LTL Truck Driving

For the single load, long haul trucker, a full sized trailer is king, but for those looking for a life of variety and multiple drops, LTL might well be the way to hit the road. The passion of an LTL truck driver, or Less than Truckload, lies in smaller deliveries in a back to back fashion, and is a special skill all of its own. For local deliveries, a single box or van truck is sufficient, but those tandem trailers you see on the road also qualify. Yes, they’re still hauling freight, but each is designed for a specially packed cargo list of smaller deliveries, and as such, need to have a manageable space for on the go load and weight adjustments.

LTL truck driving jobs

LTL jobs are just as plentiful, if not more so, than standard trucking gigs. These can be with a local distribution terminal working a specific and fixed region of customers, or a fleet yard with cross-country lane drops. The focus of the LTL driver is smaller deliveries, carried in a more street-manageable and weight-friendly environment. A box truck can make better time without weigh station checks if loaded properly, and the driver can adjust weights in the trailer with the use of a pallet jack if need be. A shove here, a push there and the load is balanced once again after a delivery.

LTL drivers can haul anything a big rig can, just in smaller quantities, and can find work close to home or out in the major transcontinental freight lanes. Long hauls might use tandem –hitch rigs, with a second trailer pulled behind the first for ease of access. Each load is configured to be readily handy at each successive drop without having to dig through the trailer to find specific items. Wall mounts and floor rails help to keep things organized, with straps segregating individual deliveries.

Less than truckload cabs

Due to weight and size restrictions, perhaps the one sticking point an LTL rig has against it is the lack of cab space. This means that even on long hauls, a driver isn’t carrying a sleeper rack for personal comfort and that little taste of home away from home, but instead is reliant on hotels and motels along the route. However, the maneuverability and speed of which an LTL operation can run may well make up for this with increased pay.