Load planner for a 53' trailer
Enter what you are shipping and watch it stand on the deck: how many pallets fit, how many linear feet they take for the LTL quote, and what the trailer tandems will scale at. Slide the tandems and the weight moves with them.
Trailer
Freight
Weight and axles
Measured to the centre of the tandem pair; slides move in 6-inch holes. Federal limits on the Interstate system are 34,000 lb on a tandem, 20,000 lb on a single axle and 80,000 lb gross.
Click a pallet, then click another one, and the two swap places. Handy for putting the first stop by the door. Only pallets of the same size can trade places — the slot keeps its shape.
US trailer sizes at a glance
Typical inside dimensions. Real trailers vary an inch or two by builder and year, and the payload figure is what the trailer is rated for — on most loads the 80,000 lb gross limit bites first. Confirm with the carrier before you load.
| Trailer | Inside L × W × H | Volume | 48×40 pallets | Linear ft | Payload |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53' dry van | 630 × 100 × 110 in | 4,010 ft³ | 30 | 52.5 | 45,000 lb |
| 48' dry van | 576 × 100 × 108 in | 3,600 ft³ | 28 | 48 | 45,000 lb |
| 53' reefer | 618 × 98 × 102 in | 3,575 ft³ | 30 | 51.5 | 43,500 lb |
| 53' flatbed | 636 × 102 × 102 in | open deck | 30 | 53 | 45,000 lb |
| 48' flatbed | 576 × 102 × 102 in | open deck | 28 | 48 | 48,000 lb |
| 28' pup | 318 × 100 × 108 in | 1,988 ft³ | 14 | 26.5 | 22,000 lb |
| 26' box truck | 312 × 96 × 96 in | 1,664 ft³ | 14 | 26 | 10,000 lb |
| 40' container | 474 × 92 × 94 in | 2,372 ft³ | 18 | 39.5 | 44,000 lb |
Loading questions worth getting right
How many pallets fit in a 53 foot trailer?
Thirty, if you turn them. A 48×40 GMA pallet loaded straight — 40 in across, 48 in deep — goes two wide in thirteen rows, which is 26. Turn every pallet so the 48 in side runs across the trailer and two still fit the 100 in width, but each row is only 40 in deep, so you get fifteen rows and 30 pallets. Both are legal loads; the turned one is what experienced loaders do when the freight allows it.
What are linear feet in freight?
Linear feet is how much trailer floor your freight takes up, measured along the trailer at full width. It is the number LTL and volume carriers price by, because a light load that blocks 20 ft of deck costs the carrier the same as a heavy one. Two GMA pallets side by side, loaded straight, take 4 linear feet — so 2 ft per pallet.
What is the legal weight limit for a semi truck?
On the Interstate system the federal limits are 80,000 lb gross, 20,000 lb on a single axle and 34,000 lb on a tandem, with the bridge formula tightening those further when axles sit close together. States can allow more on their own roads and some grandfathered routes are heavier, but 80,000 lb is the number to plan to.
Which way do I slide the tandems?
Slide them back and weight moves off the trailer tandems onto the drives. Slide them forward and weight moves off the drives onto the trailer tandems. One hole is about 6 in and shifts roughly 400–500 lb on an evenly loaded 53 ft van — this planner works out the exact distance from where your freight actually sits.
How far back can I slide the tandems?
Far enough to stay inside the kingpin-to-rear-axle limit of the states you are running. California caps it at 40 ft and West Virginia at 37 ft, while most of the east coast allows 41 to 43 ft. Watch what is being measured: the limit runs to the rearmost axle, so tandems centred 40 ft behind the kingpin are already about 42 ft and not legal in California. There is no federal KPRA rule — the strictest state on your route decides.
Why does my load fit but still scale heavy?
Because floor space and weight are two different limits and dense freight hits the weight one first. Paper, tile, canned goods and liquids fill 45,000 lb into half a trailer. The way to see it early is to watch the gross weight and the tandem figure while you add freight, not after the truck is loaded.
Can I double stack pallets in a dry van?
If the freight takes the weight on top and the shipper allows it, yes — and it halves the floor space, which is the cheapest saving in freight. A 53 ft van is about 110 in inside, so two 52 in loads stack with room to spare. Mark the item stackable and the planner puts the second layer on.