Ultimate Guide for Ground Freight

One of the primary types of freight you'll often hear about is ground freight. Many companies often use this affordable shipping option. It helps them move large and heavy shipments between places without time limits.

Many companies have different ways to move goods. However, ground freight is still a popular choice today. It is easy to transport large items across regions and continents. Unlike air freight, this method allows companies to move heavier items in large volumes that may not fit on a plane.

However, while it might be cheap ground freight shipping isn’t suitable for every business; it is best suited for those dealing with specific products. Unsure if it's the right option for you? Stay tuned as we explore our complete guide to ground freight. We will cover everything you need to know about this type of transportation.

What Is Ground Freight?

Ground freight, sometimes referred to as land freight, is a shipping method that relies on motorized vehicles such as trailers, trucks, or trains to transport goods. Many freight companies prefer this transport method because it is cheaper than air freight. However, this cost advantage comes with longer transit times. Unlike air transport, which is much faster, ground freight generally can take many days to reach its final destination.

On average, delivery times for ground freight can range from 3 to 10 days, depending on the distance and final location. This may not be the best choice for urgent shipments. However, it is still a good option for some companies that do not guarantee fast shipping.

The Basics of Ground Freight Shipping

All ground freight solutions follow a similar process, no matter where they are headed. The journey starts when the shipment is picked up from the shipper's location. This could be their warehouse or a retail store.

Once it is picked up, it goes to a separate warehouse. There, it is sorted and grouped by ground freight shipping companies. They organize it with other shipments going in the same direction. To put it simply, if you were to send an order via one company, they would then seek help from a third party like DHL, which would arrange the shipment in their warehouse and send it along with other orders bound for the same destination.

Keep in mind that your shipment may stop at several locations before reaching its final destination. For example, if you shipped an order from New York to Mexico City, it might first pass through Memphis and Austin before making the final leg of the journey. The specific route depends on the most cost-effective options available to the shipping company. Intermodal transportation, which involves using multiple types of transport, helps move the load more affordably by combining different shipping methods, including ground with freight pricing.

Freight forwarders play a crucial role in coordinating such shipments on the ground. Their job is to make sure that loads reach their destinations on time by utilizing the best-suited modes of transport, such as rail or sea. They manage the logistics, arrange the shipments, find suitable routes, and make sure everything is properly routed and on schedule.

Different Types of Ground Freight Shipping

In total, there are five main different types of ground freight shipping. Here’s a quick rundown of them:

Less than Truckload (LTL)

LTL shipping is perfect when you don’t need an entire truck for your load. Think of it like carpooling for freight: your goods share the space with other shipments. It's typically used for smaller shipments, usually weighing between 150 and 15,000 pounds and taking up about five pallets or less, which equals around 24 feet of space.

Full Truck Load (FTL)

FTL is just as it sounds: when a shipment takes up the whole truck. It’s used for large shipments since the entire truck is dedicated to one load. This means less time is spent on stops and transfers, making it a form of expedited ground freight and more affordable per unit for big shipments.

Partial Truckload (PTL)

PTL is the happy medium between LTL and FTL. If your load is too big for LTL but not large enough for FTL, PTL is the way to go. Companies with medium-sized shipments prefer this ground freight transportation option as they can't fill a full truck but still need more space than what they'll get with LTL.

Container Trucking

Container trucking is all about moving containers by road, typically between warehouses and ports. It’s when goods need to be moved by land before heading to their final destination by sea or rail.

Heavy-lift Cargo Trucking

Heavy-lift cargo trucking works for shipments that are too big, heavy, or awkward to fit in standard trucks. These specialized vehicles are built to move machinery or large construction materials. So, if you're shipping massive machinery for a construction project, this is the mode that you'll most likely use.

Freight vs Ground Shipping

What Is Freight Shipping?

Another form of delivery available is freight shipping; these are often large shipments that exceed 150 pounds that need to be moved across country or internationally, whether it's via road, air, or sea. Before the order is shipped, it gets split into different groups based on the size, weight, and delivery timeline. Many businesses like freight shipping because it's a faster method than ground freight; you'll often see companies that offer express delivery use it.

The packing process for freight shipping can be quite complex, as there's much more involved since you're working with bigger loads. All the goods must be carefully arranged and securely fastened onto a pallet to ensure they can be easily moved by the forklift drivers without the risk of them falling off. Remember, these loads tend to be quite valuable, so if anything happens to them, it could be a costly mistake.

Freight vs Ground Shipping: What Sets Them Apart

It’s easy to confuse freight and ground shipping, as both involve delivering goods, but the purposes behind the shipments are different. Freight is typically used for commercial reasons, such as moving large quantities of items, which tends to make it cheaper. For example, companies transporting hundreds of pallets at once would opt for freight. On the other hand, the shipping costs for ground freight tend to be more expensive because the loads are smaller, and you often share space with other shipments, which can lead to additional fees.

Ground Freight Tracking Explained

One of the standout features of land shipments is getting access to ground freight tracking. Offered by many shipping companies, this service lets you track your delivery in real time, giving you a clear view of your order’s progress. It’s a convenient way for customers to stay updated on their deliveries without having to reach out to the company for constant status updates.

You get so many amazing metrics with ground freight tracking, including estimated delivery times, live status updates, shipment location views, and even temperature monitoring when applicable. It’s almost like being right there with your shipment every step of the way.

That’s Our Guide to Ground Freight

That's a wrap on our guide to ground freight. Clearly, this is a viable shipment option for many companies looking to transport their goods on a tight budget without having to worry about time constraints. If you're unsure whether it's the right choice for your business, compare both ground freight and freight shipping to determine which option offers the best value.