Vehicle type
Axle rules
Pallets (4)
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Add pallets and click Calculate
for the loading plan
Axle loads
Front axle
0 kg
limit 8,886 kg
Rear axle
0 kg
limit 19,565 kg
Total weight
0 kg
limit 20,000 kg
Learn
How the truck load calculator works
Put pallets into a trailer, a van or a container and see how many fit, how many loading metres they take and what each axle carries against the vehicle limits.
What it calculates
The truck load calculator places pallets in rows across the cargo space in delivery-stop order, heaviest first within a stop, so the first stop sits at the doors. The loaded block is pushed against the front wall, the way a part load is secured.
It reports pallets loaded and left over, total mass against the payload, floor fill, loading metres and the centre of gravity along the length. Axle loads follow a two-point lever whose supports stand where the vehicle has them: the front and rear axle of a truck or van, the kingpin and the axle group of a semi-trailer. Each support total is compared with the cargo limit of the vehicle preset under the chosen axle rules — the legal axle limit less the empty vehicle's own mass; a semi-trailer's front limit comes from the tractor, its drive axle and gross mass.
A floor-load mode fills the cargo space with loose boxes instead of pallets. The result exports to PDF and opens as a read-only link with the loading sequence.
Standards and methods behind it
- Axle loads by moment balance — a two-point lever between the vehicle's axles, or a semi-trailer's kingpin and axle group — against the payload of the vehicle preset and the axle limits of the chosen jurisdiction: EU Directive 96/53/EC or US 23 CFR 658.17.
- Vehicle presets: a semi-trailer, a rigid truck, a van, and 20 ft and 40 ft containers with their inner dimensions.
- Not calculated: load securing forces (EN 12195-1) and the rigidity of the load unit (EUMOS 40509). Plan the lashing separately.
Worked example
A 13.6 m trailer with a 20,000 kg payload may put up to 8,886 kg of cargo on the front support and 19,565 kg on the rear under EU axle rules (the front limit is the tractor's drive axle and gross mass, the rear one the axle group, both less the empty tractor and trailer). It carries 19,800 kg of cargo on 1,200 × 800 mm pallets, loaded two ways. y is the centre of gravity measured from the doors; the kingpin stands at y_f = 11,910 mm, the centre of the axle group at y_r = 4,210 mm.
1. Full trailer: 33 pallets × 600 kg, 13.2 m of floor; within the limits, but the front axle is close to its limit at 81 %
y = 7,000 mm; F_front = 19,800 × (7,000 − 4,210) / (11,910 − 4,210) = 7,174 kg ≤ 8,886; F_rear = 19,800 − 7,174 = 12,626 kg ≤ 19,565
Front axle
7,174.3 kg
limit 8,886 kg
Rear axle
12,625.7 kg
limit 19,565 kg
2. Part load at the front wall: 20 pallets × 990 kg, 8 m of floor; the front axle is overloaded at 145 % of its limit
y = 9,220 mm; F_front = 19,800 × (9,220 − 4,210) / (11,910 − 4,210) = 12,883 kg > 8,886; F_rear = 19,800 − 12,883 = 6,917 kg ≤ 19,565
Front axle
12,882.9 kg
limit 8,886 kg
Rear axle
6,917.1 kg
limit 19,565 kg
The same 19,800 kg stays within the limits spread over the whole floor, and goes 3,997 kg over the front axle limit as a part load against the front wall. Spreading the heavy pallets along the length is the usual fix; the calculator shows where the limit is crossed.
A 44.6 ft trailer with a 44,092 lb payload may put up to 19,590 lb of cargo on the front support and 43,133 lb on the rear under EU axle rules (the front limit is the tractor's drive axle and gross mass, the rear one the axle group, both less the empty tractor and trailer). It carries 43,652 lb of cargo on 47.2 × 31.5 in pallets, loaded two ways. y is the centre of gravity measured from the doors; the kingpin stands at y_f = 468.9 in, the centre of the axle group at y_r = 165.7 in.
1. Full trailer: 33 pallets × 1,323 lb, 43.3 ft of floor; within the limits, but the front axle is close to its limit at 81 %
y = 275.6 in; F_front = 43,652 × (275.6 − 165.7) / (468.9 − 165.7) = 15,817 lb ≤ 19,590; F_rear = 43,652 − 15,817 = 27,835 lb ≤ 43,133
Front axle
15,816.6 lb
limit 19,590.3 lb
Rear axle
27,834.9 lb
limit 43,133.5 lb
2. Part load at the front wall: 20 pallets × 2,183 lb, 26.2 ft of floor; the front axle is overloaded at 145 % of its limit
y = 363 in; F_front = 43,652 × (363 − 165.7) / (468.9 − 165.7) = 28,402 lb > 19,590; F_rear = 43,652 − 28,402 = 15,250 lb ≤ 43,133
Front axle
28,402 lb
limit 19,590.3 lb
Rear axle
15,249.6 lb
limit 43,133.5 lb
The same 43,652 lb stays within the limits spread over the whole floor, and goes 8,812 lb over the front axle limit as a part load against the front wall. Spreading the heavy pallets along the length is the usual fix; the calculator shows where the limit is crossed.
The results are the calculator’s own for these inputs; converted and rounded figures can differ in the last digit.
Common mistakes
- Checking only the total payload: a truck under its payload can still overload one axle, most often the front one under a heavy part load.
- Entering the pallet footprint without the overhang of the load: a box sticking out past the pallet edge takes floor width, and three pallets across may no longer fit.
- Mixing up the delivery-stop order: the first stop comes out of the doors first, so it is loaded last.
- Carrying the axle limits of one vehicle over to another: the limits belong to the vehicle class, so pick the preset that matches the truck.
When this tool is not the right one
- Load securing: lashing, friction and blocking forces (EN 12195-1) are not calculated.
- The legal gross weight of the whole combination and the US Bridge Formula in general: the model checks the axle groups and the tractor of the preset under EU or US federal rules, not state or national permits or the documents of a specific vehicle.
- Weight distribution across the width, left side against right: the lever model works along the length only.
Questions
How many pallets fit in a truck?
It depends on the pallet footprint, the load height and the mass. The calculator places your pallets in the vehicle you choose and shows how many fit, how many are left over and how many loading metres they take; the worked example above loads a full semi-trailer.
What is a loading metre?
One metre of cargo floor length across the full width of the vehicle. Part loads are often priced by the loading metre, so the calculator reports it next to the pallet count.
How are axle loads calculated?
The mass of each pallet is split between the two supports of the vehicle by lever: the front one takes the share (y − y_r) / (y_f − y_r), where y is the pallet's distance from the doors and y_f, y_r are the positions of the front and rear support (a truck's axles, a semi-trailer's kingpin and axle group), and the rear one the rest. A pallet behind the rear support unloads the front one. The sums are compared with the support limits of the vehicle preset.
Why does a half-empty truck overload the front axle?
A part load is pushed against the front wall, so its centre of gravity sits far forward and most of the mass lands on the front axle. The worked example above shows it with the same cargo mass loaded two ways.
Every formula with its units and defaults: the calculation method →