Truck Load Calculator

Loaded two-across and 13 deep in the standard, non-rotated orientation, a 53' dry van typically holds around 26 standard 48 × 40 in pallets. Turning the pallets sideways — this calculator tries both orientations and keeps whichever fits more — can push that closer to 30, though real loads often land somewhere between the two depending on how the freight is packed, dock access, and whether the load needs maneuvering room inside the trailer.

For a standard EUR pallet (120 × 80 cm) on a 13.6m (1,360 × 245 cm) EU trailer, floor-fit math gives roughly 33-34 pallets single-stacked, depending on orientation. As with any road load, that floor number assumes no double-stacking and can still be capped lower by the trailer's weight limit before the floor is full.

It depends entirely on the cargo's density. Dense, heavy freight (like the 1,700 kg-per-pallet example above) commonly hits its legal axle or payload weight limit long before the trailer floor is full — this tool's worked example fits only 11 of a possible 30 pallets by floor space, purely on weight. Light, bulky freight is the opposite: it runs out of floor or cubic space while still well under the weight limit. Enter both a pallet weight and a payload limit to see which constraint actually binds for your shipment.

As a rough guide, if your pallet count and weight use most of a trailer's floor or payload capacity, FTL is usually the more direct and often more cost-effective option; a handful of pallets that leave most of the trailer empty is a better fit for LTL, where you share space (and cost) with other shippers' freight. Check your freight's density with the Freight Density Calculator alongside this tool's floor and weight numbers before deciding, since a low-density but bulky load can justify FTL even at a modest pallet count.