The pooling concept of shipping is all about the efficient use of resources. In the past, many different shipments would all be sent to the same geographic region on separate trucks. Today, we understand that we can improve on that. The main problem is what we call less-than-truckloads, or LTL. Traditional LTL shipments always cost more and are harder on the supply chain. LTL rates are higher because they use more fuel and require more vehicle resources.
Pool distribution services take those LTL shipments and combines them on fewer trucks. Then, the shipments are delivered to single source regional terminals called pool points. The products are sorted and segregated according to their own destinations by the pool operators. Finally, the goods are loaded onto local delivery trucks to be taken to their final delivery locations. The pooling concept has embraced by many industries as a more efficient use of transportation resources.