The contrast with LTL is structural, not just a matter of size. An LTL shipment is cross-docked through terminals and shares trailer space with other shippers' freight; an FTL load is sealed at the shipper's dock and opened at the consignee's. That means one to two days faster on most lanes, far fewer touches (so less damage and loss), and a firm appointment instead of a transit window.

You are buying the truck, not space for the freight, so the rate is the same whether the trailer holds 12 pallets or 26. The economics flip from LTL to FTL at roughly 10 pallets, earlier for heavy, fragile, or high-value goods. Capacity is sold two ways: contract rates committed for a year on regular lanes, and the spot market for everything else, where prices swing with season and region and a freight broker often sources the truck.

Shippers also book FTL below the pallet break-even when handling risk dominates: one carrier, a sealed trailer, and zero terminal transfers is the cheapest insurance for freight that cannot tolerate rehandling, such as coated glass, calibrated instruments, or painted body panels.