LTL Shipping Cuts Label Time from Minutes to Seconds for SMBs
ShipStation’s new LTL tool slashes label printing time from 1 to 2 minutes per order to just 5 to 10 seconds.
Small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) can now cut shipping label times from minutes to seconds with ShipStation’s new less-than-truckload (LTL) capability. The platform’s latest tool consolidates parcel, LTL, and full truckload shipping under one interface, eliminating manual processes that once consumed hours of labour daily.
Before adopting the platform, logistics manager Ned Woodward described a cumbersome process: employees manually generated labels by visiting individual carrier websites, a task that took 1 to 2 minutes per order and required multiple staff to handle even modest volumes. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the need for change when Spiceology’s direct-to-consumer orders surged roughly 50% overnight as restaurants closed.
“Taking 5 to 10 seconds to print a label versus 1 to 2 minutes per order, that’s real savings right there,” Woodward said. Over five years of using ShipStation, he estimates the platform’s automated rate shopping, capturing business logic, transit times, and cost thresholds, has saved hundreds of hours annually by reducing manual decision-making to exception management.
How LTL Integration Streamlines SMB Shipping
ShipStation’s LTL tool is designed to address the fragmented workflows that plague SMBs juggling multiple shipping modes. Travis Rimel, Chief Product Officer at ShipStation Global at ShipStation Global, emphasised the tool’s configurability: “This is not an MVP. This is actually a fully featured LTL capability in ShipStation.” The platform draws on years of feedback from ShipStation Global’s freight operations, ensuring it meets the needs of businesses scaling across e-commerce, retail, and food service distribution.
One of the most anticipated features is the ability to split a single order across shipping modes. For example, a business could route part of a shipment via parcel and the remainder via LTL, all within the same automated workflow. This flexibility is critical for companies like Spiceology, whose logistics footprint now spans e-commerce parcel, LTL, and full truckload for big-box retail accounts. Each channel carries distinct carrier requirements, accessorial charges, and delivery standards, making visibility across modes a persistent challenge.
Woodward highlighted the immediate value of consolidation: “Rather than checking three separate systems, we’ll have everything in one place.” However, ShipStation acknowledged that track-and-trace data quality degrades as shipments move from parcel to truckload, a gap the company is prioritising on its product roadmap.
Why LTL Shipping Efficiency Matters for SMBs
Woodward’s estimate, shaving roughly a minute off each order across hundreds of daily shipments, demonstrates how small efficiencies compound into material savings. Automated rate shopping further reduces friction by pre-selecting carriers based on predefined criteria, such as cost thresholds and delivery requirements.
Rimel noted that the tool’s configurability allows businesses to tailor workflows to their specific needs. For instance, a company could set rules to prioritise carriers offering the fastest transit times for urgent orders or the lowest costs for bulk shipments.
ShipStation’s LTL launch also addresses a broader industry challenge: the lack of standardised freight data. As businesses expand into new markets or shipping modes, inconsistent data formats and tracking systems create inefficiencies.
For SMBs still managing shipping exceptions manually or stitching together disconnected workflows, the new LTL capability offers a streamlined alternative.
As businesses like Spiceology continue to scale, tools like ShipStation’s LTL integration will become increasingly critical. With the ability to split orders across shipping modes and automate carrier selection, SMBs can now compete more effectively with larger players, without the need for costly, custom-built solutions.
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