As the name implies, Less Than Container Load is a term used to describe a shipment in small quantity that cannot occupy the whole of a container. In other words, a carrier or a shipping company puts together multiple shipments to be transported as a single shipment in a container.
The goods in the container are usually owned by multiple shippers with different Bill of Lading (BOL). Unlike Full Container Load (FCL), all the goods in a container are owned by a single person with one BOL.