At Zia Pia, we take pride in being more than a source for fine Italian foods—we’re partners in your growth. Each year, we ship thousands of orders to businesses across the country, and we have watched as many of our long-time customers have grown up right alongside us. Inspired by this shared success, we’re excited to introduce Freight Talk with Zander, a blog series designed specifically for our wholesale partners.
In this series, we’ll explore operational strategies and logistics solutions tailored to help your business flourish, whether you’re streamlining operations or expanding your offerings. From shipping insights to supply chain tips, Freight Talk with Zander is here to empower you with the tools and knowledge to make logistics work for you. Let’s dive in!
Is LTL Shipping Right for Your Business?
For many growing businesses, small parcel shipping through carriers like UPS or FedEx is the foundation of fulfillment operations. However, as shipments grow larger, so do the challenges—lost or damaged packages, higher costs, and increased inefficiency. When you ship more than a half a dozen boxes at once the potential for loss or damage increases with each added carton. If you routinely place or ship orders exceeding 150 pounds or six to ten cartons, it may be time to consider LTL (Less-Than-Truckload) shipping, a valuable tool in logistics that offers distinct advantages.
What Is LTL Shipping?
LTL is a mode of surface transportation that consolidates freight from multiple shippers onto the same truck, transporting it on pallets to reduce damage, loss, and packaging waste. Here’s how it works:
- Your freight (1-6 pallets) is picked up and brought to a local consolidation hub.
- It will then be consolidated with other palletized shipments, from the local hub, and shipped to another hub that is closer to its ultimate destination.
- The number of hubs a given pallet or pallets will pass through is based on the carrier’s hub network and the total mileage between the shipper and receiver. (It is not at all uncommon for shipments to be handled between five to eight times during their journey.)
- Once your shipment arrives at a local hub, it will be scheduled for local (last mile) delivery.
Benefits of LTL Shipping
Switching to palletized shipments can lower costs, reduce waste, and improve reliability. FedEx and UPS lose packages with some regularity. Pallets, on the other hand, are far less likely to go missing or sustain damage compared to individual packages, making LTL a sustainable and cost-effective option for businesses scaling up their operations. Cost is another deciding factor: when you start to exceed 150 pounds, the cost basis heavily favors freight. In addition, by minimizing the use of excess packaging materials like bubble wrap and boxes, freight shipping also supports a more environmentally friendly supply chain.
Potential Drawbacks to Consider
While LTL shipping offers clear advantages, it’s not without challenges. Deliveries to residential areas, narrow city streets, or busy storefronts often require scheduling and may face access limitations. They will call ahead to schedule the delivery in order to minimize the amount of disruption to traffic.
Another potential drawback is time. Transit times are estimates, so delays can occur due to the hub-and-spoke network system. If you have a time-sensitive order, let us know so we can help accommodate your needs. We will always do our best to ensure on-time delivery, but it is important to remember that the cost savings of freight shipping can sometimes mean slightly longer transit times.
Ready to Explore Freight Shipping?
At Zia Pia, we’re here to guide you through logistics solutions that help grow your business while maintaining efficiency and reliability. If you have questions or feedback, we’d love to hear from you. Stay tuned for more insights from Freight Talk with Zander. Until then, Ciao!