When the delivery date matters, guarantee it.

Standard LTL transit times are estimates. Guaranteed LTL is a premium service where the carrier commits to delivering on or before a specific day and time. If the carrier fails to meet the guarantee for reasons within its control, the guaranteed service charge, and on many programs the full freight charge, is refunded or credited.

Guarantees are commonly offered at several levels: by 10:30 AM or 12:00 PM, by 3:30 PM or 5:00 PM, and by end of business day. Earlier windows cost more. Some carriers also offer weekend, holiday, and hour-specific windows on select lanes.

We are building guaranteed LTL options directly into Delivered In Time quoting so you can compare guaranteed and standard rates in one view. Until then, our team can quote guaranteed service on request.

Retail vendors with must-arrive-by dates, trade show exhibitors with a hard move-in window, manufacturers feeding a production line, construction projects with scheduled installs, and businesses shipping product launches or seasonal inventory all rely on guaranteed LTL.

It is also a common safeguard for shipments into retail distribution centers, where late deliveries can trigger chargebacks and fines that cost more than the guarantee itself.

Carrier guarantees generally exclude delays caused by weather, natural disasters, incorrect or incomplete shipping information, consignee refusal or closure, missed appointments on the receiver's side, and freight that is not ready at the scheduled pickup time.

Accurate paperwork is critical. The bill of lading should clearly state the guaranteed service level so every terminal handles the freight as time-critical. Delivered In Time includes service level details on the BOL we generate.

Guaranteed LTL uses the carrier's normal network with priority handling and a delivery commitment. Expedited freight often uses faster modes such as team drivers, exclusive-use trucks, or air to shorten the transit time itself. If the standard transit time already meets your deadline, guaranteed LTL is usually the lower-cost way to protect it.