[G04 FTL OR LTL]
FTL or LTL?
Most shippers decide by weight. The better question is how much loading floor your goods block and how much handling they can tolerate.
The short answer
As a rule of thumb: up to about 6 to 8 loading metres — roughly 15 to 18 Euro pallets — a part load is usually cheaper. Above that, and whenever the vehicle should not stop anywhere else, a full truckload wins.
Beyond price there are two decisive factors: handling (FTL means loading once, unloading once) and time certainty (a dedicated truck runs to your schedule, not to a line plan).
The three shipment sizes
European road freight distinguishes groupage, part load and full truckload. The boundaries are not sharp, but the logic behind them is consistent: the more space you occupy, the more the price follows the vehicle rather than the network.
| Type | Typical size | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Groupage | 1–3 pallets | hub network, several transhipments, cheapest per pallet |
| Part load (LTL) | 4–18 pallets | few or no transhipments, shares the trailer |
| Full truckload (FTL) | from ~19 pallets | dedicated vehicle, direct run, fixed slots |
Loading metres beat weight
A loading metre is one metre of trailer length across the full width. Two Euro pallets placed side by side (80 cm wide, 120 cm long) occupy 0.4 loading metres. An industrial pallet at 100 by 120 cm occupies 0.5. Non-stackable goods block the space above them, which is charged as if it were used.
This is why a light but bulky shipment can cost more than a heavy, compact one: the trailer runs out of floor long before it runs out of payload.
When FTL is worth it even below the break-even
- fragile or high-value goods that should not be handled more than twice
- fixed delivery slots at a plant or retail distribution centre
- goods that must not travel with certain other products (food, chemicals, odour)
- very tight transit times where a line plan would cost a day
- oversized or over-height units that cannot be combined anyway
When LTL is clearly the better choice
For recurring medium-sized volumes on established lanes, part loads are hard to beat. You pay for the space you use, and the rest of the trailer is somebody else's cost. If you can be flexible on the collection day, you also benefit from return-load pricing.
The trade-off is time: consolidation costs hours, occasionally a day. If your consignee accepts a two-day window instead of a fixed morning slot, the saving is real.
How we decide with you
Send us the lane, the number and size of the packages, stackability and your date window. We calculate both options and tell you where the break-even sits for your specific shipment — including the case where splitting into two smaller part loads beats one truck.
Last updated: September 2026 · Information provided without warranty, not legal advice
A real shipment gets a real answer.
Send us the lane, weight, dimensions and dates – you receive a quote with clear options and one contact person who knows what happens next.
Send enquiry