Hiring a Truck Hauling Service? Here’s What You Can Expect

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Truck hauling services use the many shipping routes in the United States to haul cargo for various industries. If you have to move a lot of freight from Point A to Point B, you need a large vehicle. When it comes to ground-based freight, there are no vehicles larger than trucks.

You may need trucks for your business.

Using trucks for transportation allows you to move shipments of almost any size. Many haulers also offer trucks that enable you to move sensitive materials and dangerous chemicals.

But before you hire any truck hauler companies, you must know the basics of these services. This article covers the various types of truck hauling, the benefits of these services, and what to look for in a commercial truck delivery service.

The Types of Truck Hauling

Every type of truck hauling service involves hiring some form of heavy-duty transport to ship your goods to their destination. However, you don’t necessarily have to hire the whole truck for every service.

Sounds confusing, right?

The list of trucking services below helps you to understand the options available to you.

Less Than Truckload (LTL)

Perhaps you have a batch of cargo that you need to ship that isn’t going to fill an entire truck. But at the same time, there’s too much cargo to fit into an alternative type of transportation.

That’s where LTL shipping comes in.

LTL services allow you to ship your goods alongside other people’s cargo. You essentially hire a spot on the truck and then wait for the haulers to transport your cargo to its destination. This service is ideal for those shipping small amounts of cargo, though most LTL haulers still require you to send over 100 pounds of goods before you can reserve a spot. LTL shipping is also the cheapest form of truck hauling.

The problem with this service is that you have little control over the truck’s route. The haulers are transporting cargo for multiple people in the same truck, meaning you have to allow them to create a shipping route that makes sense based on the deliveries they have to make.

Full Truckload (FTL)

If you have enough cargo to fill an entire truck, FTL shipping may be ideal. As the name implies, this service involves hiring a whole truck for your shipment.

How much cargo do you need to fill an entire truck?

It partially depends on the vehicles your truck shipping company offers. But most trucks meet the following measurements:

Width – 8 to 8.5 feet
Height – 12.5 to 13.5 feet
Length – 40 to 53 feet

FTL shipping costs more than LTL because you’re hiring an entire truck. The truck hauler works for your company alone, meaning they’ll plan the route based on your needs. The positive side is that you get more control over routing and timing.

Expedited Trucking Service

Do you have cargo that’s too fragile or large to transport using air freight, yet you still need it to get to its destination quickly?

Expedited heavy truck hauling may be the answer.

These services specialize in getting your cargo where it needs to go as quickly as possible. While you’ll pay even more for expedited trucking, the hauling company will prioritize your order to ensure it reaches you on time.

Flat Bed

Flat bed trucks make it easy for you to load and unload cargo. Their biggest drawback is their open nature. The cargo you ship using these services is exposed to the elements, which increases the risk of damage occurring. You can mitigate this risk by packing your cargo into shipping containers before loading it onto a flat bed.

These trucks regularly transport vehicles and materials that aren’t vulnerable to the weather.

Intermodal Freight

This service combines heavy truck hauling with other modes of transport. For example, you may use rail services to transport your cargo to a station, with the rest of the journey completed using trucks.

Intermodal services allow you to take advantage of the speed offered by other forms of transportation while overcoming their limitations regarding destinations. Sticking with the rail example, trains can only deliver cargo to stations on their route. However, they often provide more direct routes than trucks can take, allowing you to get your load most of the way to its destination quickly before you use truck hauling to complete the delivery.

Refrigerated Trucks

Also known as reefer trucks, refrigerated trucks offer temperature controls that you may require to transport delicate cargo. They’re commonly used for hauling perishable foodstuffs, such as meats and fish. However, reefer trucks are also helpful in moving medical supplies and chemicals that have to be kept at specific temperatures.

Some services offer LTL and FTL options with their refrigerated trucks. If you opt for an LTL service, you need to ensure that the temperature and humidity maintained in the truck are suitable for your cargo.

White-Glove

Think of white-glove trucking as a complete service.

In addition to offering big truck transport, your provider will handle the packing and unpacking of your cargo for you. White glove services also focus entirely on the customer, meaning they’ll arrive at whatever pick-up and drop-off destinations you request.

This service is ideal if you don’t want to deal with the hassle of safely packing your cargo before it’s shipped. It’s also a good choice if you have delicate items that you’d rather a professional company pack and takes responsibility for.

How Much Does a Truck Hauling Service Cost?

Several factors affect the cost of a heavy-duty transportation service:

The type of service you choose
Distance traveled
Shipment weight and density
Freight classification

Haulage companies also need to take their operating costs into account. According to supply chain experts, the average haulage company spends between $1.16 and $3.05 per mile, which accounts for fuel, employee wages, insurance, and other costs. Naturally, you should expect to pay above this average range because your haulage company needs to cover its costs.

Operating costs vary enough between different service types that you can expect lower prices for some than others. For example, an LTL or FTL service using a standard truck costs between $2.30 and $2.86 per mile. However, flat bed rates average out at $3.14 per mile.

Reefer truck hire costs a little more at $3.19 per mile. Of course, you can expect to pay substantially more for a white-glove service because you’re also paying for the packing and unpacking of your goods.

The Benefits of Hiring a Truck Hauling Service

Now you know what types of services you can expect a truck hauling service to offer and the rough prices you can expect to pay, you have another question to answer.

Why truck haulage?

With rail and air freight being much faster than transporting goods via trucks, it’s an important question.

Control Over Delivery

The primary benefit of truck hauling is that it can deliver your cargo to a specific destination. That’s not the case with rail and air freight, as we demonstrated when discussing intermodal transport. Though rail and air freight move goods faster, they’re also limited to a select number of delivery locations. Using them means dealing with the inconvenience of transporting your cargo from the drop-off point to your destination.

Using a truck hauling service cuts out that inconvenience. You also don’t need to worry about hiring storage units or temporary warehouses to store goods because you get them delivered directly to your chosen site.

Cost-Effective

Hiring a truck hauling service is cost-effective when compared to trying to manage an internal fleet. It allows you to avoid all costs involved in buying vehicles, training and paying for staff, and conducting regular fleet maintenance. You also don’t have to worry about the logistical side of things as your haulage company covers that for you.

Low Risk of Damage

Haulage companies must be insured and licensed to operate legally in the United States. As a result, you’re covered in the rare instances when damage occurs to your cargo. The haulage company’s insurance covers the costs because it takes the responsibility of safely transporting your goods.

Beyond this insurance company, truck haulage is safer than many other options as it limits the number of times you need to move your cargo. Typically, your goods are only moved when they have to be loaded and unloaded. Compare this to rail freight, where the items must be transported to a station, loaded, unloaded at another station, then transported to their destination. More movement increases the possibility of mistakes that could cause significant damage to your cargo.

Finding the Right Truck Hauling Service

Once you’ve decided to hire a commercial truck delivery service, you need to know how to find a company that can provide the quality and security you require. The following are the crucial things your haulage company should offer for you to consider them.

Proof of Licensing and Insurance

Haulage companies operate commercial vehicles, meaning they must have USDOT numbers. These are granted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and can be checked online via the organization’s database. USDOT numbers signify that a company is legally able to operate commercial vehicles.

The company should also be able to provide proof of its insurance. Ask for copies of the relevant documentation, which should include liability insurance up to a sum covering the value of the items you’re transporting.

Organizational Skills

Logistics are a truck hauling company’s bread and butter. If the company is poorly organized when dealing with you, it will likely not have a great grasp on the logistical concerns involved in hauling cargo across the country.

Coordination Is Key

Expect your trucking company to communicate with you regularly. It should provide a detailed itinerary for the journey and offer you a means of tracking your cargo. Your chosen company should have a dedicated logistics team for these purposes.

Strong Customer Service

How the truck hauling company communicates with you provides insight into how it will handle your cargo. If the company doesn’t communicate regularly and isn’t friendly when it does communicate, you can’t trust it to manage your items carefully. Complacency can shine through in the service some companies provide, which is always a sign to avoid working with that business.

A Reliable Fleet

No matter how strong a company’s logistical department, it can only do so much if the fleet it manages isn’t reliable. You need to know that your haulage company’s trucks are modern and well-maintained. Don’t be afraid to quiz haulage firms about what they do to keep their trucks in good condition. Ensure that the truck you hire isn’t likely to experience problems on the road that could delay your delivery.

Versatility

One of the main benefits of trucking haulage is the number of services on offer. Good truck hauler companies have the versatility required to transport a large variety of cargo. If you need to transport a small amount of freight, the haulage company should be able to offer an LTL service. If you have perishables that require temperature-controlled storage, they should be able to provide refrigerated trucks.

Don’t accept the idea that you have to hire a service you don’t really need. Your truck shipping company should be able to adapt to your requirements.

Haul Your Cargo

Truck hauling allows you to move large quantities of cargo around the country without relying on air and rail freight. It can also be combined with air and rail services to create intermodal deliveries that combine speed with convenience.

Understand which type of service you require before beginning your search. Hiring a standard truck won’t do the job if your goods will spoil or become contaminated if they’re not kept at a specific temperature. By the same token, hiring an entire truck when you have a small amount of cargo to transport creates added costs you may not want to absorb.

Now that you know what to expect from a good truck haulage service, your next step is to find one.

That’s where A-1 Auto Transport comes in.

We offer freight and truck hauling services that cover the entire United States. We can also help you ship your cargo internationally. With over two million deliveries under our belts, we are one of the most trustworthy haulage services in the country. If you’d like to find out more about how much our haulage services cost, get a quote online or call us at 1-888-230-9116 to discuss your requirements.