Short answer
Shipments that do not fill an entire vehicle or container are combined with other shipments on the same route and carried together. It is called LTL on the road, LCL by sea, and consolidated cargo by air. Freight is charged on whichever is greater, the space the load occupies or its weight; on the road this measure is usually the loading metre (ldm). Unit cost is lower than chartering a full vehicle, but transit time is longer.
What is groupage transport?
Groupage transport is the carriage of shipments too small to fill a vehicle, a container or an air freight unit on their own, combined with other shipments on the same route. In Turkish the term “parsiyel” is used with the same meaning. The shipper pays not for the whole vehicle but only for the space its load occupies.
The distinguishing feature is not price but process. A groupage shipment is typically combined with other loads at a terminal (consolidation) and separated out again on arrival (deconsolidation); direct or milk-run arrangements, where the vehicle collects from shippers and delivers straight to consignees without terminal handling, are the exception. These two extra steps shape both the pricing logic and the transit time. Its counterpart is full-load transport, where the vehicle is dedicated to a single shipper.
Its equivalents across three modes
Groupage exists in every mode, but its name and unit of charge change.
| Mode | Common name | Unit of charge |
|---|---|---|
| Road | LTL (less than truckload), groupage | Loading metre (ldm) |
| Sea | LCL (less than container load) | W/M: 1 m³ or 1,000 kg, whichever is greater |
| Air | Consolidated cargo | Chargeable weight: gross kg or volumetric weight |
By sea, an LCL load is loaded into a container at a consolidation warehouse at the port of loading and unloaded again at the port of destination. These two warehouse operations are invoiced separately on top of the freight; looking only at the freight when evaluating an LCL quote is misleading.
By air, in general air cargo (IATA), volumetric weight is found by dividing length × width × height in centimetres by 6,000; for express/courier services and many door-to-door air services the divisor is usually 5,000 (1 m³ = 200 kg). In general air cargo, 1 m³ of volume corresponds to 166.67 kilograms. Whichever is greater, gross weight or volumetric weight, is what the invoice is based on.
What is ldm, and how is it calculated?
Ldm (loading metre) is the floor area of one metre in length that spans the full width of the trailer bed. A standard curtain-sided semi-trailer has an internal loading length of 13.60 metres — meaning a full vehicle equals 13.6 ldm.
The calculation is simple:
ldm = (length of load × width of load) ÷ width of bed
The bed width is taken in practice as 2.40 metres.
| Pallet type | Base dimensions | Approximate ldm | Units in a full vehicle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Euro pallet | 120 × 80 cm | 0.40 | 33–34 |
| Industrial pallet | 120 × 100 cm | 0.50 | 26 |
In terms of area, a euro pallet comes to 0.40 ldm whichever way it is placed, but the number that fits in a full vehicle depends on the arrangement: two rows side by side if placed with the 80 cm edge lengthwise (17 rows, 34 pallets, 13.6 ldm), or three rows side by side if placed with the 120 cm edge lengthwise (11 rows, 33 pallets, 13.2 ldm). Depending on the arrangement and vehicle, 33–34 euro pallets fit in a full vehicle.
The critical distinction is stackability. A pallet that other loads can be placed on top of lets the carrier fill the vehicle more efficiently. For a non-stackable load, the entire floor area the pallet occupies is invoiced. If stackability information is not given at the quotation stage, the price is set on the worst-case scenario.
Is weight or footprint invoiced?
There is only one rule in groupage pricing: whichever is greater between the load’s weight and the charge for the space it occupies is invoiced. For a light but bulky load, volume is decisive; for a small but heavy load, weight is decisive.
On the road, a factor is used to convert ldm into weight. The most widely accepted industry figure is 1 ldm ≈ 1,750 kg (1,850 kg for some carriers). This value is fixed in the carrier’s tariff; because it can differ by vehicle type and route, the applied factor should be asked about when requesting a quote and written into the contract. For volume-based conversion, road groupage uses roughly 1 m³ ≈ 333 kg, so on the road too, whichever is greater between the ldm (or m³) equivalent and the weight is invoiced.
For sea LCL the measure is W/M: whichever is greater between 1 m³ and 1,000 kilograms counts as one unit. A shipment with a volume of 3 m³ and a weight of 1,500 kilograms is invoiced on 3 units. By air, a shipment occupying 1 m³ but weighing 80 kilograms is charged on 166.67 kilograms.
The threshold for switching to a full truckload
On the road, groupage loses its unit-cost advantage as the shipment grows. In practice the break-even point is usually seen at roughly 8–12 ldm, but this range shifts considerably by carrier, route and season. Above that band a full-truckload price usually comes out cheaper.
Reasons this range is not a fixed number:
- How busy the route is, and the balance of directions. On routes with plenty of return loads, the full-load price falls and the threshold moves lower.
- Season. In busy periods the spot full-load price rises, and groupage keeps its advantage for longer.
- Weight of the load. A load occupying 4 ldm but weighing 15 tonnes moves closer to a full truckload on weight, not on ldm.
- Stackability. For a non-stackable load, the ldm paid for is higher than the space actually occupied.
- Delivery conditions. If direct delivery to a single address is required, a full truckload can close the price gap because it removes the terminal round trip.
Rather than trying to guess the threshold, it is more reliable to get a quote for both options at the same time.
Why is transit time longer than for a full truckload?
A full truckload goes directly from where it is loaded to where it is unloaded. A groupage shipment, by contrast, passes through several stops: a collection vehicle, the terminal of departure, the trunk-haul vehicle, the terminal of arrival and a distribution vehicle.
Two main items extend the time. The first is the collection round: the vehicle visiting several shippers in the same area. The second is waiting for the unit to fill: the carrier will not move the trunk-haul vehicle or container until the route reaches economic occupancy. This wait can stretch to several days on low-volume routes.
A shared risk is added on top. If one shipment’s documents are missing or a customs problem arises, every shipment on that vehicle waits. This is why delivery dates in groupage are given as estimates.
Packaging and stacking: why more critical in groupage
In a full load, the bed belongs to a single shipper and is generally not handled between loading and unloading. In groupage, a shipment is, in the typical chain, handled at least four times (unloading and loading at each terminal), and more on multi-stop routes. Other shipments are also stacked on top of the load.
Practical consequences:
- The pallet must be built to bear the weight of the load that will go on top of it. If weak packaging collapses, the damage spreads to both the shipment and the load above it.
- The load must not overhang the pallet. An overhanging part is exposed to forklift damage and makes stacking impossible; the carrier takes the measurement as it overhangs.
- Using stretch film together with corner protection stops boxes that are not strapped to the pallet from sliding.
- Every pallet and box must be labelled individually. An unlabelled piece gets lost once shipments are separated out at the terminal.
- For fragile loads, a visible “non-stackable” marking must be applied and the carrier notified in writing in advance.
Common mistakes and points to watch
- Declaring dimensions as the pallet’s base footprint. The dimension is taken from the packaged load’s true length, width and height. If there is overhang, the overhanging dimension governs.
- Leaving out height. Height directly affects both stackability and the volume calculation.
- Rounding weight. A declaration of “about 800 kilos” that turns out to be 1,100 on the scale generates a correction invoice.
- Not accounting for the risk of re-measurement. Terminals measure and weigh the shipment. If there is a discrepancy between the declaration and the measurement, the invoice is corrected to the measured value; this correction usually arrives after delivery.
- Not stating stackability. A load with stackability unspecified is mostly treated as non-stackable and priced on a higher ldm.
- Not disclosing the physical conditions of the delivery address. An address without a loading bay or forklift needs a tail lift; if requested afterward it is charged extra, and the vehicle may not be able to return the same day.
- Concealing the special nature of a load. Dangerous goods, temperature-controlled products or food cannot be placed into a groupage unit with just any other load. If this is discovered afterward, the shipment is held at the terminal.
- Sending documents after the vehicle has already moved. On a shared vehicle, a delay in one shipment’s paperwork affects the whole route.
Once the ldm equivalent, weight and stackability of a shipment are clarified, the comparison between groupage and a full load becomes a numerical one. For a route-by-route assessment, see the groupage transport service page.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Regulations change; confirm the current position before acting.