Transportify Philippines, a leading provider of on-demand logistics and delivery solutions, issued a critical warning to businesses utilizing Less-than-Truckload (LTL) shipping. The company highlighted three common errors that significantly increase costs, cause delays, and undermine the efficiency of this popular partial-cargo shipping method.
LTL shipping is widely recognized as a cost-effective and smart solution for businesses that don’t have enough freight to fill an entire truck. However, Transportify’s experts caution that simply choosing LTL isn’t enough; avoiding key operational mistakes is essential for success.
According to Transportify, these are the most prevalent and costly mistakes businesses make when utilizing LTL freight:
Expecting Full-Truckload (FTL) Speed:
The Mistake: Shippers often fail to account for the necessary consolidation and de-consolidation processes in LTL, expecting delivery timelines comparable to dedicated FTL service. This leads to misplaced expectations and frustration.
The Reality: LTL involves multiple stops and transfers as a single truck carries cargo for several clients. Planning for realistic LTL transit times is crucial for inventory management and customer satisfaction.
Poor Packaging and Labeling:
The Mistake: Inadequate packaging, incorrect palletization, or incomplete labeling exposes freight to damage and delays during handling. In an LTL environment, cargo is moved and handled more frequently than in FTL.
The Fix: Shippers must adopt robust, industry-standard packaging and ensure all labels are clear, durable, and precisely positioned to withstand the multi-stop journey and prevent misrouting.
Not Properly Evaluating Your LTL Carrier:
The Mistake: Basing carrier selection solely on the lowest price without investigating their network coverage, technology for tracking, and customer service.
The Solution: Businesses should partner with a carrier, like Transportify, that offers advanced real-time tracking, reliable transit schedules, and transparent communication, ensuring quality service and accountability throughout the delivery process.
“LTL shipping is an incredibly smart way to manage logistics for partial loads, but it requires a different approach than FTL,” said a spokesman for Transportify. “We’ve seen businesses lose money due to damaged goods and delayed shipments simply because they are making these avoidable mistakes. Our goal is to empower our clients with the knowledge to maximize the efficiency of LTL.”
Transportify emphasizes that mastering the LTL process is key to unlocking its full potential for cost savings. The company encourages all businesses to review their current LTL processes against these common errors.
