Full truckload shipping puts your entire load on one dedicated trailer that runs point to point, straight from pickup to delivery with no terminal stops. It is the fastest, lowest-touch way to move freight that fills most of a 53-foot trailer. Platton books the capacity through its carrier network and manages the move from pickup to final delivery, on one price and one file.
Choose full truckload when your shipment fills most of a trailer, when it is time-sensitive, or when you want the fewest possible touches on fragile or high-value cargo. FTL runs point to point with no terminal stops, so it is faster and lower-risk than LTL. Choose LTL when you have a few pallets and can share a trailer, and partial truckload when you sit in between and want to skip the LTL hub network without paying for a full trailer.
A rough line: once you are past roughly 10 to 12 pallets or 15,000 pounds, a full truckload usually beats LTL on both cost per unit and transit time. Platton runs both and tells you where the break-even falls for your lane.
Platton books the truck, sets one price for the lane, and manages the load from pickup to delivery. You get a single point of contact and live tracking.
Most palletized freight moves in a 53-foot dry van, the industry-standard full truckload trailer for consumer goods, electronics, apparel, and general cargo. Temperature-sensitive freight moves in a refrigerated trailer, and oversized or non-palletized loads move on a flatbed or open deck. Platton matches the equipment to your commodity and lane.
When capacity tightens before the holidays or during a market rush, spot-market trucks get expensive and unreliable. Platton's carrier relationships hold confirmed full truckload capacity on your regular lanes, so the truck is there when you need it, at a rate you agreed to at booking.
A full truckload is one flat rate from origin to destination. There are no per-shipment surcharges layered on the way LTL bills them; you approve one number at booking and that is the number you pay. Platton locks the rate when you book, so it holds through pickup.
Full truckload also moves imported cargo on the long haul inland. When a container lands at a US port and the goods need to travel a long distance, say 1,000 miles to a distribution center, the container is pulled from the port and the cargo is transloaded onto a full truckload trailer for the run inland. Platton handles that drayage and transload and the full truckload move on one file, so the freight does not sit waiting for a separate trucker to get scheduled.
A 53-foot dry van, the standard full truckload trailer, holds about 26 standard 48-by-40 pallets on the floor and carries up to roughly 45,000 pounds of payload, within the legal 80,000-pound gross vehicle weight limit for a tractor-trailer. Whichever limit you reach first, weight or floor space, decides whether your cargo is a true full truckload or a partial. Platton checks the cube and the weight against your commodity so you book the right trailer.
Full truckload is priced on the lane and the mileage first, then the equipment type, the season, and fuel. A dry van on a dense, high-traffic lane prices lower than a reefer on a thin one, and rates climb when capacity tightens near peak. Because the truck is dedicated to your load and runs straight through, the rate is one number from pickup to delivery rather than a base plus a stack of line items. Platton quotes that all-in number at booking.
Platton runs full truckload as a managed service, not a one-off load-board booking. That means one specialist on the account, one price for the lane, and confirmed capacity when you need it.
Confirmed capacity on your regular lanes, including peak season, through direct carrier relationships.
Real-time tracking from pickup to delivery, with alerts your team does not have to chase.
One point of contact for booking, tracking, and delivery, not a ticket queue.
Member of WCA, FIATA, and JCtrans, the global freight-forwarding networks.
Full truckload, or FTL, dedicates an entire trailer to a single shipment. Your cargo is the only freight on the truck, so it moves point to point with no consolidation and no terminal stops. It fits shipments that fill most of a trailer, that are time-sensitive, or that you want handled as few times as possible.
FTL gives you the whole trailer. LTL, less than truckload, shares a trailer with other shippers and moves through terminal hubs. FTL is faster, has fewer touches, and costs less per unit once you have the volume, while LTL is cheaper for a few pallets. Past roughly 10 to 12 pallets, full truckload usually wins on both cost and transit time. See LTL for smaller shipments.
A 53-foot dry van holds about 26 standard 48-by-40 pallets on the floor. If you double-stack, you fit more, up to the weight limit. Weight or floor space, whichever you reach first, sets the real ceiling.
Full truckload is priced by the lane and the mileage, then adjusted for equipment type, season, and fuel. There is no single rate card; the cost depends on your origin, destination, and timing. Platton quotes one all-in number from pickup to delivery at booking.
A standard dry van full truckload carries up to about 45,000 pounds of payload, within the legal 80,000-pound gross vehicle weight limit for a tractor-trailer. Heavier freight may need weight-distribution planning or specialized equipment, which Platton arranges when the commodity calls for it.
port pickup and container delivery after customs release.
less than truckload, palletized freight for smaller shipments.
the whole move on one file, origin to your door.
FCL and LCL for the containers you move inland.
ISF, entry filing, and entry bond
