A consolidated carrier is a type of transportation company that specializes in consolidating multiple small freight loads into a single shipment. This allows companies that have smaller shipments or infrequent shipping needs to benefit from the lower costs and improved efficiency that typically come with larger, more frequent shipments.

Consolidated carriers work by grouping together freight from multiple shippers into a single truckload, container or railcar. This means that the cargo of various shippers will be combined and shipped together, which allows the carrier to fill a truck or container more fully, which reduces the cost per unit of shipping.

A consolidated carrier can be a trucking company, shipping line, airfreight carrier or logistics provider. They may work as intermediaries between shippers and carriers, consolidating shipments of various origins and destinations and arranging for transportation of the consolidated freight on behalf of the shippers.

Consolidated carriers also known as freight consolidators, can be beneficial for shippers as they provide a cost-effective solution for shipping smaller freight loads, it can also provide more reliable and frequent services for shippers with less than truckload (LTL) or less than container load (LCL) shipments.

In summary, a consolidated carrier is a transportation company that specializes in consolidating smaller freight loads from multiple shippers into a single shipment, which allows shippers to benefit from lower costs and improved efficiency of larger, more frequent shipments.

For example: International Airlines Group (IAG) represents the carriers British Airways Cargo, Iberia Cargo, Aer Lingus Cargo, Vueling Cargo and Level Cargo