How many pallets fit in a truckload?

BOX 01The two patterns

Each division is rounded down, because half a pallet does not fit. 13 rows of 48 inches use 624 of the 630 inches, and 15 rows of 40 inches use 600.

BOX 02What the sources say

The common rule of thumb is 26 for a straight load and up to 30 for a turned one, as ATS and others give it. Trailer makers put inside length at roughly 630 to 636 inches and width at 96 to 102 inches (Hale Trailer), and 98 is inside that range. A narrower trailer can fit fewer turned pallets: at 96 inches two 48-inch pallets still fit, but at 95 they would not.

BOX 03What changes the count

• Pallet size. Other footprints fit differently; see pallet sizes, each with its own count.
• Stacking. Double-stacked loads double the count if the freight and the height allow.
• Weight. A trailer reaches its weight limit before it is full of heavy goods.
• Overhang and gaps. Pallets that do not sit square lose a row.
• Carrier rules. Some carriers refuse turned loads that cannot be restrained.

To buy a full load, see truckloads; for the pallet itself, 48 x 40.

BOX 04Why the numbers do not always match

Published counts for a 53-foot trailer vary, because trailers vary and loaders vary. The count here comes from the arithmetic on an assumed interior of 630 by 98 inches, and a real trailer may be a little shorter or narrower. Rounding down at each step matters: 98 inches across holds two pallets 40 inches wide with 18 inches spare, not two and a half.

The spare inches are why loaders sometimes turn pallets or pinwheel them. Whatever the pattern, a mixed load of different sizes breaks the arithmetic, so calculate for each size alone.

BOX 05A third pattern: pinwheel

Some loaders mix orientations, putting some rows lengthwise and some crosswise, to fill the width of the trailer. The arithmetic for a pinwheel depends on the rows chosen, and a careful loader works it out for each load. The two plain patterns are lengthwise and crosswise; mixed ones are left to the loader.

BOX 06Width, length and the pallets themselves

Federal rules set the maximum trailer width at 102 inches and require states to allow a semitrailer of at least 48 feet (FHWA). The 53-foot trailer is a state-by-state allowance on top of that floor, which is why a 48-foot trailer holds fewer pallets.

The pallets weigh something too. Wikipedia puts a standard 48 x 40 wooden pallet at about 33 to 48 pounds. Twenty-six empty pallets therefore weigh 858 to 1,248 pounds (26 × 33 and 26 × 48), and thirty weigh 990 to 1,440 pounds. That is small beside the freight on them, but it is part of the load when a trailer is filled with pallets alone.

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