Freight modes
The same order can cost very different amounts depending on how it ships. Picking the right mode for each shipment, based on size, weight, timing and temperature, is one of the most direct ways to lower your freight spend.
This guide explains when each mode fits a CPG food and beverage shipper, what drives the cost, and how we choose the right one with you.
Freight modes
Each mode has its own cost traps. Pick yours to see where the money goes and how we lower it.
Your pallets share a trailer with other shippers' freight and move through the carrier's terminal network, often changing trucks along the way. You pay for your portion, priced by weight, distance and freight class, plus accessorials like liftgate or appointment fees. Good fit: a few pallets, flexible delivery dates, durable product. Watch out for: more handling (higher damage risk), less predictable transit, and freight class, reweigh and reclass charges that can push the price up after the fact.
A larger LTL shipment quoted as a block instead of through standard class-based tariffs. It still moves through the LTL network. Good fit: shipments too big for standard LTL pricing but well short of a full trailer.
Your freight shares a full-size trailer with one or a few other shipments, but stays on the same truck from pickup to delivery instead of moving through terminals. Pricing is usually based on the trailer space and lane, not freight class. Good fit: mid-size shipments where you want less handling and more predictable transit than LTL, without paying for a whole trailer.
You pay for the entire trailer, and it goes straight from your dock to the destination (or a few planned stops). Good fit: shipments that fill most of a trailer by space or weight, multi-stop routes to stores or DCs in one region, and retail deliveries with tight appointment windows. Watch out for: paying for empty space. A half-full truckload costs nearly as much as a full one, which is why load planning and consolidation matter.
Freight moves in a container by rail for the long middle of the trip, with trucks handling pickup and delivery at each end. Good fit: long-haul lanes with steady volume and lead time to spare. Watch out for: longer and less flexible transit, rail ramp locations, and drayage costs at each end that can erase the savings on some lanes.
Temperature-controlled trailers for frozen, chilled and some heat-sensitive products. Available as truckload, LTL and intermodal. Good fit: product that genuinely needs it all year, or only in certain seasons and lanes. Watch out for: paying reefer rates for product that only needs protection some of the time. Using refrigerated equipment only where it's needed is a common savings opportunity.
Individual cartons shipped through parcel networks, priced per package by weight, size and zone, plus surcharges. Good fit: small, lightweight orders, samples, and direct-to-consumer shipments. Watch out for: dimensional weight pricing, residential and delivery-area surcharges, and the point where several cartons to one destination would cost less as a single LTL pallet. How we help: we review your parcel invoices alongside the rest of your freight, check dimensional weight and surcharges, look at carton sizes, compare your parcel agreements and discount tiers with the market, and negotiate with your parcel carriers. We also flag orders that should move as LTL instead.
Two ways to get truckload economics without a full truck of your own. Co-loading puts your freight on the same truck as compatible freight from other shippers going the same way. Pool distribution sends one consolidated truckload to a regional hub, where it's split into local deliveries. Good fit: steady volume into one region that's too small for your own truckloads, and retail or distributor deliveries that would otherwise go LTL one by one. Watch out for: product compatibility (food safety, temperature, odor), fixed pickup schedules, and how appointments and retailer delivery windows are handled at the final stop. How we help: we find where co-loading or pool distribution beats your current LTL costs, compare providers, and help set up and measure the program. Carriers and pool providers haul the freight; we work for you, not for them.
Industry data
of U.S. truckload capacity was estimated to be going to waste inside partially empty trucks.
Flock Freight / Drive Research shipper survey, Mar. 2023Average share of total LTL spend that went to accessorial charges in 2023, across $1.2B in annual LTL spend analyzed.
AFS Logistics LTL accessorials white paper, 2024C.H. Robinson's forecast for 2026 U.S. dry van spot cost per mile versus 2025, as of October 2026 (it was +23% in May).
C.H. Robinson Freight Market Update, Oct. 2026Third-party figures from the sources linked under each number. They are not Maximizer Team results and do not predict your savings.
| Mode | Typical shipment | Handling | Transit predictability | How it's priced | Main cost risks | Best fit for CPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parcel | Individual cartons | Several sorts and scans | High for standard service | Per package: weight, size, zone, surcharges | Dimensional weight, residential and delivery-area surcharges | Samples, small replenishment, direct-to-consumer |
| LTL | A few pallets | Multiple terminal transfers | Moderate | Weight, distance, freight class, accessorials | Reclass and reweigh charges, damage, minimum charges | Small, flexible, durable orders |
| Volume LTL | Larger multi-pallet shipments | Terminal network | Moderate | Quoted per shipment | Same as LTL, plus quote validity | Shipments between LTL and a partial truck |
| Co-loading / pool distribution | Regular smaller shipments into one region | Consolidated truck, then local delivery (pool) | Good on scheduled lanes | Share of truck, or hub plus delivery charges | Fixed schedules, compatibility, final-mile handling | Steady regional volume that would otherwise go LTL |
| Shared / partial truckload | Mid-size, part of a trailer | Stays on one truck | Good | Trailer space and lane | Fewer carrier options on some lanes | Mid-size retail orders that need less handling |
| Full truckload | Most or all of a trailer | Direct, minimal handling | High | Per load (lane rate plus fuel) | Paying for empty space, detention, TONU (truck ordered, not used) | Full or near-full loads, multi-stop routes, DC deliveries |
| Intermodal | Full container loads | Truck to rail to truck | Lower; longer transit | Per container, plus drayage | Drayage, ramp distance, slower transit | Long-haul lanes with steady volume and lead time |
| Refrigerated (any of the above) | Temperature-sensitive product | Depends on mode | Depends on mode | Premium over dry equipment | Paying reefer rates when dry would work | Product that truly needs temperature control |
The right answer usually isn't one mode. Most shippers need a mix, chosen lane by lane and order by order.
Public research
EPA's SmartWay® program groups carriers into categories including truckload, LTL, flatbed, refrigerated, package delivery and multimodal, so shippers can compare like with like, and encourages "determining the most efficient mode for each shipping need" (EPA420-F12-018, 2012, pp.1–3). Its intermodal bulletin highlights regional truckload lanes of 500 to 1,500 miles as a growing intermodal opportunity (EPA-420-F-19-013, 2019, p.1).
EPA's 2023 overview adds that "converting from LTL to TL mode means that a company has fewer shipments and thus fewer pickups, fewer deliveries, and less paperwork/processing" (EPA-420-F-23-003, 2023, p.2).
Source: U.S. EPA SmartWay publications (2012, 2019, 2023). The examples and figures are EPA's, not Maximizer Team results. Maximizer Team is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. EPA.
Mode optimization is the first of our 10 savings levers. It works with shipment consolidation and trailer and equipment optimization, because the right mode depends on how full each shipment can be.
1. Benchmark. From 12 months of your freight invoices, we map every shipment by lane, size, weight, mode, temperature and cost per case. We compare your rates with the current market and set a finance-approved baseline.
2. Find the mismatches. We look for: - LTL shipments that could be combined into full truckloads, or moved to volume LTL or shared truckload - Small orders that could move to a carrier's lower-cost LTL tier - Parcel shipments that would cost less as LTL, and LTL shipments small enough for parcel - Parcel spend driven by dimensional weight, surcharges or discount tiers that no longer fit your volume - Regional LTL volume that could move through co-loading or pool distribution - Truckloads leaving partly empty that could be consolidated or planned as multi-stop routes - Long-haul truckload lanes that could move to intermodal - Refrigerated loads that don't need temperature control on every lane or in every season - Service levels that are faster (and pricier) than delivery dates require
3. Implement. We work with your team and your carriers to change how those shipments move, including order timing, batching, and carrier rate and contract terms by mode, parcel included. We don't haul freight or sell capacity. Your carriers, your contracts.
4. Verify. Every month we check paid invoices against the baseline and report realized savings by lane and mode. Savings from different levers are tracked separately, so nothing is counted twice.
Internal links: Food and beverage, including specialty food, beer and wine
With LTL, your pallets share a trailer and move through the carrier's terminals, and you pay for your portion. With full truckload, you pay for the whole trailer and it goes direct. LTL suits small shipments; FTL is usually cheaper per case once a shipment fills most of a trailer.
Shared (or partial) truckload puts your freight on a full-size trailer with one or a few other shipments, but it stays on the same truck from pickup to delivery. It's often a middle ground between LTL and full truckload, with less handling than LTL.
On long-haul lanes with steady volume and enough lead time to absorb longer transit. Drayage at each end and the distance to the rail ramp decide whether it actually saves money on a given lane.
Not always. Some products need temperature control only in certain seasons or on certain lanes. We check where reefer is required and where dry equipment would protect the product just as well.
Yes. We review parcel invoices, dimensional weight, surcharges and your carrier agreements, negotiate with your parcel carriers, and move shipments between parcel and LTL when the other mode costs less.
One consolidated truckload goes to a regional hub, where it's split into local deliveries. It can cost less than sending many separate LTL shipments into the same region.
It shouldn't. We match each mode to your actual delivery requirements and retailer appointment windows, and we track on-time performance after the change.
No. Maximizer Team is an independent freight savings advisor. We don't haul freight, sell capacity or take carrier commissions. No upfront fees. We're paid only from savings verified on your invoices.
No. Freight class applies mainly to LTL. Truckload is usually priced per mile or per load, parcel by weight, size and zone, and intermodal by lane. That's one reason the cheapest mode can change as a shipment gets bigger or heavier.
No. Each mode and carrier uses its own fuel table, index and base, and parcel surcharges change often. We check each one against your agreements when we compare modes, so the comparison reflects what you would really pay.
Start with a short intro call. Then send us 12 months of freight invoices. In 14 days you'll get a free written review of your biggest freight savings opportunities, including mode changes that fit your service needs. A CPG snack company saved $823,500 in year one: $637,500 in recurring savings plus a $186,000 one-time credit. Read the case study
Get my free freight reviewNo upfront fees. Paid only from savings verified on your invoices. NDA available.