Standard freight
LTL freight, priced right the first time.
Less-than-truckload is the most cost-efficient way to move a few pallets across the country. You pay for the space and weight you use, not a whole trailer. Getting the class and density right is what keeps the quote honest.
What LTL freight is
Less-than-truckload, or LTL, consolidates freight from several shippers onto one shared trailer. Each shipment usually runs from one to six pallets and rides alongside other freight headed the same direction, so everyone shares the cost of the trailer and the fuel.
It sits between parcel and a full truckload. When a shipment is too big or too heavy for parcel but does not fill a trailer, LTL is almost always the right lane. RS Group books it across a large carrier network so your freight moves on the right equipment at a fair rate.
When to use LTL
- Your shipment is roughly one to six pallets, or about 150 to 15,000 lbs.
- The freight is palletized, crated, or otherwise ready for a dock-to-dock move.
- You want to pay for the space you use instead of a dedicated trailer.
- You can allow standard transit time rather than a direct, expedited run.
How freight class and density set the price
LTL pricing is built on freight class, a standard 1-to-500 scale set by the National Motor Freight Classification. Lower classes are dense, stack well, and cost less to move; higher classes are light, bulky, or fragile and cost more.
For most freight, density (weight per cubic foot) is the single biggest driver of class. Get the dimensions and weight right and the class follows, and so does an accurate quote. Guess low and the carrier reweighs, reclasses, and adjusts the invoice after the fact.
Estimate your density and likely class →
Equipment and accessorials
Standard LTL moves on a 53-foot dry van with a liftgate available for locations without a dock. We handle residential pickup and delivery, inside delivery, limited-access sites, appointment scheduling, and notification when the freight is dense, fragile, or bound for a job site instead of a warehouse.
Tell us the accessorials up front and they go in the quote. Surprises on the invoice come from the details left off the original request, so we ask the questions that keep the number firm.
LTL questions, answered
What is the difference between LTL and partial truckload?
LTL prices by freight class and rides on shared equipment with several other shipments. Partial truckload prices by the space your freight occupies and shares a trailer with only one or two other loads. For larger palletized shipments that reclass poorly as LTL, partial truckload is often cheaper. We quote both and tell you which wins.
Why did my carrier reclass my shipment?
A reclass happens when the actual density or class does not match what was quoted. Carriers reweigh and remeasure freight in the terminal. If the real numbers are different, they adjust the class and the invoice. Accurate dimensions and weight up front are the fix.
Do you handle residential and liftgate deliveries?
Yes. Residential pickup and delivery, liftgate, inside delivery, and limited-access locations are all standard accessorials. Tell us the conditions at both ends and we build them into the quote so the rate holds.
Tell us the lane and the load.
A real dispatcher builds the quote, with no self-service pricing and no runaround. LTL, truckload, drayage, expedited, or warehousing, we move it and we answer the phone.