How the pallet calculator works
Pallets usually load two across. How many rows fit depends on which side of the pallet runs along the trailer:
- Straight: the long side runs along the trailer. Needs width for two short sides. Rows = inside length ÷ pallet length.
- Turned: the short side runs along the trailer. Needs width for two long sides. Rows = inside length ÷ pallet width.
- Pinwheel: alternating straight and turned. Needs width for one of each. Rows = inside length ÷ the average of length and width.
- Pallets = rows × 2, doubled if stackable and the inside height allows two layers.
- Linear feet = rows needed for your shipment × row length, in feet.
The calculator picks the pattern that fits the most. Always use the inside measurements of your own trailer: walls, wheel wells, a reefer unit and the door frame all take space.
A worked example
A 53 ft dry van with about 52.5 feet of inside length and 101 inches of inside width, loading standard 48 by 40 inch pallets that don't stack.
- Straight
- 26 pallets
- Turned
- 30 pallets
- 10 pallets, turned
- 16.7 linear ft
- 26 ft box, straight
- 12 pallets
Turning the pallets wins four extra spots in the van because the trailer is wide enough for two 48 inch sides. A 26 ft box truck about 94 inches wide can't turn them, so it holds 12 loaded straight, or about 14 pinwheeled.
Pallet sizes
The 48 by 40 inch pallet is the most common in US grocery and general freight, so it's the default here. Other sizes are common in some industries: 48 by 48 for drums and some chemical and beverage loads, 42 by 42 for some paint and hardware, and smaller pallets for certain retail goods. Overhanging freight effectively makes a pallet bigger, so measure the load, not the pallet, and enter that size.
Weight, not just floor space
A trailer can run out of weight before it runs out of floor. Dense freight like beverages, paper or metal can hit the legal gross weight with floor space left over, while light freight fills the trailer long before it gets heavy. Check the weight of each pallet and the truck's legal limit before promising space for more.
Linear feet calculator for freight
Partial and LTL loads are often priced by linear feet: how much of the trailer's length the shipment takes, across the full width. A shipper booking 10 pallets is really booking 16 to 20 linear feet of your trailer, depending on how they load. Knowing the number helps you see what space is left for another partial, and whether a partial rate is fair for the room it takes.
Pallets on a 26 ft box truck
A 26 ft box truck is the smallest truck we dispatch, and floor space decides its loads. Most run regional and multi-stop work where pallets come off at several stops, so loading order matters as much as the count: last stop at the nose, first stop at the doors. A liftgate can also take the last few inches of usable length. Enter your box's real inside size to get an honest count.
Reefers and flatbeds
Reefer trailers are a little narrower and shorter inside than dry vans because of insulated walls and the unit at the front, and air needs room to circulate around the load. Leave the space the shipper or the unit maker asks for. On a flatbed or hotshot deck, width isn't limited by walls but by the legal width, and every pallet needs proper securement.
Filling the trailer
Empty floor space is lost money. A dispatcher who knows your trailer's real capacity can pair partials that fit together and fill the space. Ours sends every load, full or partial, to you first, and nothing is booked until you say yes. Our fee is 5% for one truck with authority older than 6 months and 7% for 26 ft box trucks. See box truck dispatch and our guide to pallet freight costs.