Freight shipping is the process of shipping goods by land, sea, or air. It is a key part of the supply chain and plays a vital role in the economy.
Are you looking for a cost-effective and efficient way to ship your goods? Then freight shipping is the perfect solution for you!
Looking for the best freight shipping services to ship your goods but not sure which option is best for you? Give up worrying further! We’ll explain everything you need to know about freight shipping so that you can make the best decision for your business.
What Is Freight Shipping?
Freight shipping is the process of shipping goods by land, sea, or air. It is a key part of the supply chain and plays a vital role in the economy. Freight shipping has different types, and every single type has its own advantages and drawbacks.
Freight shipping is necessary for businesses that need to move goods in bulk quantities. It can be used to ship raw materials, finished products, or parts and components. Freight shipping can also be used to ship heavy or oversized items that cannot be shipped via traditional methods.
In our consumer economy, we constantly need new things to replace the ones we currently own. Things to read, things to drive, things to wear, things to use in our homes, things to eat, things to use as entertainment for ourselves. The last thing we consider is various sorts of freight. Most of the time, we don’t think about how all of our items arrive at our front door or the nearby retailers. Only when we want, it is available.
The fact is that goods are delivered both locally and globally through a variety of techniques, with some companies using various sorts of freight. Who are the freight companies that transport our goods, then?
Over the past few years, with the increasing usage of the internet, we have developed a habit of ordering different products online. Correspondingly, e-commerce has become a go-to platform for doing business. What we know is how to order our product online. What we don’t know is how our product gets delivered to us from the company warehouse to the destination.
That’s why we need to have an idea about the different types of freight. Air, water, or land, as we’ve mentioned above, can be used for delivering cargo.
Five Different Types of Freight Shipping
In this article, we will discuss five different types of freight cargo. So keep reading!
- Less Than a Truckload (LTL) Freight
LTL freight or Less than a truckload freight is one of the different types of freight which is normally used when we want to ship goods from a distribution center or warehouse to a destination. This type of cargo is shipped through the land. And while shipping, it is made sure that the weight of the goods is less than a truck full of goods. That’s why it is called so. This type of freight is the most cost-effective one. The goods are usually delivered in the morning.
Due to its cost-effectiveness, LTL freight is one of the longest in terms of trip distance. When shipping LTL, the shipper only pays for the space that their cargo takes up on a typical truck trailer; the remaining space is filled by the shipments of other shippers. LTL shipping has a lot of advantages like low costs, proper security because of safe packaging, and additional services like inside pickup and delivery and tracking of shipments.
Different factors involve and devise the rates of LTL freight which include:
- Destination. The longer the distance, the higher the prices for shipping goods.
- Dimensions. Freight class is determined by the weight and dimension of the goods being shipped. The class directly impacts the shipping rates.
- Type of goods. The type of goods being shipped also have an impact on the rates of shipping.
- Partial Truckload (PTL) Freight
Another type of freight is Partial Truckload Freight. PTL and LTL are the same in nature. Using this method of freight transportation, a specialized truck can handle almost any type of goods despite carrying fewer weights. When big enterprises need to transport bulk goods, their first choice is always PTL freight.
It doesn’t require the full capacity of a full trailer. This type of shipping is different in terms of trailer space and pricing.
Some of the advantages of PTL freight are:
- It automatically takes care of the freight class.
- You can avoid accessorial charges with PTL freight
- PTL freight has less potential for cargo damage
- It is quicker to transit than LTL freight
- Full Truckload (FTL) Freight
A type of freight transportation known as a full truckload, or FTL, is rooted and operates to capacity. This kind of freight service is typically required when a business needs to transport very large volumes of goods in a particular condition. FTL freight is typically employed because particular things, such as refrigerated goods, must be transported in specific states.
Additionally, due to the relatively small travel distances, the process of transporting goods and commodities is hastened. The primary drawback of employing FTL freight is the greater overall cost. However, this might not be a problem if your goods need to be delivered quickly and in excellent shape.
For FTL shipments, the carrier dispatches a truck to the pickup location at the scheduled time, where the shipper’s cargo is loaded and sealed. The vehicle then delivers the products without stopping from the point of origin to the drop-off location. Faster transport times and less freight handling are made possible by this.
Some of its advantages include:
- Quick Transit: As there is no stopping, so it should take less time to reach the destination
- Economic Freight: Even for large quantities, it is cost-effective
- Excellent Handling: FTL has less chance of freight damage
- Best for fragile cargo: As trailer space is not being shared, so it handles goods minimally
- Expedited Freight
This kind of freight is defined by the word that is used to describe it. A distinctively grounded form of the numerous types of freight, expedited freight services enable the speedy delivery of a variety of goods. The distance between the distribution center and the final location is little, so you may pick up your cargo quickly—even in a single day!
The act of moving freight quickly is known as expedited shipping. Shippers frequently put on-time transportation services above and beyond their bottom line when using expedited shipping services. Furthermore, given the speed at which the transportation industry operates, delivering freight quickly from point A to point B can provide enormous value when done right.
When time is of the essence, expedited shipping options allow shippers a chance to shorten transit times and meet deadlines, increasing value.
- Intermodal Freight
Intermodal freight is the movement of cargo across different modes of transportation (such as trains, ships, and so on) using containers, often ISO containers. Due to the contained nature of the shipments, this technique does not require direct handling.
It may be more cost-effective to reserve intermodal containers, which can be swiftly transferred from one truck to another. By using freight with this method, you may also reduce your environmental impact.
International intermodal shipments and domestic intermodal shipments are the two main types of intermodal shipments. In 20- or 40-foot containers, intermodal international shipments are transported. The product stays in the same container the entire way when international intermodal shipments move between ocean carriers, lorries, and trains. 53-foot containers are used to transport domestic intermodal shipments. Despite the phrase “domestic intermodal” being used to describe these shipments, merchandise may nevertheless come from abroad.
Some of its benefits are:
- Cost effective
- Fuel efficient
- Sustainability
- Consistent services
Wrapping Up: Different Types of Freight Shipping
Just as there are numerous ways to get our commodities delivered to us, there are numerous ways to get our stuff delivered to us. Depending on your situation, one type of freight might be more practical than another; you can read knowledgeable people’s suggestions on various websites, speak with freight experts, and then choose what works best for you; this way, you’ll have your stuff in no time! ABF Shipping can help you transport your items from Dubai to any other country. So wait no further! Transport your goods from Dubai to your desired destinations.