Ground Freight Forwarding: The Best Bang for Your Buck?

Ground freight pricing may appear straightforward at first glance. All you need is a truck and the goods to ship, right? On a fundamental level, that’s true. However, the intricate workings behind the scenes play a pivotal role in the success of ground shipments and can significantly impact how to reduce freight costs. To make informed decisions about meeting your company’s supply chain requirements, it’s essential to familiarize yourself with various modes of freight forwarding and their associated expenses to save at the freight.

What Ground Freight Forwarding Means in Day-to-Day Trucking Operations

Ground freight involves the utilization of various types of motor vehicles to transfer cargo between two points, impacting freight transportation costs. The range of motor vehicles encompasses everything from vans to specialized heavy-load trucks, affecting ground freight pricing. Much like most other forms of logistics transportation, ground freight offers a spectrum of service levels, from expedited to cost-efficient options. When dealing with ground transportation, you’ll often come across terms such as: Hotshot Full Truckload (FTL) Less than Truckload (LTL) Courier Services

Common Types of Ground Freight Used in Domestic Trucking

Hotshots: A hotshot entails the exclusive use of a truck to transport your cargo directly between two locations and may come at a higher cost than other options. When you require timely delivery on a dedicated vehicle with round-the-clock tracking and careful handling, expedited hot shots are the way to go.

FTL (Full Truckload): FTL indicates that the entire truck is dedicated solely to your product, which can help you save at the freight. This is the logical choice when you have enough cargo to fill an entire trailer. FTL is the most straightforward among the types of ground freight forwarding, as the customer has full control.

LTL (Less than Truckload): LTL involves paying only for the space your cargo occupies on the truck, which can lead to cost savings. Smaller volumes of freight that do not fill an entire truck are combined with shipments from various companies to fill the trailer.

Courier Services: Courier services are designed for transporting small shipments to specific consignees, such as hospitals or life science labs, ensuring timely delivery. If you require immediate delivery, a courier can pick up your item on demand, which can be accomplished through hand-carry services or by using a small van to ensure your item reaches its destination within the required time frame.

When Ground Freight Makes Sense Compared to Other Transport Modes

The key to effectively managing a supply chain and reducing freight costs lies in striking a balance between cost vs. transit time. Ground transportation offers a relatively quick and cost-effective alternative to air freight services. Most companies use a mix of freight services to support their supply chains, using rail and economy ground freight to move the bulk of their product and air freight services for expedited shipments covering longer distances that cannot be achieved overnight.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Ground Freight for cheap haulage companies

Advantages:

• Reliability 
• Easy tracking via GPS
•  Lower cost when domestic 
• Flexibility 
• Ability to be offloaded as requested

Disadvantages:

• Increased touch points, especially with LTL
• Higher risk of damage or lost shipments 
• May need to be utilized with air freight services for time-critical or intercontinental shipments

How Ground Freight Decisions Affect Cost, Time, and Execution

Each mode of freight forwarding has advantages and disadvantages that impact ground freight pricing and how to reduce freight costs. How you move your freight can help achieve your customer’s needs as well as your financial goals, making it essential to consider ground freight companies. Whether you need expedited hot shots every month to keep your production line on track or courier services from life science labs to hospitals, ground freight may be the best option for you. Utilizing a third-party logistics (3PL) provider, such as CVS Ship and Save, can help you choose which mode or mode mix is right for your supply chain. So, weigh the benefits of freight vs ground carefully.

Where Dispatch Support Fits Into Ground Freight Execution

Ground freight decisions don’t end with choosing FTL, LTL, or expedited service – they affect how trucks are positioned, how reloads are timed, and how predictable a week becomes.

From a dispatch perspective, ground freight execution is about coordinating loads, lanes, and schedules so drivers avoid unnecessary waiting, deadhead, and last-minute rate pressure.

Dispatch support works alongside ground freight by managing broker communication, confirming appointments, sequencing reloads, and keeping freight movement aligned with realistic driving hours.

For owner-operators and small fleets, dispatch is often used to turn ground freight from a one-off booking into a planned week that actually holds together.