Zipline Logistics Shipping Modes
Full-Truckload (FTL) Shipping
Full truckload shipping refers to the use of a dedicated truck to move a shipment from one point to another. It can refer to both dry vans and refrigerated equipment.
Dry Van
Used when transporting goods that don’t need to be kept within a specific temperature range. Great for any shelf-stable product. When thinking of full truckload shipping, this is the idea that most likely comes to mind.
- Equipment size – 53’ or 48’
- Door types – swing, roll up, and lift gate
Temperature Controlled or Refrigerated (Reefer)
Used when transporting freight that must be kept at a specific temperature to prevent spoilage or breakage. Often used for the transport of perishable food and beverage products or to protect freight from environmental conditions. Full truckload shipping is most often used when a shipper has enough freight to fill an entire semi, but that doesn’t always have to be the case. There are numerous benefits to full truckload shipping that make it appealing over other modes, even for smaller shipments.
When to Use This Mode:
- Orders that are 10 pallets or more
- Shipments exceeding 15,000 pounds
- Dedicated transport for expedited shipments
- Long haul and short haul
- Consolidation and multi-drop shipments
- Drop trailer programs
Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) Shipping
LTL shipping allows multiple shippers to share space on the same truck. This is an effective solution for shippers who have small skid orders and for those who do not want to pay for a full truck for their freight.
However, determining LTL freight rates is slightly more intricate than other modes. LTL freight quotes are determined by factors such as dimensional weight, freight class, distance, and negotiated volume breaks.
When to Use This Mode:
- Shipments that are too big for parcel, but too small to fill an entire truck
- 1-10 pallet orders
- Orders less than 15,000 pounds
Intermodal Shipping
Intermodal shipping involves the combination of rail and truck services. Trucks help move containers from your facility to the rail yard, then from the rail yard to your final destination. Splitting transit between truck and rail helps to reduce environmental impacts, improve highway congestion, and lower overall costs for shippers.
This mode is ideal for those with high volumes that are looking for cost savings, more reliability, or environmentally friendly alternatives to standard trucking services.
When to Use This Mode:
- Long haul shipments, over 700 miles
- Temperature controlled and dry shipments
- Large shipments
- Shipments that are not time-sensitive
- When looking to cut transportation spend
- If you need newly sourced capacity
- To cut environmental impacts, reduce carbon footprint
- Weather impacts – rail is less likely to be delayed by snow and rain
Port & Drayage Shipping
Are you importing ingredients, apparel, or production critical goods and in need of port services? Zipline Logistics can help manage your domestic freight shipping needs for any port located in North America.
We can provide you with complete port-to-door delivery solutions that meet scheduling expectations while avoiding costly and unnecessary demurrage charges. This includes drayage transportation, storage coordination, transloading, cross-docking, and warehousing.
Zipline Logistics works with:
- Dry and refrigerated shipments
- 20-foot and 40-foot containers
Temperature-Controlled Shipping
Zipline Logistics can help you source reliable capacity for nationwide refrigerated shipping across all modes year-round: temperature-controlled full truckload shipping, temperature-controlled LTL transportation, and temp-controlled rail.
Or when capacity is stretched thin because of seasonal influx, Zipline Logistics can help your organization secure reliable spot transportation for your refrigerated freight.
When to Use This Mode:
- Shipping of perishable food, beverage, and pharmaceutical products
- Shipping of frozen product
- During hotter months of the year
- Prevention of altitude issues
- Protection from freezing, sub-zero temperatures
- Any time a controlled environment is required
Expedited Shipping
Expedited shipping refers to sending an order to its destination more quickly than is customary.
Most orders can be scheduled with adequate lead time, but unforeseen instances do occur. Whether you need to rush ship ingredients to maintain production timelines, quickly replenish retail inventory, or deliver essential medical supplies, Zipline’s transportation experts can help you source the right carrier to get product where it needs to be, safely and on time, anywhere in North America.
Expedited Freight Rates and Modes
- Overnight Delivery
- Same-day Delivery
- Weekends and Holidays
- Regional and Cross Country
- High-value Freight
- Direct Trucking
- Temp-controlled / Dry
- Full truck / Less-than truckload
Expedited Shipping Equipment in Our Network
- Cargo Van
- Sprinter Van
- Straight Truck
- Tractor Trailer
- Single or Team Drivers
