Package shipping is the type of shipping most retailers are familiar with. Small package carriers such as UPS, FedEx, USPS, or DHL are typically used to ship one package at a time by ground or air.
Generally, any package weighing less than 150 pounds can be carried by the package shipper, but most package shipments are under 70 pounds. Packages are not shipped on pallets, and package packaging is usually provided by the shipper or carrier.
What is freight?
Freight involves multiple modes of transport, including LTL (less than truckload), TL (full truckload), ocean freight and intermodal (rail). These shipments often exceed the size and weight limits listed above and are stacked and secured on wooden or plastic pallets for easy loading, stabilization and protection of the cargo. These goods can be transported by land, air, sea, rail or any combination of these. There are thousands of trucking companies offering these services.
LTL shipments are sent along with other shipments, reducing shipping costs for trailers that are typically 40 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 8 feet high. Goods larger than 525 cubic feet are usually shipped at a lower cost via FTL. Rail services are also providers of FTL freight.
What is the difference between parcel and freight?
parcel shipping
Small parcels such as parcels are the main contents of the parcel truck
Carry loads typically less than 150 lbs
Trucks are usually no larger than 28 feet
A package truck will make multiple stops throughout the day to deliver orders to customers’ doorsteps.
A parcel truck can have 50-100 parcels depending on the average size
freight
Bulk loads, such as palettes of products that have been packaged together or packaged as one or more.
For a typical long trip, loads may vary from 5,000 lbs to 70,000 lbs.
Oversized loads may weigh in excess of 110,000 lbs
Usually a trip, from point A to point B
Trucks can be larger than 58 feet
Delivery may take 1-3 days
One trip can travel hundreds of miles
When is freight a good option?
Freight is a fantastic option when you’re moving larger volumes of cargo than any other form of road transport can provide. Freight is the only realistic option when you need a shipping service that can ship large quantities of products to another location in your business or to a customer.
You can ship tens of thousands of pounds from your production facility to your warehouse. This is by far the best option if you need to move a lot of inventory from one warehouse to another. When your load is too large to build in a small truck, a bigger truck can be your peace of mind. For example, when you need to move large machinery instead of breaking it down into parts, a cargo truck can lift the load in one go to determine if you need it.
Large businesses use freight because they need to ship large quantities of products to their warehouses. They can transport large quantities of products (such as automobiles, food, beverages, materials, crude oil, etc.) directly from their manufacturing facility to a warehouse, which can then use smaller trucks to distribute the goods to businesses and/or local storage facilities .
