The benefits of FCL transportation help importers and exporters all over the world. When shippers have to send freight to another country in bulk, FCL shipping is the service that they choose. That said, there are a few aspects of FCL that shippers should understand before using the service.
Although the logistics data provider FreightWaves predicts a slow 2023 for ocean freight, the benefits of FCL shipping are still relevant. This shipping service will allow shippers to send large quantities of freight in short amounts of time. Freight that’s transported using FCL is easier to track and will arrive safely.
We’ll go over the benefits of FCL in detail so you’ll know what to expect when you use this shipping option.
Before discussing the advantages of FCL, we’ll first explain what this acronym stands for. FCL, or full container load, is a shipment that takes up the entirety of a cargo container. All the cargo within the container belongs to one shipper.
The alternative of FCL is LCL, or less than container load. This type of load is too small to fill an entire container. Therefore, cargo from multiple shippers is combined together into one container to create an LCL shipment.
FCL container shipping is a great option when transporting a large quantity of freight at one time. Cargo containers have enough space to allow shippers to do just that.
Cargo containers can come in the following dimensions:
These dimensions allow shippers to move a considerable amount of freight when they use FCL shipping.
Our article on the different types of ocean containers will help you determine which one is best for your FCL shipment of freight.
Sending freight overseas can be stressful for both shippers and receivers alike. Fortunately, there are many advantages of FCL transportation that circumvent many logistical challenges that exist in international ocean shipping.
FCL transportation keeps all the freight within a shipment together. This means that the freight included in the shipment will arrive at its destination all at once. Because the freight is delivered all at once, transit times are shortened.
If freight were spread out across multiple LCL shipments, each shipment would have to be consolidated into one trailer at a warehouse before the delivery to the final destination. In some cases, receivers will have to wait for each LCL shipment one at a time.
When shippers use FCL, they can expect their freight to arrive anywhere between 4 to 7 days earlier than when using LCL shipping.
The risk of freight becoming damaged is much lower when freight is transported using FCL. One reason for this is that freight being moved within the confines of one container only needs to be loaded and unloaded once. Freight traveling within multiple LCL containers will have to be loaded and unloaded repeatedly, which increases the likelihood that damage could occur.
Two other reasons why full container load shipping reduces the risk of damage include:
Thorough and careful loading is much easier to perform when a shipper chooses an FCL shipment. This is because the owner of the goods can communicate with their freight forwarder to ensure that their commodities are loaded correctly.
Sharing a container with other shippers can also be risky. While cargo containers are designed to transport conventionally sized freight, it’s possible that one shipper’s heavy freight could damage goods belonging to another shipper. FCL transportation completely removes this possibility since the entire container is filled with one shipper’s commodities.
Shippers of perishable goods will appreciate FCL because it can transport all of their freight to the next destination before the due date of their goods. Reefer and insulated containers are used to protect all kinds of perishable goods.
Some of them include:
Even with the protection of specialized containers, perishable goods need to arrive at their destination before their due date expires. Since goods are shipped all at once, FCL shipments will ensure that perishable goods sharing the same due date reach their destination on time.
If perishable goods are sent as multiple LCL shipments, there’s always a chance that some of the commodities won’t make it to the final destination before the expiration date.
Tracking freight is easier to do when a shipper uses FCL transportation. Freight forwarders can provide shippers with information on their FCL shipment as it travels. Shippers also have the option of tracking both the container and the vessel transporting it.
Additionally, full container load shipments typically have one consignee, which makes it easier for shippers to track their freight. Keeping track of multiple LCL shipments would be much more difficult to do because there are multiple consignees. Shippers also have the added guarantee that their freight will arrive all at once when it reaches a port when using FCL.
Check out our article on types of container ships to find the one that’s right for you
FCL shipping can be more cost-effective if a shipper has enough freight to fill most of or all of a container. Shippers that don’t have enough freight to do so should pick LCL transportation because the freight costs for it will be cheaper.
The best way for a shipper to determine if they should use FCL to transport their freight is to consider how much cubic meters (CBM) worth of freight they have.
| Container Model | CBM Capacity |
| 20’ General Container | 30-33 CBM |
| 20’ High Cube Container | 34-37 CBM |
| 40’ General Container | 63-67 CBM |
| 40’ High Cube Container | 73-76 CBM |
Shippers that have freight with these CBM measurements will be able to use FCL transportation. The reason the table shows CBM ranges rather than a specific measurement is due to the size differences of conventional freight.
Shipping containers tend to transport conventional freight, but conventional freight can still have varying sizes. Therefore, some shippers might have slightly less room based on the size of their freight.
While FCL shipping is typically cheaper as a whole than LCL shipping, it’s still important to understand how costs for this shipping method are calculated. There are two charges that make up most of FCL shipping costs. These charges are the container rate and the chassis fee.
Giving an exact container rate is difficult because it can fluctuate based on:
The chassis fee is what shippers will have to pay to have their container transported from the port to a warehouse. There may be some smaller charges that contribute to the overall cost of an FCL shipment that change on a case-to-case basis. Shippers will need to add these smaller charges to the container rate and chassis fee to determine what their FCL will cost.
If you need a faster mode of shipping, then read our article on the advantages of air freight.
Figuring out all the various logistical concerns that come with an international shipment can be difficult. Fortunately, USA Freight Forwarding Services can help you with these logistical challenges. We can organize both FCL and LCL shipments based on your needs.
We also offer a few other services, such as:
Sending your goods to another country as air freight is a great option when you require a fast supply chain. This transportation service will deliver your goods much faster than ocean transportation can. Lastly, our consulting services will give you an opportunity to sit with one of our experts to discuss your responsibilities as a shipper of international commodities.
If you’re ready to use our freight forwarding services, then get started below or contact our team at (866) 941-8081 for any questions or concerns.
