Why Shared Truckload Is Better for All?

1. Shared Truckload Simplifying the Shipping Process for Countless Companies
2. Shared Truckload Benefits for Shippers
3. Shared Truckload Benefits for Carriers
4. Environmental Impact of Shared Truckload
5. Shared Truckload Has Alleviated Freight Issues during Pandemic
6. A Sneak-Peek at How STL Beats the TL and LTL Shipping Modes
7. The Conclusion Shared Truckload is the WINNER in All Shipping Modes

In the past couple of years, on-demand shipping has grabbed many eyeballs. Yet, it solves only one problem — reducing the shipper's transportation cost. However, when you compare the model with other modes of transport, it falls short in a slew of areas. Shared truckload or STL is the pinnacle of the freight shipping industry. It ensures that several shippers ship in the same truck reducing freight costs for everybody. If you are still using window spot or hub-and-spoke, it's time to upgrade!

As global trade is growing at an unprecedented rate, there seems to be an uneasy feeling among the trading partners that their current logistics service providers do not meet their freight transportation needs.

When choosing transportation mode, they hesitate between TL shipping and LTL shipping. But there is a better alternative to meet their needs. Of course, it's none other than the STL model, and we will explain how it's good for them. Read on.

Shared Truckload: Simplifying the Shipping Process for Countless Companies

Shared truckload shipping is one of the most efficient, eco-friendly, and safest ways of transporting goods. With shared shipping, one truck transports various types of cargo from one destination and delivers it to another destination.

Shared Truckload (STL) is a model which combines the most attractive features of other shipping services, such as (TL) full Truckload and Less than Truckload (LTL), and eliminates the most significant shortcomings of both.

A shared truckload is a little unorthodox when you first learn about it. It didn't deal with the hub and spoke of other more traditional shipping methods.

Let's look at why this is such an attractive approach for shippers, both large and small, and how that makes this form of shipping a better option. To your surprise, shared truckload is not only super beneficial for shippers and carriers, but it also has positive impacts on the environment.

Let's tap into the benefits of the shared truckload.

Shared Truckload is an approach that flips the conventional hub-and-spoke model and carries the goodness of the TL and LTL while offering the highest level of flexibility.

Shared Truckload is better for shippers, carriers, and our environment. Shippers can look for forwarders to consolidate the freight with multiple runs. Carriers can increase capacity utilization by loading several shipments in the same truck. But that's not all. There's more to shipping with STL mode...

Shared Truckload Benefits for Shippers

Shippers often are stuck in a fix when they have too much load to ship, but that "too-much-load" is not enough to fill in a full container. They are often left with three options, and none is suitable for them:

• Pay a premium for extra LTL space
• Pay for the space in the TL
• Wait until the carrier has enough load to move the trailer

That's where STL becomes savvy for the shippers. Here are the benefits that shippers can enjoy with an STL:

• First, utilizing a TL service while only paying for the space they use
• Avoiding the typical LTL hassle of dealing with penalties and fines
• No more bearing delays
• Zero chance of damaged or missing goods because shipments will stay in the truck until they reach the delivery destination
• Getting TL services through STL mode at better rates
• Obtaining control over the pickup and delivery dates

Shared Truckload Benefits for Carriers

It looks like that shared truck mode has little to no benefits for carriers because, in STL mode, the carriers have to stop at several pickup and delivery points. That's not the case, though. Instead, shared truckload mode brims with as many benefits for carriers as it offers the shipper.

Here are the perks of the STL model for carriers:

• Carriers get paid more because their trucks are jam-packed with freight by several shippers.
• They can also transition to higher-paying loads and leave the traditional drop and pick freight behind.
• No need to haul half-full trailers anymore!
• Fill up the space in your truck with loads from multiple shippers and maximize profitability.
• Streamline routes to attain gas-efficiency
• Save time by skipping LTL hubs and terminals.
• Reduce the profit risk of damaged products at terminals
• Build efficiency into the work you are already doing and boost your revenue streams

Environmental Impact of Shared Truckload

Aside from offering multiple perks to the shipper and the carrier, STL mode is also a winning option because it is an environment-friendly shipping system. STL is more eco-friendly because it reduces the LTL terminals that suck up the energy and cuts down the waste inside the trailer that fills the empty spaces.

According to the EPA, the transportation sector generates 29% of greenhouse gas emissions. But, freight trucks emit more GHG than airplanes. Hence, we conclude that LTL or TL shipping pose severe risks to our environment when freight moves. Therefore, the trucking industry needs to make the most out of its space-and-fuel assets by opting for the STL. Furthermore, the shared truckload mode eliminates the conventional hub-and-spoke models and erases the risk of remanufacturing and reshipping goods.

In short, shared truckload is the only trucking mode designed to reduce the carbon footprint in the trucking industry.

Shared Truckload Has Alleviated Freight Issues during Pandemic

Lately, COVID-19 has left shippers struggling to deliver high-quality services with the increased cost and tightened capacities. These challenges across supply chains have forced shippers to find creative and innovative solutions.

Shared Truckload has proved to be a lifeline in the pandemic scenario. It allowed customers to leverage demand data and share the cost of shipping with other shippers who were transporting their freight using the same lanes.

Though shared truckload mode appears to be more expensive than less-than-truckload shipping, the higher cost is worth the quality because it removes the risks associated with terminal networks. But, if we compare the shared truckload mode with the full truckload, it's a less expensive alternative that comes with additional perks.

A Sneak-Peek at How STL Beats the TL and LTL Shipping Modes

Although you are aware of the positive aspects of the shared truckload, you might still be wondering where the other shipping modes lack in becoming the ideal shipping solution? So, here we'll take a glance at different shipping modes and learn about their shortcomings that make them least-favourite while any shipping company optimizes their logistics.

LTL: Less than truckload service is a shipping mode ideal for small loads and minor quantities of freight and is transported directly to the delivery destination using a hub-and-spoke system.

TL: Truckload is a mode of shipping suitable for more oversized shipping. This mode uses a hub-and-spoke system as well.

However, to decide what shipping mode will suit the best to your shipping purposes, it's vital to know about the role of load size in each of them. The parameters the trucking industry uses to determine the load size are following:

• Weight
• Pallet quantity
• Freight class

Let's understand the role of load size in the shipping modes one by one.

Shared Truckload: This shipping mode is ideal for freight that measures 8-44 linear feet, weighs up to 36,000 pounds, and includes 4 to 22 pallets.

Less-than-Truckload: An LTL suits better the shipments that don't fill the full-size truck to the capacity, is less than 4,000 pounds, and involves 6 pallets.

Truckload: Full truckload is a chosen method for shipments weighing 15,000 or more pounds, takes up the entire truck space, and involves more than 10 pallets.

The Conclusion: Shared Truckload is the WINNER in All Shipping Modes

Remember the adage "Sharing is caring"?

A shared truckload is the same thing applied in the trucking industry. STL helps shippers and carriers move their freight on their terms.

The STL is rapidly growing within the shipping industry all over the globe after the Covid crisis.

The shipping companies worldwide need to optimize the ever-changing landscape of the supply chains.

Innovation gives Shared Truckload an edge over other shipping options as a shipping mode. It is a great way to save on transportation. Moreover, STL promotes sustainability by filling every trailer to its total capacity, reducing the empty spaces, and saving up to 40% of greenhouse gas emissions. Those who take sustainability as a practice and performance indicator turn their heads to STL mode.

Many turn to this type of service to save money, time, and stress.

The STL might appear complicated, but the multiple perks associated with this shipping mode make it a sure winner among all other shipping methods. As a result, it's an excellent choice for shippers, carriers, and not to mention, for the planet. A win-win-win!