When you’re obtaining freight quotes, you might find yourself debating between LTL and parcel carriers. Although traditional parcel carriers generally transport packages that weigh less than 70 lbs, they are still able to compete by working to convince shippers to separate a larger shipment into smaller packages that can be processed using “hundredweight” shipping rates. The price of their freight shipping service is calculated by multiplying the weight of the shipment by the rate, dividing it by one hundred, and then rounding that amount up to the nearest hundred.
On the other hand, LTL carriers won’t ask shippers to break apart shipments — the fewer units that the carrier has to deal with, the better. A pallet with one hundred packages that have been shrink-wrapped together is preferable for LTL shipping than a hundred separate packages. There are lower handling expenses and less chance of transit damage with the former.
