures something different than the BOL, and bills the difference after delivery. We verify class and dimensions before pickup, so the price you book is the price you pay. Run your own numbers below, then read the deep dive: Freight Class and NMFC Codes, Explained.
Freight Class Calculator
Dimensions and weight in, estimated class out. Live, as you type.
Estimates use the standard NMFC density scale. Commodities with special handling, stowability, or liability provisions can class differently. We confirm before you book.
- 50 or moreClass 50
- 35 to 50Class 55
- 30 to 35Class 60
- 22.5 to 30Class 65
- 15 to 22.5Class 70
- 12 to 15Class 85
- 10 to 12Class 92.5
- 8 to 10Class 100
- 6 to 8Class 125
- 4 to 6Class 175
- 2 to 4Class 250
- 1 to 2Class 300
- Under 1Class 400
Accessorials, Priced Up Front
Accessorial fees are where LTL invoices go sideways. Tell us about the stop once, and the rate you book already includes it.
Liftgate Service
No dock, no problem. A liftgate lowers pallets to the ground at pickup or delivery.
Residential Delivery
Home businesses, job sites, and residences, with the right equipment and a call ahead.
Inside Delivery
The driver brings freight past the curb, through the first door, into the suite or storeroom.
Limited Access
Schools, military bases, farms, and construction sites with gates, guards, or tight docks.
Appointment Scheduling
Receivers that require a window get one. We set the appointment and the carrier holds it.
Protect From Freeze
Temperature-sensitive freight rides protected when winter lanes dip below freezing.
Wondering what a fee on a past invoice meant? Read Accessorial Charges, Decoded.
Built to Scale.
Proven to Deliver.
Dock to Delivery in Four Steps
Quote It
Enter the lane, dimensions, and weight. We check the freight class and price the shipment across the carrier network in about two minutes.
Book It
Pick the carrier and transit time that fit. We schedule the pickup, build the BOL, and brief the carrier on every accessorial.
Ship It
Your pallets are picked up, consolidated with compatible freight, and moved through the terminal network with a scan at every handoff.
Track It
Live status through delivery, then the signed POD and one audited invoice land in your account. No post-delivery surprises.
LTL vs. Partial vs. Full Truckload
Right-sizing the mode is the fastest way to cut freight spend. Here is how the three compare.
| Criteria | LTL | Partial Truckload | Full Truckload |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trailer space | Shared, 1 to 6 pallets | Shared, 6 to 18 linear ft | Entire 53-ft trailer |
| Typical load | 150 to 15,000 lbs | 5,000 to 20,000 lbs | 10+ pallets or 15,000+ lbs |
| Handling | Cross-docked at terminals | Stays on one trailer | Loaded once, sealed through |
| Transit | 1 to 5 business days | Near-direct | Fastest, fully direct |
| Pricing basis | NMFC class + density | Linear feet, no freight class | Per mile, all-in |
| Best for | Small, regular freight | Big loads that don’t fill a truck | Volume, value, and deadlines |
On the fence between the two big ones? Read our LTL vs. FTL guide or jump to partial truckload for the middle ground.
How Fast Does LTL Move?
Business days, terminal to terminal. When the date cannot move, guaranteed-window and expedited LTL options are available on most lanes.
Big-Freight Service.
Pallet-Sized Shipments.
Most brokers treat LTL as an afterthought. AFX treats it as a discipline: verified classes, accessorials priced up front, and a specialist who audits every invoice against the quote before it reaches you.
Start Shipping TodayLTL Capacity Where You Ship
Daily LTL coverage in all 50 states, with deep capacity in the busiest markets.
LTL freight by industry
The LTL Playbook
Three guides for sharper rates, cleaner invoices, and zero billing surprises.
LTL vs. FTL: Which Mode Wins?
Where the cost crossover really sits, and when paying for the whole trailer is the cheaper move.
Read the guide PricingFreight Class and NMFC Codes, Explained
The classification system behind every LTL rate, and how density now decides most of it.
Read the guide BillingAccessorial Charges, Decoded
Liftgates, limited access, reweighs: the fees that ambush LTL invoices and how to price them up front.
Read the guideLTL Freight Shipping FAQs
Less than truckload (LTL) shipping moves freight that does not need a full 53-foot trailer, typically 1 to 6 pallets or 150 to 15,000 lbs. Your shipment shares trailer space with freight from other shippers and moves through a network of carrier terminals, where it is sorted and transferred between trucks. Because you pay for only the space and weight you use, LTL is the most cost-efficient way to move smaller freight that is too big for parcel carriers.
LTL pricing is built from the lane, the freight class, the weight, and any accessorial services like liftgate or residential delivery. Density does most of the work: the heavier your freight is for the space it occupies, the lower the class and the lower the rate. Rather than relying on published averages, we price your exact shipment across the national carrier network. Enter it once and you will see real rates in about two minutes.
Freight class is the NMFC rating system, from class 50 to class 500, that LTL carriers use to price freight. Since the NMFTA overhauled the system in 2025, most commodities are classed on a 13-tier density scale: divide the total weight in pounds by the cubic feet the shipment occupies, then match that density to the scale. Dense freight earns a low class and a low rate. Items with special handling, stowability, or liability rules can still carry their own class, which is why we verify before you book.
Most LTL shipments deliver in 1 to 5 business days. Regional lanes under 500 miles usually run 1 to 2 days, and coast-to-coast moves run 4 to 6 because the freight passes through multiple terminals. Add a day of cushion for liftgate stops, appointments, or limited-access locations. When the date is fixed, guaranteed-window and expedited LTL options are available on most lanes.
LTL wins on shipments of roughly 1 to 6 pallets, or under about 10,000 lbs, where paying for a full trailer would mean paying for empty space. Once you pass 6 pallets or so, partial truckload and full truckload start to win on both price and transit, because the freight skips the terminal network and moves direct. If you are in the gray zone, we price both modes side by side and show you the crossover.
Accessorials are services beyond a standard dock-to-dock move: liftgate, residential delivery, inside delivery, limited-access locations, appointment scheduling, and similar. They are legitimate services, but on a typical LTL invoice they are also the most common surprise. We price every accessorial into the quote up front, so the rate you book is the rate you are billed.
Carriers scan, weigh, and dimension freight at the terminal, and if the measurements disagree with your BOL they rebill at the corrected class plus an inspection fee. The fix is accuracy up front: measure the true footprint including pallet and overhang, weigh the shipment packaged, and let us confirm the class against the current NMFC density scale before the BOL prints. If a carrier still reclasses unfairly, we dispute it with documentation.
Palletized freight is strongly recommended for LTL. Shipments are handled at every terminal transfer, so goods should be stacked on a standard 40x48 pallet, shrink-wrapped, banded, and labeled on each piece. Crates work for irregular or high-value items. Solid packaging is the single biggest factor in damage-free LTL, and it also keeps your effective density honest.
Volume LTL covers shipments that outgrow standard LTL but do not justify a full trailer, roughly 6 to 12 pallets or 5,000 lbs and up. It is priced on the space you occupy rather than freight class, which often beats both a standard LTL rate and a partial truckload quote. If your shipment is in that band, we quote it both ways automatically.
Every AFX shipment moves with cargo coverage. Standard LTL carrier liability is limited per pound and varies by freight class, which can fall short for high-value goods, so we flag the gap and arrange additional coverage when your declared value calls for it. If something does go wrong, your specialist files and manages the claim with the carrier.