Short answer
A 53-foot dry van holds 26 standard 48-by-40-inch pallets in a single layer when they’re loaded straight. Turning every pallet sideways fits up to 30, and a pinwheel pattern fits 28. Double-stacked, a straight load is 52. On heavy freight, the 42,000 to 45,000-pound payload limit runs out before the floor does.
The count depends on three things: the pallet size, which way the pallets face, and how much each one weighs. The table below gives the numbers carriers quote, and the sections after it show the math so you can work out a load that isn’t standard.
Pallet counts by trailer
All counts are for standard 48-by-40-inch pallets.
| Equipment | Single layer, loaded straight | Single layer, turned | Double-stacked |
|---|---|---|---|
| 53-foot dry van | 26 | Up to 30 (28 pinwheeled) | 52 |
| 48-foot dry van | 24 | 26 to 28 | 48 |
| 53-foot reefer | 26 | Often won’t fit | Check height. The ceiling is 103 to 104 in |
| 26-foot box truck | 12 | No published figure | 24 |
Sources: Laufer Trucking, Hale Trailer, ICE Transport and Mercer Transportation. Double-stacked counts assume the freight can be stacked and the weight allows it.
The standard pallet is 48 by 40 inches
Every count in that table assumes the 48-by-40-inch pallet, often called a GMA pallet after the grocery trade group that standardized it. Freightquote calls it “by far the most common pallet used in shipping.” A Virginia Tech survey done with the pallet industry’s trade association found that about 35 percent of new wood pallets made in the U.S. in 2016 were that size, more than any other.
That still leaves a lot of freight on other sizes. If your shipper uses 48-by-48 or 42-by-48 pallets, the counts change, so get the real dimensions before you quote.
The math behind 26, 28 and 30
A 53-foot dry van has about 630 inches of floor length and about 101 inches of width. Our 53-foot trailer dimensions post has the builder-by-builder figures.
Loaded straight: 26
The 48-inch side runs the length of the trailer and two pallets sit side by side. They take 80 of the 101 inches of width. Thirteen rows of 48 inches is 624 inches, so 13 rows of two gives 26 pallets with six inches left at the doors.
Turned: up to 30
Now the 40-inch side runs the length of the trailer. Fifteen rows of 40 inches is 600 inches, so 15 rows of two gives 30. The cost is width. Two pallets turned this way take 96 inches and leave about two and a half inches on each side.
Pinwheeled: 28
A pinwheel load puts one pallet straight and one turned in each row. That makes one column of 13 and one column of 15, for 28 pallets across 88 inches of width.
Turned and pinwheeled loads work when the freight sits inside the edges of the pallet and the shipper’s dock is willing to load that way. An inch or two of overhang on each pallet can be enough to stop a turned load from fitting.
Weight usually runs out before floor space
The federal gross limit is 80,000 pounds (23 CFR 658.17), which leaves a 53-foot dry van about 42,000 to 45,000 pounds for freight. Divide that by the pallet count and you get the most each pallet can average.
| Pallets on the trailer | Average per pallet at 42,000 lb | Average per pallet at 45,000 lb |
|---|---|---|
| 26 (straight) | 1,615 lb | 1,731 lb |
| 28 (pinwheeled) | 1,500 lb | 1,607 lb |
| 30 (turned) | 1,400 lb | 1,500 lb |
| 52 (double-stacked) | 808 lb | 865 lb |
Our arithmetic. The weight of the pallet itself counts toward the total.
Dense freight never gets close to 26 pallets. Laufer Trucking notes that heavy loads “can hit capacity with as little as 8-12 skids or 7 paper rolls.” Bottled drinks, tile, paper and canned goods all weigh out long before they fill the floor.
The axle limits matter too. A tandem is capped at 34,000 pounds, so a heavy load has to be spread along the trailer even when the gross weight is legal.
Double-stacking: check the height and the bottom pallet
A dry van is about 110 inches high inside. ICE Transport puts the usual ceiling for a stackable pallet at 48 to 52 inches tall, pallet included, so two of them clear the roof.
Three things stop a double-stacked load:
- The door. A swing-door trailer opens about 110 inches high. A roll-up door opens about 104, which is exactly two 52-inch pallets with nothing to spare.
- The bottom pallet. It has to carry the weight of the one above it for the whole trip. The shipper decides whether freight is stackable, and it should say so on the bill of lading.
- The scale. Fifty-two pallets at 900 pounds each is 46,800 pounds, which is over the payload limit.
48-foot trailers, reefers and box trucks
A 48-foot dry van holds 24 pallets loaded straight. Laufer Trucking puts a turned load at 26 to 28.
A 53-foot reefer holds the same 26 as a dry van when loaded straight. It’s narrower inside, 96 to 97.5 inches, because of the insulation, and Laufer says that’s “enough to make a turned load unworkable on many reefers.” The ceiling is lower as well, at 103 to 104 inches. Gebrüder Weiss lists reefer payload at 43,500 to 44,000 pounds.
A 26-foot box truck holds 12 pallets in a single layer. Penske says its 16-foot box truck fits two rows of about four. Payload is the tighter limit on these trucks. Our straight truck post has the sizes and weight ratings.
When the freight doesn’t fill the trailer
A truckload rate buys the whole trailer whether you use 26 positions or six. If the load is a handful of pallets, price it as LTL as well as full truckload. LTL carriers price by weight, space and freight class, so the pallet dimensions matter even more there. Our LTL vs. FTL guide covers how to choose.
What to put on the load
A pallet count alone isn’t enough for a carrier to plan around. Get five things from the shipper and put them on the rate confirmation:
- the number of pallets
- the length, width and height of each, freight included
- the weight of each, or the total
- whether they can be stacked
- whether the shipper loads straight or turned
When the count at the dock doesn’t match the paperwork, the driver waits while someone sorts it out, and that’s where detention starts. A freight broker TMS keeps those details on the load, so the carrier’s rate confirmation says the same thing the customer told you.
Final thoughts
Quote 26 for a 53-foot dry van and 24 for a 48 unless the shipper tells you it loads turned. Then check the weight, because a full floor of heavy pallets is an overweight truck. Ask for dimensions and weight on every load and you won’t have to guess.