Full Truck Load FTL: advantages and when to choose it
Guide to FTL full truck load: what it is, when it pays off, advantages over groupage and how to calculate costs for international road shipments.
What is FTL full truck load
FTL stands for Full Truck Load. The entire vehicle is dedicated to a single client. A standard semi-trailer offers 82-90 m³ of space and up to 24 tonnes of payload capacity. No sharing with other cargo, no intermediate stops.
The truck departs from the collection point and arrives directly at destination. It is the fastest way to ship goods by road in Europe.
When to choose full truck load
FTL becomes the most logical choice in specific situations. You do not always need a huge load: sometimes it is the nature of the goods or the urgency that makes FTL the right solution.
- The load occupies more than 50-60% of the semi-trailer
- The goods are urgent and fast delivery times are needed
- The goods have a high value and handling must be minimised
- The cargo is fragile and must not be mixed with other shipments
- Precise collection or delivery times are required
- The goods require special transport conditions
Practical advantages of FTL
The main advantage is speed. An FTL shipment from Bisceglie to Paris takes 36-48 hours. The same route by groupage takes 5-7 working days. The difference is that the truck does not stop to load or unload other goods along the way.
The second advantage is cargo safety. Fewer handling operations mean less risk of damage, breakage or loss. For marble, ceramics, industrial machinery or premium food products, FTL is almost always the recommended choice.
How FTL pricing works
The price depends on the distance, vehicle type, tolls and fuel cost. Unlike groupage, where you pay by weight or volume, with FTL you pay for the complete journey.
This is why it is important to fill the vehicle as much as possible. If the load only occupies 40% of the truck, groupage will be cheaper. If it exceeds 60-70%, FTL almost always offers a lower cost per unit.
Our FTL service
Italfrance S.r.l. operates FTL services from Puglia to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Luxembourg. Company-owned fleet, qualified drivers, weekly outbound and return departures.
We manage every shipment directly, from collection to delivery. For an FTL quote, provide us with the collection point, destination, weight and dimensions. We respond within 24 hours.