Full truckload, direct and dedicated.
When you have a full deck — or a single large load — a dedicated truck moves it straight from pickup to delivery with no terminal stops. RS Group brokers dry van, flatbed and reefer truckload nationwide, matching the right equipment to your freight and shopping the rate across 6,200+ carriers.
What is full truckload shipping?
Full truckload — FTL — reserves an entire trailer for a single shipment. Instead of sharing space with other shippers, your freight is the only freight on the truck. It is picked up, driven straight to its destination, and delivered — no terminals, no consolidation, no re-handling along the way.
That directness is the whole point. A full truckload skips the hub-and-spoke network that LTL freight moves through, so it is handled far fewer times and follows one predictable route with one driver. For large, heavy, time-critical or fragile freight, that means faster transit and a lower risk of damage.
Full truckload is the right mode once a shipment is big enough to fill — or nearly fill — a trailer, roughly six or more pallets and 12,000 lbs and up. Below that, less-than-truckload or partial truckload usually costs less. RS Group brokers all three, so we can price your freight across modes and recommend the one that actually saves you money.
Truckload equipment types
Matching the trailer to the freight is half of getting a truckload right. These are the three you will use most.
Dry van
The workhorse of full truckload — a fully enclosed 48 or 53 ft trailer that protects palletized and floor-loaded freight from weather and road debris. Right for the majority of dry, non-temperature-sensitive goods.
Flatbed
An open deck for freight that will not fit inside a van or must be loaded by crane or forklift from the side — building materials, machinery, steel, and over-dimensional loads. Step-deck and Conestoga options handle taller cargo.
Refrigerated (reefer)
A temperature-controlled trailer that holds a set temperature end to end for food, pharmaceuticals and other perishables. When your full load has to stay cold, this is the equipment — with a documented cold-chain process.
The difference between full and less-than-truckload
Both move freight over the road, but they work differently — and the difference decides your cost, speed and handling.
| Full truckload (FTL) | Less-than-truckload (LTL) | |
|---|---|---|
| Trailer | Reserved for your freight | Shared with other shippers |
| Typical size | Full trailer, 20,000 lbs + | 1–6 pallets, 150–15,000 lbs |
| Routing | Direct, pickup to delivery | Terminal to terminal (hub-and-spoke) |
| Handling | Minimal — loaded once | Multiple touches at hubs |
| Transit | Fastest for the lane | Longer; more variable |
| Freight class | Not classed | Rated by NMFC class (50–500) |
| Best for | Large, heavy, fragile or urgent | Small, palletized, cost-sensitive |
When to use full truckload
Full truckload earns its cost in a handful of clear situations. The first is volume: when you have enough freight to fill or nearly fill a trailer, paying for a dedicated truck is almost always cheaper per pound than shipping the same load as multiple LTL shipments.
The second is time. A truckload moves direct, so when a delivery date is firm — a production line waiting on parts, a store reset, a project deadline — FTL removes the terminal delays that make LTL transit harder to promise. The third is protection: high-value, fragile or over-dimensional freight is safest when it is loaded once and never re-handled at a hub.
There is also a pricing quirk worth knowing. A light, bulky load can rate as a high LTL freight class and cost more as classed LTL than it would as a flat-rate truckload. Whenever a shipment is bulky, we compare both — it is a common way to save real money.
The advantages of full truckload
Six reasons a dedicated truck is the right call for large and time-critical freight.
Direct and fast
Your freight is the only freight on the truck, so it goes straight from pickup to delivery with no terminal stops. That is the fastest way to move a large shipment across the country.
Fewer touches, fewer claims
Because the load is not consolidated or handled at hubs, it is touched far less than LTL freight — which means a lower risk of damage and a cleaner delivery.
No freight class
Full truckload is priced by the lane, the equipment and capacity — not by NMFC class. You skip the reclassification and reweigh fees that catch shippers off guard on LTL.
Room for volume
A full trailer holds up to roughly 26 pallets and 45,000 lbs of usable payload. When you have that much freight — or a single large piece — a dedicated truck is almost always the most economical move.
Predictable transit
One driver, one truck, one route. Without the variability of a hub-and-spoke network, full truckload transit times are easier to commit to — important when a delivery appointment is firm.
Equipment to fit the freight
Dry van, flatbed, step-deck, or reefer — we match the trailer to what you are shipping so the load is protected and legal, not forced into whatever truck was available.
What type of shipper uses full truckload?
Full truckload is the mode for anyone moving freight in volume or moving a single large piece. If your shipment fills a trailer, needs to travel direct, or should not be handled at terminals, FTL is almost certainly the right fit.
- Manufacturers moving raw materials in or finished goods out in bulk
- Distributors and wholesalers replenishing regional warehouses
- Retailers shipping full-store or full-pallet-program volume
- Anyone with a single large or heavy piece — machinery, equipment, over-dimensional loads
- Shippers of high-value or fragile freight that should not be handled at terminals
- Food and pharma shippers who need a dedicated, temperature-controlled trailer
What our customers say
- Inc. 5000 · #799 America's fastest-growing private companies (2024)
- TSA IAC Indirect Air Carrier status
- 6,200+ Vetted carrier partners
- 18,500+ Shipments moved to date
I have been working with Brent and his team for almost a year and the experience has been nothing but positive.
The best part of working with RS Group is the customer service you can expect to receive.
RS Group, to me, represents the pinnacle in customer service.
Full truckload shipping questions
The questions shippers ask us most about truckload freight — answered plainly.
What is the difference between FTL and LTL?
Full truckload (FTL) reserves an entire trailer for your freight — it travels direct from pickup to delivery with no terminal handling. Less-than-truckload (LTL) shares a trailer with other shippers and moves through a hub-and-spoke terminal network, so you pay only for the space you use.
The rule of thumb: below about six pallets or 12,000 lbs, LTL is usually cheaper; above it, a dedicated truck often wins and moves faster with fewer touches. When a shipment sits near the line, we price it both ways and send you the lower number.
How much does full truckload shipping cost?
An FTL rate is built from the lane (origin to destination and distance), the equipment type, current capacity and fuel, and any accessorials such as a second stop, driver assist or a delivery appointment. Unlike LTL, there is no freight class in the calculation.
Truckload pricing moves with the market — capacity tightens and loosens by lane and season. As a brokerage we shop your lane across 6,200+ carrier partners so you are getting a live, competitive rate rather than one carrier’s published number.
How many pallets fit in a full truckload?
A standard 53 ft dry van holds up to 26 standard 48×40 pallets in a single layer, or roughly 52 if the freight is stackable and light enough. Usable payload is generally about 42,000–45,000 lbs once you account for the tractor and trailer weight.
If your freight is closer to six to eighteen pallets, partial truckload is often the better fit — you get direct, class-free transit without paying for the empty space in a full trailer.
When should I choose full truckload over LTL?
Choose FTL when you have enough freight to fill or nearly fill a trailer, when a load is time-critical and cannot absorb terminal delays, or when the freight is fragile, high-value or over-dimensional and should not be handled repeatedly at hubs.
Choose FTL, too, when the freight would rate as a high LTL class — a light, bulky load can cost more as classed LTL than as a flat-rate truckload, so it is always worth comparing.
What kind of trailer will my freight ship on?
That depends on the freight. Dry, palletized goods ride in an enclosed dry van; building materials, machinery and side-loaded freight go on a flatbed or step-deck; anything temperature-sensitive ships in a refrigerated trailer.
Tell us what you are shipping and its dimensions and weight, and we will spec the right equipment — including permits and securement for over-dimensional loads — before the truck is dispatched.
Get a truckload rate for your lane.
Send us the origin, destination and what you're shipping — we'll spec the equipment, shop 6,200+ carrier partners, and come back with a competitive truckload quote, often the same day.