PTL stands for Partial Truckload shipping. It’s a transportation option where your freight occupies a portion of a truck—usually 5 to 14 pallets and 5,000 to 40,000 pounds—and shares the remaining trailer space with compatible freight moving in the same direction.

Is PTL cheaper than LTL?

PTL can be cheaper than LTL depending on your freight’s size, weight, and density. With PTL, you pay for the space you use rather than a freight class, which can eliminate reclassification fees, accessorials, and damage risks associated with LTL’s multiple handling points. PTL is often more cost-effective for large, light, or oddly shaped freight.

Is shipping weight or DIM used?

PTL pricing is driven primarily by the shipment’s physical space (pallet count and length of trailer space) and overall weight—not by DIM factors or freight class like in LTL.

Is Partial Truckload (PTL) Right for You?

Resources > Is Partial Truckload (PTL) Right for You?

PTL shipping is the perfect middle ground between LTL and FTL shipping. If your cargo is oddly shaped or too small to fill a truck, PTL shipping is the right choice for a simple, quick transit.

Published: November 12, 2025

Last Modified:
November 14, 2025

Author: Marian Richardson

There are a few ways to ship your products by truck, and sometimes it’s not so clear which transportation method is best when you know your freight won’t fill up an entire trailer. At USA Truckload Shipping, we’ve helped numerous businesses find the solution that’s right for them.

In this article, we’ll cover how to determine whether a partial truckload is best for your next shipment, along with the benefits it offers.

Key takeaways:

Partial truckload shipping is the middle ground between LTL and FTL. If your freight wouldn’t fill an entire truck, PTL is the best option for your cargo.
PTL shipping has plenty of benefits, from cutting down on the costs of space to improving your transit speed on the road.
PTL shipments work best for light and large freight, like compact machinery, industrial parts, and oddly shaped cargo, to utilize your allotted space.

Let’s start by unpacking the core differences between three popular shipping methods: Partial truckload, less-than-truckload, and full truckload shipping.

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PTL vs LTL vs FTL: Choose the Best Fit For Your Shipment

In our opinion, PTL is the perfect middle ground between FTL and LTL. Where FTL uses an entire trailer for its cargo and LTL shares trailer space between multiple shippers, partially filled truck shipments also use a shared trailer—but other businesses’ shipments are only included if they are headed in the same direction.

The graphic displays three types of freight shipping, from top to bottom: Partial Truckload (PTL), Less Than Truckload (LTL), and Full Truckload (FTL). Next to the names of the three types of freight are three images of trucks holding varying sizes of freight, from top to bottom: PTL, LTL, and FTL.

Looking at the image above, it’s easy to see how PTLs maximize truck space. We’ll break down the best cargo to use for partially filled truck shipments a bit later, but for now, keep in mind that PTL shipping is ideal for freight that is:

Between five to 14 pallets
Between 5k to 30k pounds
Sensitive to damage or non-stackable
Too heavy and could lead to expensive accessorials via LTL

With that in mind, freight that is not ideal for PTL shipments is:

Less than three pallets
Strict on the Service Level Agreement’s (SLA) arrival time
Poorly using lane capacity

If your cargo is large but won’t require a full 53’ trailer's worth of space, we believe a PTL is the way to go. Now, let’s dive into how this shipping method can complement your logistics needs.

If your cargo is large but won’t require a lot of space in a truck, we believe a PTL is the way to go.

Now, let’s dive into how PTL shipping can complement your logistics needs.

The Most Efficient Benefits of PTL Shipping

PTL shipping offers a great deal of benefits when you compare it to LTL or FTL shipping. Here are the top three partial truckload benefits we believe are ideal to take advantage of for your shipping needs.

Easier-Managed Space

When it comes to shared truckloads, you won’t have as much truck space as a FTL, but you’ll have more than a LTL. Plus, the price of that space and the weight of your freight is what you pay, versus paying according to freight class. That’s why we recommend going with PTL shipping if you know your freight will not take up a full trailer, or if it’s too large for a less-than-truckload.

Cost-Effective Deliveries

Because PTL shipments are around 4 to 20 pallets of freight, often preferred for uneven-sized cargo, you can make the most of the space you occupy in a truck. You only pay for the space that you’re using, so there are no extra fees for transportation.

Since partial truckload shipments include a variety of businesses’ loads headed towards the same destination, this can bring down fees like the cost per mile and freight class if your cargo is large but not heavy. With the freight combined on one truck, this can mean fewer stops and handling, which reduces the chance of your freight being damaged.

Quicker Transit Time

If your load needs to arrive at its destination within a particular timeframe, PTL vs LTL shipping offers time-sensitive and swift transfers.

As we mentioned previously, PTL shipments are only grouped together when they’re going to the same destination or general area, minimizing cross-docking and reducing stops at freight terminals. Your freight gets from point A to point B faster and easier.

Defining the Weight Requirements for Partial Truckloads

We mentioned earlier how the shape and weight of your freight can impact the cost of your shipment, so let’s jump into what types of cargo work best for a partial truckload.

While there is an assortment of requirements for freight transportation, such as correctly palletizing your freight or filling out a bill of lading, when you opt for PTL shipping, it’s important to keep an eye on the weight of your freight.

Since there’s no freight class to worry about as you would with LTL shipping, you’ll just need to consider how heavy and large your load will be. Partial truckload shipments are between 5,000 to 40,000 pounds, so let’s take a look at some ideal cargo for partial truckload shipping:

The infographic lists the recommended cargo for PTL shipping and examples of the cargo. The recommended cargo from left to right are: Industrial Parts, Construction Materials, and Compact Machinery. The cargo examples for Industrial Parts, from top to bottom, are wires and cables, motors and circuit breakers, and fasteners and gears. The cargo examples for Construction Materials, from top to bottom, are sheets of steel, wood planks, and bricks and cinder blocks. The final example for recommended is Compact Machinery and, from top to bottom, are small padfoot roller, power rammer, and mini track loader.

You can save on space and costs by choosing the right packaging for your freight.

This list can include many more types of cargo, however, the goal is low density freight. Think “large and light.”

All Your PTL Shipping Needs Covered with USA Truckload Shipping

If you’ve decided that a partial truckload will best suit your shipping needs, you’re already in the right place to get your cargo where it needs to go.

At USA Truckload Shipping, we provide simple logistics solutions that make the most sense for your partial truckload shipment and other shipping needs. This includes expedited, hazmat, and white glove transportation.

We’re ready to help you with your freight transportation—no matter the size of your cargo or business. Give us a call at (866) 353-7178 or get in touch with our team by visiting our contact page to learn about our other services.