Guides

Reference material for planning loads — whole scenarios worked end to end, the calculations behind the numbers, and the terms you will meet along the way. Useful whether or not you ever open the product.

Scenarios

One shipment with one set of constraints, worked from the first decision to the loading instructions the yard receives.

Updated August 26, 2026

Designing a crate for shipping

Proving the crates you already build fit the container, then working backwards and sizing the next crate against the load plan.
Updated August 26, 2026

Planning a multi-drop trailer load

Sequencing one trailer across several consignees so each drop is reachable when the doors open, and what it costs when it is not.
Updated August 26, 2026

Planning the truck pack for a touring production

Proving a show fits the trucks it is budgeted for, then freezing the pack so every leg loads the same way.
Updated August 26, 2026

Planning an export container shipment

Turning a packing list into a container count: which limit binds, which container mix to book, and what to do with the remainder.
Updated August 24, 2026

Building a ULD for mixed cargo

Which pieces go on which unit, building to the contour rather than the footprint, and when a bottom spacer wins.
Updated August 19, 2026

Moving out-of-gauge cargo by road

Choosing the deck, declaring overhang, keeping axles legal and sequencing delivery for cargo that exceeds the legal envelope.

How-to

The arithmetic behind load planning, worked by hand first and then automated.

Updated August 6, 2026

How many pallets fit in a truck?

How many pallets fit in a 53ft, 48ft, or 26ft truck/trailer? The math, a reference table, and an exact count with Cargo-Planner.
Updated March 4, 2025

Calculate Loading Meters

How to calculate loading meters (LDM) for road freight by hand, with a worked pallet example and how Cargo-Planner automates it for any trailer.

Explainers

What the terms mean and why the constraints exist.

Updated August 20, 2026

What a load plan is, and how one gets made

What a load plan contains, what it is not, why loads go wrong without one, and the four steps every method has in common.
Updated August 9, 2026

Loading Dangerous Goods: Containers, Trailers and Air ULDs

A former Captain and Supercargo on segregation, spacing and placement for dangerous goods in containers, trailers and ULDs.
Updated May 18, 2024

Optimizing Manufacturing Logistics: The Strategic Advantage of Load Planning Software

What load planning software changes for a manufacturer: container counts, shipping costs, loading errors, and the features that matter.
Updated May 14, 2024

Optimizing Freight Forwarding Operations: An Introduction to Load Planning Software

What load planning software does for a forwarder, the main types available, and how to choose between them.
Updated November 19, 2023

The Importance of Proper Loading Instructions

Why load order and weight distribution decide whether cargo arrives intact, and what makes instructions a warehouse can follow.

Reference

Dimensions, capacities and limits you can look up.

Updated August 19, 2026

ULD types and dimensions

An AKE (LD-3) is 1.92 × 1.45 × 1.62 m inside and takes 1,516 kg; a PMC has a 125 × 96" base and builds to 96" on a Q6 contour. Full dimensions for the ULD containers and pallets in most fleets, and how to read a ULD code.
Updated August 18, 2026

53-foot trailer dimensions and capacity

A 53ft dry van is roughly 630" × 101" × 110" inside - about 4,036 cubic feet and 40,000 lbs of payload. Full dimensions for 48ft trailers, box trucks and open-deck equipment, plus the four limits that decide a load.
Updated August 18, 2026

Shipping container dimensions and types

Internal dimensions, capacity and max payload for 20ft, 40ft, high cube, reefer, open top and flat rack containers — and the three limits that decide how a container loads.