Truck Load Calculator
This truck load calculator works out how many pallets fit in a 53 ft or 48 ft dry van, a 26 ft box truck, or a custom trailer. Enter the pallet size, the stack height, and the pallet weight, and the truck load calculator returns the pallets per load, whether floor space or weight limits the load, the loading pattern, and the floor space used.
Results
The Truck Load Calculator is part of our Shipping collection. Browse more shipping to size, convert, and check your work alongside this tool.
What the truck load calculator shows
A trailer fills up two ways: you run out of floor or you run out of legal weight. The truck load calculator counts how many pallets fit on the floor in two patterns, straight with the pallet length along the trailer and turned with the pallet width along it, keeps the better one, multiplies by the stack height, then checks the weight limit. You get pallets per load, the limiting factor, the pattern, the load weight, and the floor space used.
Truck load formula
Count floor positions in both orientations and keep the larger:
The calculator uses inside sizes of 636 × 100 in for a 53 ft van, 576 × 100 in for a 48 ft van, and 312 × 96 in for a 26 ft box truck.
Truck load calculator example
Standard 48 × 40 in pallets, single stacked, 1,500 lb each, in a 53 ft dry van with a 45,000 lb payload:
The load is 30 pallets and 45,000 lb, using 90.6% of the floor. Double stack 900 lb pallets and the floor holds 60, but weight caps the load at 50 pallets.
How to use the truck load calculator
Pick the trailer, or choose custom and enter the inside length and width in inches. Enter the pallet length and width, 48 × 40 in for a standard GMA pallet, and how many pallets high you can stack. Add the weight of one loaded pallet and the maximum payload, about 45,000 lb for a typical 53 ft van at 80,000 lb gross. Press Calculate to see the load.
Reading pallets in a truck
Pallets per load is the smaller of the floor count and the weight count. When weight limits the load, you are shipping dense freight, and leftover floor space cannot be used without going overweight. When floor space limits it, light freight may fit more by stacking. The loading pattern tells the dock how to place pallets: turned loading, with the 40 in side along the trailer, fits 30 standard pallets in a 53 ft van against 26 for straight loading.
When to use a pallet load calculator
- Quoting full truckload versus LTL freight
- Planning how many trucks an order needs
- Checking whether a load will go overweight
- Choosing between 48 × 40 and 48 × 48 pallets
- Planning deliveries on a 26 ft box truck
Common truck load calculator mistakes
- Using outside trailer length. Use inside dimensions for custom trailers.
- Ignoring weight. Dense freight hits the payload limit before the floor fills.
- Stacking fragile loads. Only stack pallets that can carry the weight above.
- Forgetting overhang. Cartons hanging past the pallet edge use extra floor.
Tips for a full truck load
- Load turned when your pallets are standard 48 × 40 in.
- Spread heavy pallets evenly along the trailer.
- Use load bars or airbags to stop shifting on partial loads.
How many pallets fit in a 53 ft trailer and why
A 53 ft dry van is about 100 inches wide inside, a little more than two pallet lengths of 48 in and a lot more than two widths of 40 in. Turned loading puts the 48 in side across the trailer, two pallets side by side, and the 40 in side along it, so 636 inches of length takes 15 rows: 30 pallets. Straight loading puts the 48 in side along the trailer, giving 13 rows of two: 26 pallets. That is the whole reason carriers quote 26 or 30. Mixed patterns, called pinwheel loading, can squeeze in a few more odd sized pallets, and square 48 × 48 in pallets, common for drums and chemicals, only fit 26 in either direction. When cartons decide the pallet height and weight, size the pallet first with the pallet calculator, then bring the pallet weight here.
Full truckload, weight, and axle limits
Bridge law and axle limits matter as much as gross weight. A legal 80,000 lb load can still be illegal if too much of it sits on the drive or trailer axles, so heavy pallets should spread evenly from nose to tail rather than bunch at one end. Dense freight such as tile, beverages, or paper usually hits the weight limit long before the floor fills, while light freight such as foam, packaging, or furniture cubes out first and may need a high cube trailer. For light freight that ships less than truckload, the freight class calculator shows how density sets the rate.
Pallets in a truck chart
Single stacked floor positions by trailer and pallet size:
| Trailer | 48 × 40 in straight | 48 × 40 in turned | 48 × 48 in | 40 × 40 in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53 ft dry van | 26 | 30 | 26 | 30 |
| 48 ft dry van | 24 | 28 | 24 | 28 |
| 26 ft box truck | 12 | 14 | 12 | 14 |
Truck Load Calculator FAQ
How many pallets fit in a 53 ft trailer?
A 53 ft dry van holds 26 standard 48 × 40 in pallets loaded straight or 30 loaded turned, single stacked. Double stacking doubles that if the weight allows.
How many pallets fit in a 48 ft trailer?
A 48 ft trailer holds 24 standard pallets straight or 28 turned, single stacked.
How many pallets fit in a 26 ft box truck?
About 12 standard pallets straight or 14 turned, single stacked, depending on the inside width.
What is the weight limit for a 53 ft trailer?
In the US the usual gross limit is 80,000 lb, which leaves about 42,000 to 45,000 lb of payload depending on the tractor and trailer weight.