Less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping involves the carriage of amounts of freight that do not fill up entire trucks. One factor that can make LTL more complicated is that a single truck may take goods for six to eight different parties, with each batch bound for a different destination. 

On average, LTL vehicles only carry 1,000 pounds, but the reduced weight doesn’t mean those trips are more straightforward. Numerous variables come into play during each journey.

However, technology is poised to assist the LTL shipping sector and, in some cases, already has. Here are six examples:

1. Algorithmic pooling

It’s easy to imagine how LTL efficiency goes up if the goods on a truckload need to travel in the same general direction. A company called Flock Freight, formerly known as AuptiX, specializes in using machine learning and automation for something called algorithmic pooling.

The technology intelligently combines shipments from several customers onto one truck and does so while keeping the most direct routes in mind. This process results in the company offering a full truckload service for its LTL clients that are more efficient than conventional methods since the truck drivers operate every day of the week.

Moreover, Flock Freight says its system ensures that freight doesn’t leave the truck until the time of delivery. This approach reduces the risk of damage by 21.2 percent compared to traditional LTL methods.

2. Mobile apps

Mobile applications have had a dramatic impact on many aspects of society, as well as an assortment of industries. The LTL sector stands to benefit from them, too. In one example, Uber Freight connects drivers with shipping companies that have goods to move. The brand recently expanded to Europe, and it’s taking off in the United States, too.

During a two-month pilot, truck drivers left more than 10,000 reviews about the companies that use them to transport freight. The system allows truckers to choose the kind of cargo they want to take, and they can read insights from other drivers about what it’s like to work for a particular company that needs freight hauled.

Outside of Uber Freight, there’s a company that specializes in LTL shipments called GoShare. Clients connect with drivers who are ready to take jobs, and they can pay for the service and track the movement of the goods in the app.