A firm that manufactures medical research supplies delivers them to hospitals and medical centers around the country. The deliveries can be made using Less-than-Truck-load trucks, air express, private truck fleet, and UPS. What factors should be considered in selecting among these alternatives?

Note that the trucking industry consists of two major segments - truckload (TL) and less than truckload (LTL). The TL segment is characterized by shipments of 10,000 pounds or more. LTL operations are priced to encourage shipments in small lots, usually less than half a TL. LTL shipments usually take advantage of freight consolidation and take longer than TL shipments.