Freight consolidation services are a solution to managing the stressful process of moving multiple LTL shipments. For shipper’s needing to send multiple shipments to the same location or who need to keep costs down, it can provide an easy alternative to non-consolidated shipping.
According to the FreightWaves, freight consolidation services streamline trucking operations by combining multiple shipments into one. It can be used for air, ocean, and ground transport. Consolidation services offer a variety of benefits, such as saving on costs and providing a very convenient delivery option for customers.
As a prominent company in the logistics industry, we have extensive knowledge about freight consolidation services and how they can help your business.
A consolidated delivery refers to shipping multiple LTL shipments in one trailer. This is a much more convenient option compared to shipping multiple LTL shipments in multiple trailers. Consolidated shipments are assembled from smaller LTL shipments at a consolidated warehouse, creating an FTL shipment.
Once the consolidated delivery arrives at the distribution center or similar location, each LTL shipment is unloaded from the trailer. Afterward, each LTL shipment is placed on the delivery truck or trailer and delivered to its final destination.
A consolidation warehouse is a storage facility that is owned and run by a third party. The consolidation warehouse is fairly similar to other types of warehouses and distribution centers.
What makes a consolidation warehouse different is that it specializes in combining smaller LTL shipments into consolidated shipments. Consolidated warehouses are designed to help accommodate the constantly changing demands of customers in a manner that is quick and efficient.
If you want to ship freight in bulk, then check out our article on Costco pallet requirements.
Freight consolidation service companies specialize in combining multiple smaller shipments from different businesses into a single, larger shipment. Many of these businesses are also referred to as third-party logistics providers or 3PLs.
These companies are able to:
Freight consolidation service companies have a deep understanding of the truckload shipping industry and logistics principles. They possess the necessary expertise to effectively combine shipments and ensure smooth operations.
There are a few different ways that consolidated freight can travel to its destination. Each one has its own unique benefits and drawbacks.
The types of consolidation service that shippers can use include:
It’s important for shippers to understand these types of consolidation services to determine which is best for their needs.
Air freight consolidation transports multiple shipments onto one aircraft. The combined shipment will have the same master waybill while the individual shipments will have their own unique house bill.
This form of consolidated shipping is faster than both ground and ocean shipping. While consolidating air shipments will bring down costs, this form of consolidated shipping will be the most expensive.
Ocean freight is an excellent option for shipping extremely large goods using containers. Multiple LTL shipments will be able to fit in the containers that are transported by a cargo ship.
Ocean freight consolidation is a much cheaper option than shipping by air. The downside to ocean freight consolidation is transit time. Due to port congestion over the last year, many cargo ships have waited on the coast of ports for months at a time.
The final freight consolidation option is ground freight. This type of freight option delivers freight to places ships can’t dock and where planes can’t land.
The final delivery of just about every type of freight will be made using ground transportation. The downside to shipping by ground is that this form of freight transportation has the most frequent shipping delays.
There are many advantages of freight consolidation that are beneficial to the shipper. Not only does consolidated shipping allow shippers to combine multiple truckload LTL shipments, it also makes the shipping process cheaper and smoother.
Some of the benefits include:
We’ll explain these benefits of shipping consolidation services to help you understand what to expect when you choose this transportation option.
The most appealing benefit of using consolidated shipping is the cost savings. Without freight consolidation services, a shipper with an LTL shipment will be forced to utilize the space of the entire trailer. That shipper will still have to pay the same amount to use a trailer whether the shipment takes up a full truckload or not.
With consolidated freight services, the shipper doesn’t have to pay for multiple trailers to transport each one of the LTL shipments. Consolidated shipping only requires the shipper to pay for one full trailer that is carrying all the LTL shipments.
Other expense that shippers can save on when using this service include:
Regardless of how many shipments a sender of freight consolidates, they’re sure to experience impressive cost savings.
Consolidated shipping typically reduces transit time for shipments. Rather than waiting for numerous smaller shipments to arrive, the shipper only has to wait for one. Even with the current delays in the shipping industry, waiting for one shipment is much better than multiple. This is sometimes referred to as deferred shipping.
Using consolidated shipping also eases the amount of responsibility on the shipper. Instead of having to complete paperwork and track multiple shipments, the shipper only has to worry about managing one shipment.
Consolidated shipping is convenient for the customers because they get their goods. This helps improve the relationship between the customer and the shipper. Since customers want their goods as fast as possible, they’ll keep using a shipper that can transport their goods to them quickly.
Another great advantage of using freight consolidation services is that it helps reduce the risk of damage to the freight. When multiple LTL shipments are being transported using different trailers, then each shipment has to be loaded and unloaded again.
With all of this loading and unloading happening between all the different trailers, the chances of your freight being damaged from an honest accident are higher. Keeping all the LTL shipments in one trailer reduces the possibility of damage greatly.
Consolidating shipments into a larger delivery can enhance security measures. Keeping multiple shipments together will reduce the likelihood of theft. One load is less likely to be in danger as smaller orders of freight.
Some of the threats that consolidated freight will be protected from include:
Shippers that want to keep their freight secure should use consolidation to make sure their shipments safe.
Freight consolidation service providers possess industry expertise and knowledge in managing consolidated shipments. Shippers can leverage this expertise to optimize their shipping strategy and gain insights into best practices.
3PLs that provide freight consolidation services have established relationships with a wide network of carriers. This means that freight belonging to shippers will be transported by a reliable company safely to the final destination.
Consolidation service providers can also help with other areas of support, such as:
When shippers consolidate, they’ll have access to expert support that will make the
Consolidated freight services have many benefits. However, using these services might not be needed depending on the circumstances of the shipper. Therefore, it's best for shippers to consider what they require and what they don’t before choosing to make a consolidated freight shipment.
Some things you should consider are:
Consolidated freight is a great option when shipping extremely long packages that exceed 108 inches in length. Packages that weigh over 150 pounds can be part of a consolidated shipment as well.
Another circumstance where it would be a great opportunity to use consolidated freight services is when you're transporting oddly shaped freight. Awkwardly shaped freight could include items like furniture.
If you are transporting multiple shipments that are fragile or require special care, consolidating them is the best option. It's better to have one trailer full of fragile freight than to have multiple shipments of fragile freight that are mixed in with other heavier objects.
Consolidated freight is a good option when shipping a large volume of goods because it will keep costs low. There’s also the added benefit that the goods will be more secure being shipped together than shipping all of them separately.
Read our article on how to negotiate freight rates to pay less when you ship.
To demonstrate how useful consolidated freight services are, consider the length and weight limit of the most commonly used dry van trailer. The average length of a dry van trailer is 53 feet and can carry up to 4,500 pounds of weight.
The average amount of space that an LTL shipment takes is about 12 feet. This means about four LTL shipments will take up 48 feet of a dry van trailer which leaves about 5 feet leftover.
The table shows how many pallets will be able to fit within four LTL shipments within a 54ft dry van trailer based on their dimensions.
| Pallet Dimensions | Pallet Length In Feet | How Many Pallets Can Fit in Each LTL Shipment Stacked Side-By-Side | Total Amount of Pallets in 53ft Trailer With 4 LTL shipments |
| 40”x48” | 3.3ft | 8 pallets | 32 |
| 48”x48” | 4ft | 6 palles | 24 |
| 48”x40” | 4ft | 6 pallets | 24 |
| 42”x42” | 3.5ft | 6 pallets | 30 |
| 36”x36” | 3ft | 8 pallets | 32 |
| 42”x31” | 3.5 | 6 pallets | 30 |
This will help you determine how much of a certain type of pallet you can fit on a dry van trailer.
If you need freight consolidation services, USA Truckload Shipping has you covered. We can combine multiple LTL shipments into one, saving you time and money.
We also offer some other services you will find useful:
With our large network of carriers located throughout the country, we’ll help you get your consolidated shipment to the final destination on time. As our services show, we’ll transport just about any type of freight.
Get onto the path of using freight consolidation services by filling out your free quote on our truckload page. You can also contact our team (866) 353-7178 if you have any questions or concerns.
R+L Global Logistics
315 NE 14th St., Ocala, FL 34470
