Shipping large, oversized goods doesn’t have to be complicated. LTL (Less-Than-Truckload) freight shipping allows businesses to transport shipments without needing a full truck, making it cost-effective for items between 150 and 15,000 pounds. But if managing LTL freight still feels heavy, these four strategies will simplify the process, making it as smooth as small-parcel shipping.
What you’ll find on this page:
- Understanding the Challenges of LTL Freight Shipping
- Improving accuracy with live LTL freight rates
- Compare Rates from Multiple LTL Freight Carriers Automatically
- Deliver a Customer-Friendly Checkout Experience with Exact Delivery Dates for LTL Freight
- Set Up Custom Shipping Rules for LTL Freight
- How ShipperHQ Can Help
Understanding the Challenges of LTL Freight Shipping
One of the biggest challenges merchants face with LTL freight shipping is the lack of integration between their eCommerce platforms (like Shopify or BigCommerce) and LTL carriers. Without live rate integration, merchants are forced to rely on table rates, which are often inaccurate. This can lead to undercharging customers and absorbing the extra costs, or overcharging and losing sales. The inability to provide real-time, accurate shipping rates creates unnecessary friction for both merchants and customers but these strategies can help.
1. Improve Accuracy of LTL Freight Rates with Live Rates and Dimensional Packing
Accuracy is everything when it comes to quoting freight rates. But, eCommerce platforms don’t always integrate with LTL carriers. Shipping rating solutions like ShipperHQ offer more integrations so you can access live rates from LTL carriers and ensure that your rates are the most accurate. Shipping rating solutions can also assign freight classes to products or shipping groups for even greater precision, reducing costly errors and discrepancies between quoted and actual rates.
Move at the Speed of Small Parcel
Just like small-parcel shipping, LTL freight can be streamlined by offering instant freight rates at checkout. Providing accurate rates for heavy or oversized goods improves your overall shipping margins and gives customers a clear, transparent view of costs. By automating these processes, you can offer the same fast, efficient experience for freight as you would for smaller parcels.
2. Use Rate Shopping to Compare Rates from Multiple LTL Freight Carriers Automatically
Manually comparing rates from different LTL carriers? That’s a thing of the past. Automated rate-shopping tools help you compare real-time rates from multiple LTL freight carriers in seconds. Whether your priority is cost savings or delivery speed, you’ll always offer the best option to your customers without the headache of manual calculations. Get the best rates automatically and never overpay for freight shipping again.
3. Deliver a Customer-Friendly Checkout Experience with Exact Delivery Dates for LTL Freight
Customers don’t just want the cheapest shipping—they want to know when their large shipments will arrive. Make sure you’re showing customers transparent, accurate delivery dates at checkout. Shipping experience tools like ShipperHQ enable you to combine your own lead times, cut-off times, max times in transit, and other custom rules with real-time data from your carriers. This visibility provides customers with confidence in their purchase, reducing any guesswork and increasing overall satisfaction. No more uncertainty—customers know exactly when to expect their order.
4. Set Up Custom Shipping Rules for LTL Freight
Tailor your shipping strategy with custom shipping rules. ShipperHQ allows you to set rules based on regions, offer free shipping for larger orders, or automatically add fees for services like liftgates or special handling. With full control over your shipping costs, you can provide a great customer experience while maintaining efficiency and protecting your margins.
Final Thoughts: How ShipperHQ Can Help
LTL freight shipping doesn’t have to be complicated. With live rate accuracy, automatic rate comparisons, exact delivery dates, and custom shipping rules, managing freight can be seamless.
ShipperHQ helps turn LTL shipping into an easy-to-manage part of your business, allowing you to deliver a small-parcel experience for even the biggest shipments.
