Freight modes
What is partial truckload shipping?
Partial truckload (PTL) is the mode most shippers forget — the efficient middle ground between less-than-truckload and a whole truck. Here is what qualifies and why it can save you money.
Where PTL fits
Partial truckload covers shipments that are too big for less-than-truckload (LTL) economics but too small to justify paying for a full trailer. As a rule of thumb, PTL fits freight in the range of roughly 5,000 to 40,000 pounds, or about 5 to 14 pallets — bigger than a typical LTL shipment, smaller than a full truckload.
The key difference from LTL is handling. LTL freight is consolidated at terminals and transferred between trucks along the way; a partial shipment usually stays on a single truck from pickup to delivery, sharing the trailer with one or two other partials. Fewer touches means less handling damage and, often, faster transit.
How PTL is priced
PTL is typically priced on the space and weight your freight occupies, not on the NMFC freight class that drives LTL pricing. That can be a real advantage for dense, heavy, or high-class freight that would be expensive to ship LTL. Because you only pay for the portion of the trailer you use, PTL often lands between LTL and full-truckload pricing for the same load.
Who uses partial truckload
- Manufacturers and distributors moving more than a few pallets but not a full load.
- Retailers and e-commerce shippers consolidating mid-size orders.
- Shippers of fragile or high-value freight that benefits from fewer transfers.
- Anyone with dense or heavy freight that prices poorly as LTL.
Not sure if PTL fits your load?
Send us the weight, dimensions and lane. We will tell you honestly whether LTL, partial, or full truckload is the cheapest right answer.