Getting freight out the door

Last updated October 21, 2026

A warehouse is only half of distribution. Goods come in, goods go out, and the going out often costs more than the storage. Plenty of operators will offer to run the freight side for you as well, so it helps to know what they’re choosing between.

Truckload and LTL

A full truckload shipment fills a whole trailer, or at least pays for one. It runs straight from the shipping dock to the receiver without passing through a terminal, so it’s faster than shared freight and easier on the goods. FTL is priced per load, usually by the mile or as a flat lane rate, with fuel surcharges on top and accessorial charges for things like detention or extra stops. Replenishment from a factory to a distribution center, or from a distribution center to a retailer’s warehouse, normally moves this way.

LTL carriers combine freight from many shippers. Your shipment is picked up, taken to a local terminal, moved along the carrier’s network and delivered from a terminal near the consignee. Every one of those handling steps is a chance for damage, so LTL freight needs to be properly palletized, wrapped and labeled.

US LTL rates depend heavily on freight class under the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC). The NMFTA’s 2025 update, effective July 19, 2025, moved most items to classification by density on a 13-step scale. If your rates were set before that date, find out whether any of your products changed class.

Between the two sits volume LTL, also called partial truckload: larger shipments that take part of a trailer and may travel without terminal transfers.

Consolidation and cross-docking

A warehouse shipping lots of small orders into the same region can consolidate them. In pool distribution, a single truckload goes to a terminal near the delivery area, where the load is split and sent out on local routes. A multi-stop truckload skips the terminal and drops parts of one load at several receivers. Either way, one truck replaces many long-distance LTL shipments, which usually means lower cost and less damage. You need enough volume into each region, though, and some give on delivery dates.

Cross-docking takes freight off one truck and puts it on another with little or no time in storage. Inbound shipments are sorted at the dock by destination and loaded straight onto outbound trailers. For that to work, inbound arrivals have to be reliable and outbound destinations known ahead of time, usually through advance ship notices. Our cross-docking guide covers dock layouts, data requirements and where it goes wrong.

Drayage and intermodal

Drayage is the short truck move of a shipping container between a port or rail ramp and a nearby warehouse. Warehouses close to a port often offer drayage, transloading (moving goods from ocean containers into domestic trailers) and container yard space. Free time at the terminal is limited, and demurrage or detention charges start once it runs out. A warehouse that can’t receive containers promptly costs you money directly.

Intermodal puts containers or trailers on rail for the long-haul leg, with trucks at each end. It’s generally slower than trucking all the way but can be cheaper on long lanes.

Refrigerated loads

Temperature-controlled freight moves in refrigerated trailers (“reefers”), which have to be pre-cooled before loading. Loading should go through sealed dock doors so the cold chain doesn’t break at the dock. In the US, the FDA’s Sanitary Transportation rule under FSMA sets requirements for shippers, loaders, carriers and receivers of food, including temperature control and putting temperature requirements in writing.

With a cold storage operator, find out whether the dock has enclosed, refrigerated loading areas with dock seals. Ask whether trailer pre-cooling is checked before loading and whether that check is recorded, whether temperature recorders go into the loads and who reads them at delivery, and what happens when a trailer arrives above the agreed temperature.

Parcel and last mile

E-commerce orders usually leave as parcels through national or regional carriers. Warehouses negotiate their own parcel rates and sometimes pass volume discounts on. Pickup cut-off times set how late an order can come in and still ship the same day.

Last mile, or final mile, is the final leg to a home or business. For bulky items like furniture or appliances, final-mile service can include room-of-choice delivery, assembly and taking the packaging away.

Side by side, the modes look roughly like this. The pallet ranges are rough guides, and carriers draw the lines differently.

Questions to ask the warehouse

1. Do you run your own trucks, use contract carriers, or act as a broker?
2. Who is the shipper of record on the bill of lading, and who handles freight claims?
3. What are your daily pickup cut-off times for LTL, FTL and parcel?
4. How are appointments with receivers booked, and who pays if a truck is turned away?
5. Can you consolidate orders by region, and how often?
6. For refrigerated freight, how are trailer temperatures checked and recorded?

In the US, claims against motor carriers on interstate shipments generally fall under the Carmack Amendment, which sets carrier liability and minimum claim periods. The bill of lading and the carrier’s tariff often limit what you can recover, so on expensive freight the declared value is the number to watch.

If something here is wrong or out of date, please let us know.