LTL Freight vs Full Truckload vs Partial: How Each Gets Quoted

Updated 2026-09-04

FTL (full truckload) is freight that takes a whole trailer and moves point to point. LTL (less-than-truckload) is smaller freight that shares a trailer with other shippers’ freight and moves through terminals. Partial — also called volume LTL — sits between them: too big to price as LTL, not big enough to buy the whole trailer, moving direct without terminal handling.

The distinction that matters at a quote desk is not size. It is that the three are priced by three different systems, off three different sets of inputs.

What each one is priced on

The inputs you need before you can quote

This is the part that decides whether your reply is a quote or the start of an email thread. If a field is missing, you are guessing, and the correction arrives as a rebill.

Full truckload — you need:

• Origin and destination, with actual pickup and delivery dates
• Equipment type and length (dry van, reefer, flatbed; 53’ vs 48’)
• Total weight, and commodity
• Reefer only: temperature setting, continuous or cycle, pre-cool requirement
• Flatbed only: dimensions, tarping, permits, oversize
• Appointment or FCFS windows at both ends, and any detention exposure at the receiver
• Accessorials: extra stops, driver assist, lumper at the dock

LTL — you need everything above, plus:

• Piece count and packaging type (pallets, crates, loose)
• Dimensions of each handling unit, in inches
• Weight per handling unit
• Freight class or the NMFC item, or enough data to derive density
• Stackable or not
• Accessorials on both ends: liftgate, residential, inside delivery, limited access, appointment, notify

Partial — full truckload list, plus:

• Linear feet consumed, or pallet positions
• Stackable or not
• Whether it can share a trailer with any commodity (food-grade, hazmat, odor)

Most LTL rebills trace back to three fields: dimensions, weight, and class. All three are collectable in the first reply if you ask for them by name.

Freight class: the LTL pricing input

Class is what an LTL tariff rates against, and since NMFTA’s Docket 2025-1 took effect on 19 July 2025 the classifications have been density-based rather than commodity-based — so working out density is now a quote-desk skill rather than a rating-department one.

Compute density from the shipping dimensions: length × width × height in inches, divided by 1,728 for cubic feet per handling unit, times the number of units, then total weight divided by that. Measure the pallet including overhang, at its tallest point — not the box on top. Four pallets at 48 × 40 × 50 inches and 2,400 lb total is 222.2 cubic feet, so 10.8 lb per cubic foot. The density calculator does it and shows the working.

Density is not the whole answer, and we do not print a class table. NMFTA classifies on four characteristics, a commodity’s own NMFC item overrides density, and the density scale itself has moved twice since 2025 — the breaks live in the licensed NMFC, not on a blog. Both points, with sources, are on freight class.

When to stop quoting LTL and quote it as a partial

There is no universal cutoff — every LTL carrier’s tariff has its own cubic-capacity and linear-foot rules, and those rules are where surprise charges live. The signals that a shipment has outgrown LTL rating:

• It occupies more than a handful of linear feet of trailer
• It is tall, light, and not stackable — the profile that gets caught by cubic-capacity rules
• The LTL quote is climbing toward what a partial or a short truckload would cost
• Handling damage would be expensive, and the freight would be handled at several terminals

When those line up, price it as space on a trailer instead of as class-rated freight, and check it against the truckload alternative. ATRI’s per-mile operating cost of $2.336 in 2025 (ATRI) is a useful floor check: if the LTL number is drifting above what a whole truck costs to run over that distance, the mode is wrong.

FAQ

What is the actual difference between LTL and partial? Handling and pricing logic. LTL freight is rated off class and moves through terminals, getting handled several times. A partial is priced on the space it occupies and normally moves direct on one trailer. For fragile or awkward freight the handling difference matters more than the price difference.

How do I calculate freight class? Start with density: total weight divided by total cubic feet, using shipping dimensions. Since Docket 2025-1 took effect on July 19, 2025, density is the primary determinant for a large share of commodities. Convert density to class using the NMFC’s break table or your carrier’s rating tool — it is licensed material, and it has changed recently, so do not rely on a table you memorized.

What happens if I quote the wrong class? The carrier inspects, reclassifies, and rebills — usually after delivery, usually to the broker, usually at a rate nobody agreed to. That is why dimensions and weight per handling unit belong in the first email, not the third.

Does FTL need a freight class? No. Truckload is priced on the trailer and the miles. Class exists to rate freight that shares a trailer.

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