LTL Data to Track: A Practical Guide for Every Shipper

With billions of bytes of data available at your fingertips today thanks to automated data collection, it's important for you to identify which data is most important to your successful operation. This allows you to intelligently use your data to make strategic decisions instead of getting mired down in the complexities of all the data you're tracking (after all, with so much data now available to you, it's unrealistic to assume it's all equally significant). Working with a transportation management partner can help you make sense of this data.

In this blog post, we'll explore the key data points every LTL shipper should track to optimize operations and reduce costs.

Getting Started with Data Tracking

That being said, it can be helpful to have a baseline idea of what you should be tracking to make sure your data mining is most effective. That partially depends on the type of business you are and the services you provide. As a shipper, there are certain data you should definitely track to ensure you're on top of any potential issues and also aware of any possible opportunities to exploit a competitive advantage.

Key Data Points to Track

Cost per LTL Shipment – over time you should be tracking the cost of shipments through each individual transportation provider you use and then also comparatively track costs across all transport companies you work with to identify trends that can ensure you choose your lowest cost carriers. This will help you lower costs when you can and have greater leverage when negotiating rate contracts.

Billing Accuracy – when you're managing thousands or even millions of shipments over the course of a year accurately auditing your freight invoices is essential to ensuring that you're paying what you agreed to pay with your various carriers. Be on the lookout for double charging or being charged for extra weight or freight that you didn't ship to avoid overspending on freight charges.

Damaged Freight – keeping track of freight that is damaged upon arrival at its destination is a key data point for two reasons. First, you can be sure that the damaged freight doesn't reach customers and create a particularly nasty customer service issue. And, second, you can then keep specific carriers accountable so that they either change their practices or you can terminate the relationship and find someone more reliable.

Shipments on Time – you know that today's consumers are more impatient than ever when it comes to receiving their goods. That means keeping track of on-time shipments is essential to maintaining proper customer satisfaction levels. If you start to see a spike in late shipments with a specific carrier you can take immediate action to improve the situation.

Carrier Compliance – are your suppliers and carriers following the rules laid out in your Inbound Freight Routing Guide? Monitoring compliance allows you to have visibility to violations and decide whether or not the relationship with a carrier needs to be renegotiated on the basis of non-compliance.

Acceptance or Refusal Rate – as with any freight, LTL freight will either be accepted or refused by its destination. Tracking your acceptance rate against your refusal rate allows you to see any recurring issues either with your carrier or with your freight that might lead to costly refusals and help you avoid them.

Accessorial charges - like tracking billing accuracy to ensure you're only paying for the freight you ship, you should also track the accessorial charges on the bill (like fuel surcharges or multiple delivery attempts) to better understand what carriers are charging youfor and if those charges are fair. If you disagree with a charge you can address it with the carrier before it becomes a habit.

Overall carrier rating – combine the various data points you track for each carrier and use them to create a carrier rating scale. This allows you to compare all the carriers you use to see which are your top performers and which relationships could use adjusting to make them meet your desired standards.

Final Thoughts

These data points are obviously not the end all be all of the data that LTL shippers should track. Everyone's business is a little different and uses data slightly differently to maximize efficiency and success of shipments. However, they're a great place to start to ensure that you have ample visibility into your shipments and how they're working for your business.

FAQs

What LTL data should shippers track first?

Shippers should start with cost per LTL shipment, billing accuracy, damaged freight, on-time shipments, carrier compliance, acceptance or refusal rate, accessorial charges, and overall carrier rating. These data points give you a practical baseline for spotting cost leaks, service problems, and carrier issues without getting buried in unnecessary metrics.

Why is cost per LTL shipment important to track?

Tracking cost per LTL shipment helps you compare providers over time and identify which carriers consistently deliver the lowest landed cost. It also gives you leverage in rate negotiations because you can point to actual trends instead of relying on guesswork. That makes it easier to reduce freight spend and choose carriers more strategically.

How does billing accuracy affect LTL shipping costs?

Billing accuracy matters because even small invoice errors can add up quickly across thousands or millions of shipments. Freight invoice audits help confirm that you are paying the agreed rate and not being overcharged for double billing, extra weight, or freight you did not ship. It is a direct way to prevent avoidable overspending.

What should you track to reduce damaged LTL freight?

You should track damaged freight by carrier, lane, or destination so you can see patterns instead of isolated incidents. That protects customer service by keeping unusable freight from reaching the end customer, and it also helps hold carriers accountable. If damage repeats, you can require changes or move the business to a more reliable provider.

Why should shippers monitor on-time LTL shipments?

Shippers should monitor on-time LTL shipments because late deliveries can quickly damage customer satisfaction. Tracking timeliness by carrier makes it easier to spot spikes in delays and take immediate action before the issue becomes routine. It also gives you a clearer view of service performance across your carrier network.

What is carrier compliance in LTL shipping?

Carrier compliance means checking whether suppliers and carriers are following the rules in your inbound freight routing guide. Tracking compliance gives you visibility into violations and helps you decide whether a carrier relationship should be renegotiated. It is a useful way to keep shipping processes consistent and reduce preventable exceptions.

How can an overall carrier rating help with LTL data tracking?

An overall carrier rating combines multiple data points into one comparison framework, such as cost, timeliness, damage, compliance, and billing performance. That makes it easier to identify top performers and carriers that need improvement. Instead of reviewing separate metrics in isolation, you get a clearer picture of which relationships are working best.