Partial Truckload.
Pay for the Space You Use.
More than LTL, less than a full trailer: your freight shares one truck, skips every terminal, and is priced on the linear feet it occupies. No freight class, instant rates, all 50 states.
Quote Your Partial Truckload Shipment
What is partial truckload shipping?
Partial truckload, PTL for short, is the mode between LTL and a dedicated trailer. Your freight, typically 6 to 12 pallets or 5,000 to 27,500 lbs, shares one truck with one or two other compatible shipments heading the same way. It is loaded once at your dock and rides the same trailer to delivery.
That single-trailer routing is what separates partial from LTL: there is no hub-and-spoke terminal network, no cross-docking, and no freight class deciding your price. You pay for the linear feet you occupy and the weight you add, and your freight is touched exactly twice, at pickup and at the receiver. AFX Logistics matches partial loads to vetted trucks already running your lane, with spot rates for one-off moves and standing capacity for recurring freight.
Partial is the right call when:
- ✓You are shipping 6 to 12 pallets, or 5,000 to 27,500 lbs
- ✓The freight is dense or high-class, and LTL pricing punishes it
- ✓Fragile or high-value loads cannot absorb terminal re-handling
- ✓The schedule has a day of flex, but LTL transit is too slow
- ✓You want full-truckload care without the full-trailer price
Space math, done before the phone call.
Partial truckload is priced on the linear feet of deck your freight occupies. Two standard 48x40 pallets sit side by side in a 53-foot van, so every pair of pallets claims about four feet of trailer. Six to eighteen feet is the partial sweet spot: enough freight that LTL gets expensive, not enough to justify the whole truck.
Trailer Space Estimator
Pallets in, linear feet out, and the mode that fits. Live, as you type.
Your freight occupies about 16 ft of a 53-ft trailer.
Right in the partial sweet spot: one truck, no terminals, no freight class.
Quote This Shipment →Estimates assume straight loading in a standard 53-ft dry van. Odd footprints, overhang, and no-stack rules can change the math. We confirm before you book.
- Under 6 ftLTL
- 6 to 18 ftPartial
- 18 to 24 ftVolume partial
- Over 24 ftFull truckload
- 6 pallets~12 ft
- 8 pallets~16 ft
- 10 pallets~20 ft
- 12 pallets~24 ft
The Three No’s of Partial Truckload
Everything that makes small freight painful, removed in one mode.
No Freight Class.
Partial is priced on the footprint and weight you actually ship. No NMFC lookup, no density math, and no reclass bill showing up three weeks after delivery.
No Terminals.
Your freight is loaded once and rides the same trailer to delivery. It never gets cross-docked, never sits at a hub, and never takes the forklift gauntlet between trucks.
No Full-Trailer Price.
You share the deck with one or two compatible loads heading the same way, and you split the cost of the truck instead of paying for feet you never fill.
Built to Scale.
Proven to Deliver.
Dock to Dock in Four Steps
Quote It
Enter the lane, footprint, and weight. No freight class, no NMFC lookup, just a live partial truckload rate in about two minutes.
Book It
Lock the rate online. Your specialist matches the load to a vetted truck already running your lane with space to spare.
Load It
One driver loads at your dock. Your freight shares the trailer with one or two compatible loads and never touches a terminal.
Track It
Follow the truck on live GPS to delivery. The signed POD and invoice land in your account automatically.
Partial vs. LTL vs. Full Truckload
Right-sizing the mode is the fastest way to cut freight spend. Here is how the three compare.
| Criteria | Partial Truckload | LTL | Full Truckload |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trailer space | Shared, 6 to 18 linear ft | Shared, 1 to 6 pallets | Entire 53-ft trailer |
| Typical load | 5,000 to 20,000 lbs | 150 to 15,000 lbs | 10+ pallets or 15,000+ lbs |
| Handling | Stays on one trailer | Cross-docked at terminals | Loaded once, sealed through |
| Transit | Near-direct | 1 to 5 business days | Fastest, fully direct |
| Pricing basis | Linear feet, no freight class | NMFC class + density | Per mile, all-in |
| Best for | Big loads that don’t fill a truck | Small, regular freight | Volume, value, and deadlines |
Sizing up or down? Read our LTL vs. FTL guide, or jump straight to LTL and full truckload.
How Fast Does Partial Move?
Near-direct routing: the driver makes a stop or two, but your freight never waits at a terminal. About a day behind a dedicated truck, days ahead of LTL.
The Middle Mode,
Mastered.
Anyone can book a full truck. The middle takes matching: the right truck, the right co-loads, the right math against every other mode. AFX runs that math on every quote and stands behind the answer.
Start Shipping TodayPartial Capacity Where You Ship
Daily partial truckload coverage in all 50 states, with capacity in the busiest markets.
Partial truckload by industry
The Mid-Size Shipper’s Playbook
Three guides for sharper rates and smarter mode calls.
LTL vs. FTL: Which Mode Wins?
The two ends of the spectrum, compared, and where partial truckload splits the difference.
Read the guide PricingFreight Class and NMFC Codes, Explained
The LTL pricing system, decoded. Partial truckload lets you skip every bit of it.
Read the guide SavingsHow to Cut Freight Shipping Costs
Mode right-sizing, lead time, and the booking habits that quietly lower every invoice.
Read the guidePartial Truckload Shipping FAQs
Partial truckload (PTL) moves freight that is too big for LTL but does not fill a trailer, typically 6 to 18 linear feet, 6 to 12 pallets, or 5,000 to 27,500 lbs. Your freight shares one trailer with one or two other compatible shipments, is loaded once, and rides the same truck from pickup to delivery with no terminal transfers. Pricing is based on the space and weight you use, not NMFC freight class.
PTL is priced on the linear feet of trailer your freight occupies, its weight, and the lane, with no freight class involved. That makes the quote simpler and more stable than LTL: there is no density math, no NMFC code to get wrong, and no reclassification or reweigh bill after delivery. Enter the footprint once and you will see a live rate in about two minutes.
LTL consolidates dozens of shipments and routes them through a hub-and-spoke terminal network, where freight is unloaded, sorted, and reloaded at each transfer. Partial truckload skips the network entirely: your freight shares one trailer with a small number of loads and stays on it the whole way. That means fewer touches, faster and more predictable transit, and pricing without freight class. Past roughly 6 pallets or 5,000 lbs, partial usually wins on price too.
Volume LTL is a spot product that moves your oversized shipment through the same LTL terminal network, usually with limited liability coverage and looser transit commitments. Partial truckload moves on one truck, terminal-free, with standard cargo liability and a firmer schedule. Volume LTL can price lower on some lanes, so we quote both and show you the trade.
Once your freight passes roughly 24 linear feet or 27,500 lbs, a dedicated trailer usually prices better than a partial, and it is the right call whenever the deadline is hard or the load must stay sealed and exclusive from dock to dock. We price partial against full truckload on every quote, so you will see the crossover before you book.
Partial transit is near-direct: the driver makes one or two additional pickups or deliveries, but the freight never waits at a terminal. Figure 1 to 2 days under 500 miles, 2 to 3 days to 1,000 miles, and 4 to 6 days coast to coast. That is typically a day or so behind a dedicated truck and several days ahead of long-haul LTL.
The classic partial load is 6 to 12 pallets of dense, dock-ready freight: machinery, building materials, packaged goods, equipment, and anything whose LTL freight class makes it expensive for its weight. It is also the right mode for fragile or high-value freight that should not ride the terminal network, since the load is touched only at pickup and delivery.
No. Freight class is an LTL pricing construct. Partial truckload is quoted on footprint, weight, and lane, which removes the most common source of surprise charges in small-freight shipping: the post-delivery reclassification. You still provide accurate dimensions and weight, but there is no NMFC code to look up and nothing to get reclassed.
Generally, yes. An LTL shipment can be loaded and unloaded several times as it moves between terminals, and every touch is a damage opportunity. On a partial, your freight is loaded at your dock, secured, and not handled again until the receiver. For freight that is fragile, high-value, or hard to replace, fewer touches is the whole game.
Partial works by pairing your freight with trucks already running your lane, so a little notice goes a long way. 24 to 72 hours of lead time usually gets the best rate and the tightest schedule, and a flexible one-day pickup window can lower the price further. Same-week coverage is routine on major lanes; your specialist will tell you honestly what the lane supports.