things to think about. Whether you are handling international freight forwarding or moving cargo in Japan, you need to balance multiple factors. There are costs to think of, but also packaging, transportation, the safety of your cargo and much more. In this article, we talk about small package freight and its benefits over small parcel shipping.

What is Small Package Freight

LTL (which stands for less-than-truckload) is the transportation of relatively small package freight. It is, of course, only one of the many ways to transport cargo. There are many alternatives, two major being the small parcel shipping and full truckload freight (or FTL). Packages shipped by LTL are placed in packages and are put tightly together in a non-damaging space. This is done to reduce the cost of the shipping, amongst other reasons.

(You can also read more about what LTL stands for here.)

The questions one may ask is which shipping to use – the small parcel one or the small package freight. There are multiple things to consider. Weight is one of them – if the package is over 150 lbs. in weight, you should ship it by freight. The size of the package is also a factor – if it is over 108 inches in length, freight would be the way to go. There are many other factors as well – such as urgency, and where you are shipping from and to.

Main Small Package Freight Benefits

One of the main benefits of LTL is that it minimizes the cost of the shipping. When dealing with packages that weight over 150 lbs, it can be quite hard to send them over small parcel shipping. When using LTL, they are placed in bulky boxes, loaded onto a pallet and then onto the truck. Various, multiple shipments are loaded onto the same truck, so you end up paying just for a place on the truck, and not for the whole thing. This way, multiple people share the cost of transportation, so it is lower per customer.

Another great benefit of the small package freight is that it helps the environment. Since there are multiple packages on one truck, there are fewer trucks. This reduces the carbon footprint that the vehicles leave, thus reducing the traffic pollution. It also helps the traffic, since, by shipping by LTL, there are fewer trucks driving around.

Usually, after people have dealt with the cost of their shipping, their main interest shifts to the security and safety of their package. When shipping by LTL, packages are put in the bulky boxes are loaded onto pallets. This ensures easy loading, but it also raises the protection and the stability of the cargo. This way, there are no wear or tear, and the packages don’t damage one another.

Other LTL Benefits

This way it’s also harder to lose a package – since your package will not be alone during the shipping. Losing one package would mean losing a whole bunch of them, which rarely happens. Your package will also be easy to track. You will only need one of the following:

• Bill of lading number,
• Pro number,
• PO number,
• Shipment reference number,
• Pick up date range.

There are other benefits as well. Some companies will offer various other services along with the shipping, such as:

• Liftgates,
• Non-commercial small package freight shipping,
• Notification options,
• Inside pick up and delivery.

There are multiple ways to transport your small package freight besides ground. Kokusai Express Japan also offers air and sea shipping, so let’s discuss the benefits of both.

Air Freight Shipping

Air freight shipping is usually done by Air Freight Forwarders. They use both charter and commercial planes to transport your goods by air, and sometimes they even have their own aircrafts. 

There are many benefits to shipping small package freight over the air. It is reliable and fast. If you are in a need of an urgent shipping, the air transportation would be the best way to do it. You can also reach almost every part of the world – at least those that have a plane connection nearby. And even if there is no airport nearby, you can connect the shipment with other transportation options. There is also the added security of your package going through the airport customs. That way, no one can mess with or misplace your package, and you’ll know exactly where it is.

There are of course some restrictions when it comes to air transport. Not every sort of package is transportable by air – and some customs forbid them. It can also get quite expensive, so think carefully about your budget before choosing this option. This is why sea shipping is still the more popular option.

Sea Freight Shipping

Sea Freight Forwarders use ships to transport your small package freight. As with the plane shipping, there is a number of advantages and disadvantages here as well. These mostly mirror the ones that you read about in the previous passage. 

If you are low on money or need to focus your financials somewhere else, choosing sea freight shipping is your best option. It is one of the cheapest options, so you may opt for this to save some money. And even though shipping by sea is slower, if you have an exact delivery date in mind, you can choose this option too. This is especially useful for bigger companies that know their average orders for each period in the year. Finally, there is a certain ecological benefit of sea shipping over the air one. It’s simple – ships have the lower emission of CO2 than the planes do. If you are environmentally conscious – this might be an option you can consider.

Hopefully, this article was informative enough about the benefits of the small package freight. We hope we did a good job differentiating between various freight shipping options and each of their benefits as well. And if you have a larger freight you need to take care of, Kokusai Express Japan also offers various heavy lift cargo services. Good luck!