LDM calculator for every trailer you book
Standard tautliner, Mega, Jumbo, road train or reefer — enter your pallets and get loading metres, height fit, stacking and weight check with a live diagram. Built by a dispatcher, for dispatchers.
Vehicle
Only changes rows narrower than the deck. Lateral balance is not calculated — putting everything against one wall is your call.
Cargo
Per row: how many places across in each row. “1,2” is one in the first row, two in the second, and the last number carries on. Leave it blank and the packer fills every row.
Axle limits
Defaults are a normal 4×2 tractor with a triple-axle trailer.
Click a pallet, then click another one, and the two swap places. Handy for putting the first drop by the door. Only pallets of the same size can trade places — the slot keeps its shape.
Trailer sizes at a glance
Typical internal dimensions in the European market. Real trailers vary by a few centimetres — always confirm with the carrier before you load.
| Trailer | Internal L × W × H | Volume | EUR pallets | LDM | Payload |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard tautliner 13.6 m | 13.62 × 2.45 × 2.70 m | 90 m³ | 34 | 13.60 | 24,000 kg |
| Mega | 13.62 × 2.48 × 3.00 m | 100 m³ | 34 | 13.60 | 24,000 kg |
| Jumbo (step deck) | 9.60 + 4.20 × 2.45 × 3.00 / 2.45 m | 96 m³ | 34 | 13.80 | 24,000 kg |
| Road train | 7.70 + 7.70 × 2.45 × 3.00 m | 113 m³ | 36 | 15.40 | 24,000 kg |
| Reefer / frigo 13.3 m | 13.30 × 2.45 × 2.60 m | 85 m³ | 33 | 13.30 | 22,000 kg |
Loading questions worth getting right
What is LDM (loading metre)?
A loading metre is one metre of trailer floor across its full 2.4 m width — 2.4 m² of deck. Freight is charged in LDM when it takes up floor space out of proportion to its weight. A 13.6 m tautliner is 13.6 loading metres.
How do you calculate LDM?
Multiply the length and width of one pallet in metres, divide by 2.4, and multiply by the number of pallets. Divide by the number of layers if the cargo stacks. A EUR pallet is 1.2 × 0.8 ÷ 2.4 = 0.4 LDM, so 33 of them make 13.2 loading metres.
How many EUR pallets fit in a 13.6 m trailer?
33 if you load them three across in eleven rows, or 34 turned two across in seventeen rows. Both fill the deck — the turned layout squeezes in one more pallet but every pallet has to be handled the same way round.
What is the difference between a standard trailer and a Mega?
The floor is the same 13.6 m, so a Mega does not take more pallets. What you get is height: about 3.00 m inside against roughly 2.70 m, which is around 100 m³ instead of 90 m³. Book a Mega for volume, never for pallet count.
Does stacking reduce loading metres?
Yes, and it is the cheapest saving in freight. A second layer halves the floor space. 26 pallets at 110 cm tall drop from 11.2 to 5.6 loading metres in a standard trailer — provided the cargo takes the weight on top and the shipper allows it.
How much weight can a trailer carry?
Roughly 24 t on a standard 13.6 m tautliner or a Mega running at 40 t gross, and about 22 t on a reefer because the insulated body and the fridge unit eat into the payload. Dense cargo hits the weight limit long before it fills the deck.