Part load or full truckload? Let your order profile guide the decision

Start with the order, not the vehicle

In road freight, the right question is not simply “Does the cargo fill the vehicle?” You should also assess when the order is ready, how it occupies space and the conditions under which it must reach the recipient. Our recommendation is to choose part-load or full-truckload transport by order group rather than making either a fixed, company-wide preference.

In this article, part load means sharing vehicle capacity with other shipments, while full truckload means dedicating the vehicle to the shipment concerned. Do not make a physically full vehicle a prerequisite for considering full truckload. Clarify capacity allocation, routing and transshipment conditions separately in the quotation.

Make your order profile visible

Group order records by origin, delivery region, ready time and the recipient’s acceptance requirements. Then review the following information together for each group:

• Gross weight, packaging dimensions and the vehicle floor space required.
• Stackability, sensitivity and suitability for transport alongside other cargo.
• Order recurrence patterns and fluctuations in quantity.
• Loading readiness, delivery appointments and flexibility to hold shipments.
• The impact of short delivery or delay on the customer’s operations.

Eurostat also examines vehicles’ permissible laden weight and load capacity under separate headings. These are not the same measure; when requesting a quotation, do not confuse vehicle class with the payload that can be carried. Source: Eurostat, vehicle characteristics.

Include volume and stacking conditions in the loading plan so that your choice is not based on tonnage alone. Do not assess the space occupied by packaging that cannot have cargo stacked on top of it solely by its own volume.

Which orders are worth considering for part-load shipping?

For small, recurring orders whose delivery requirements fit a shared transport plan, review a part-load quotation as your starting option. However, ask which weight or space calculation the price is based on and whether collection and distribution are included.

In particular, obtain written clarification of the number of transshipments, the possibility of intermediate storage and how delivery appointments will be managed. Do not decide solely on a low freight rate without assessing whether the packaging is suitable for the proposed handling arrangements. Look for the advantages of a part-load quotation within the operating conditions the order can accommodate.

Do not limit full truckload to high volumes

Request a full-truckload quotation for orders concentrated at the same origin and destination that are ready together. For sensitive cargo or production-critical deliveries, also assess the operational control that a dedicated vehicle can provide. Do not treat a dedicated vehicle as synonymous with a commitment to direct transport without transshipment; verify the scope of service.

Eurostat’s average load indicator is calculated by dividing tonne-kilometres by laden vehicle-kilometres; it does not indicate the size of an individual order. Therefore, do not use this indicator as a threshold for switching from part load to full truckload. Source: Eurostat, journey characteristics.

Compare total costs on the same basis

Alongside the main freight charge, include collection, distribution, transshipment, waiting and special handling in your comparison table. If you are considering consolidating orders into a full-truckload departure, also assess the inventory cost of goods held back and the dispatch date the customer will accept.

According to Eurostat, in 2025, empty vehicles accounted for 21,8% of the total vehicle-kilometres travelled by road freight vehicles in the EU. This is a share of total distance; it does not mean that the same proportion of capacity remained unused. Source: Eurostat.

Eurostat also highlights the economic importance of finding return loads. With this in mind, request direction-specific prices rather than assuming that outbound and return quotations on the same route will be equal. Source: Eurostat, empty journeys.

Choose by order group rather than using a single threshold

The recommended decision rule is this: first eliminate any option that does not meet the cargo and delivery requirements, then compare the remaining quotations on the same basis. Assess small regular orders, orders that can be consolidated and critical shipments separately. Discussing road freight options in terms of these order profiles makes your quotation request clearer.

The Eurostat data used here are based on sample surveys of vehicles registered in the reporting countries; they do not indicate the price or service conditions of a specific shipment on the Türkiye–Europe route. Source: Eurostat, scope explanation. Make your final choice using a current quotation, verified cargo information and the recipient’s acceptance requirements.

Sources

Analysis and translations: Avemes Editorial. Source institutions are not responsible for this analysis or its translations.

• Road freight transport by journey characteristics — Eurostat; n.d.; 2025. CC BY 4.0
• Road freight transport by vehicle characteristics — Eurostat; n.d.; 2025. CC BY 4.0