LCL transport

LCL transport

LCL stands for Less than Container Load. This means that goods being shipped do not fill an entire container. These shipments are also called part shipments or part load transportation.

When a full container has to be transported we speak of FCL (Full Container Load) transportation. A freight forwarder can combine certain shipments. This means that for a small shipment you do not have to pay for the transport of a full container.

Arranging LCL transportation

There are several ways to arrange an LCL transport shipment. You can :

- Arrange your own transportation and pick up the goods at a certain place. In practice, this is often very difficult.

- Use a freight forwarder to arrange transportation for you and get the goods to location. The freight forwarder or shipper will make all necessary arrangements with other carriers, delivery services and import agents. A freight forwarder has the network and can also immediately merge deliveries must another customer.

When is LCL transportation possible?

Part load transportation is especially useful when you are shipping small quantities of goods. It is then cheaper than FCL transport. Sometimes the shipment takes a little longer because the rest of the container also needs to be transported, although in practice this is often not so bad. When your shipment fills more than 70% of the container, it can sometimes be cheaper to have an entire container shipped for you. This is because with LCL there are more transshipment costs involved.