If you ship palletized freight between Halifax, Moncton, Toronto, or anywhere along the Maritimes-to-Ontario corridor, one of the first decisions you will make is whether your shipment moves as LTL (less-than-truckload) or FTL (full truckload). Pick the right mode and you balance cost and speed. Pick the wrong one and you either overpay for trailer space you do not need or watch your freight take extra days it did not have to.
What Is LTL Freight?Less-than-truckload means your pallets share trailer space with other shippers' freight. You pay only for the space and weight your shipment occupies, typically anywhere from one pallet up to roughly half a trailer. Along the way your freight is consolidated at cross-dock terminals, sorted by destination, and reloaded onto linehaul trucks - which is how regional networks like ours move freight nightly between Halifax, Moncton, Montreal, and Toronto.
The trade-off is transit time and handling. Because LTL freight is consolidated and transferred at terminals, it is touched more often and follows the linehaul schedule rather than leaving the moment it is ready.
What Is FTL Freight?Full truckload dedicates an entire trailer to your freight. The truck picks up at your dock and drives straight to the consignee - no other shippers' stops, no cross-dock transfers. FTL is the fastest option over long distances, involves the least handling, and usually makes economic sense once you are shipping roughly ten or more pallets, or when freight is time-critical, high-value, or fragile.
LTL vs FTL at a Glance- Cost: LTL charges you for the space you use; FTL charges for the whole trailer. LTL wins for small shipments, FTL wins as volume grows.
- Transit time: FTL is direct and fastest. LTL follows scheduled linehaul lanes, typically adding one to two days.
- Handling: LTL freight is handled at each cross-dock; FTL freight is loaded once and unloaded once.
- Flexibility: LTL lets you ship one pallet today and five next week without changing contracts. FTL gives you control over pickup and delivery scheduling.
- Equipment: Both move in 53' dry vans - with refrigerated and flatbed options available for freight that needs them.
A practical rule of thumb: under about six pallets, price LTL first. Between six and twelve pallets, quote both - this is the zone where the crossover happens. Above twelve pallets, FTL is usually the better buy. If the shipment is urgent, temperature-sensitive, or expensive to handle, lean FTL even at lower pallet counts.
It also depends on lane. On corridors like Halifax–Moncton or Moncton–Montreal–Toronto, nightly LTL linehaul is fast enough for most replenishment cycles, and cross-docking keeps costs down. For trade show freight, retail launches, or seafood exports on a deadline, a dedicated truck removes the schedule risk.
The easiest way to decide is to price both. Get an LTL and an FTL quote for the same shipment and compare the total cost of the faster option against the value of the days saved. Our dispatch team quotes both modes every day - book online or call +1 (902) 967-4991 and we will tell you straight which mode fits your freight.