Truck Load Key Terms

Learn the vocabulary to make the right choices when transporting goods by truck
By J. Simonetta Even if you don't deal with the transportation of a large amount of goods on a regular basis, you may need to transport a truck load of goods from one place to another at some time. If you're not familiar with common truck load key terms, you'll be at a disadvantage when it comes to finding, negotiating and booking a truck to transport your goods. Take some time to learn about truck loads so that you can make the right choices for your business.

Truckload

A truckload, or TL, is the amount of freight required to fill a trailer. It varies depending on the type of freight but is often 10,000 pounds or more.
Try:  uShip describes truckloads and discusses the advantages of shipping full truckloads.

Less-than-truckload or less-than-container load

Small freight shipments that take up less than a truckload are known as less-than-truckload (LTT) or less-than-container load (LTC) shipments.
Try:  wiseGEEK has an excellent description of less-than-truckload shipping.

For-hire carrier vs. private carrier

For-hire carriers, or common carriers, are in the business of transporting goods for others for profit. Private carriers, on the other hand, transport only their own goods.
Try:  ShipNorthAmerica Transportation explains the two main types of for-hire carriers.

Exempt carrier

Exempt carriers are exempt from Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) economic regulations because they transport commodities or certain other bulk goods.
Try:  Check out the State of Minnesota exempt commodities carriers regulations to see what types of freight are typically exempted by states.

Cartage company

Sometimes you don't need to get things across the country, just across town. Cartage companies specialize in short-haul transportation. If you have a limited area of operations, you might want to consider a cartage company that specializes in your area.
Try:  California Cartage Company, for example, is concentrated in Southern California.

Shipping container

A shipping container, sometimes just called a container, is a standard 20' x 40' and is widely used in international shipping. If a company ships overseas or internationally, it's much cheaper and easier to ship goods in containers. For international travel, the containers are typically loaded at the company's factory, transported to a port, loaded on a ship, loaded back on a truck and delivered to their destination.
Try:  Shipping International provides information about shipping containers.