How many pallets in a trailer or truck?

In the world of transport and logistics, the loading of a truck is a crucial fact to know. This is not only for economic reasons, but also because of the ecological impact it entails. In the case of road transport by means of trucks, the link is often immediately made to transport with/from pallets. This makes sense, given that pallets are the most popular method of transporting products.

But how many pallets actually fit in a trailer or truck? And also important to know: how big is a pallet and which pallets are used the most? In this article, we will take a detailed look at these common questions.

Parameters

The total number of pallets that can fit in a trailer or truck varies depending on several factors, including pallet dimensions, the method of stacking, and trailer size. In this article, the focus is on the two most commonly used pallet types in Europe: the EPAL Euro pallet (80 x 120cm) and block pallets 100 x 120cm with 3 skids. You can easily distinguish these types of pallets from each other by asking the question: 'How wide is a pallet?'. For example, a Euro pallet is 80cm wide and a block pallet is 100cm. In addition, it is also very important to know what the height of your pallet is. Below is a list of the different terms and designations that apply:

• Euro EPAL pallet: most used pallet in the industry with dimensions of 800x1200x144mm. This pallet is standardised throughout Europe and always retains the same dimensions.
• Block pallet: collective name of a certain type of pallets, this pallet is also called industrial pallet. Usually these are pallets with dimensions of 1000x1200mm. The height is not standardised and depends on the type of pallet. In this article, we assume an average height of 130mm.
  
  
• Standard trailer: a type of trailer that is often used in logistics. The height of the cargo hold is 2.70m.
• Mega trailer: A type of trailer used to transport slightly larger loads or loads. The height of the cargo hold here is 3.00m.
  
  
• Stacked: a way to load pallets onto a trailer. This is the least time-consuming way of loading, but also means that fewer pallets can be loaded on a load.
• Nested: in this type of loading, the pallets are alternately twisted together before they enter the cargo hold . This means that you can load extra pallets per stack, but this does take more time.
• Method of loading and unloading: a curtain sided trailer can be unloaded from the back or the side of the truck. To make maximum use of the cargo space in this case, you will have to load and unload from the side. If the load is lower in height, when the pallets are stacked lower, you can always work from the back

How many Euro pallets in a trailer?

To calculate how many Euro pallets fit in a trailer, we first need to look at some numbers. It is important to always use a standard curtain sided trailer. In such a trailer, there is usually room for 33 pallet spaces. Each pallet space can be stacked up to 16 to 19 (Euro) pallets high, depending on the type of trailer and the internal safety regulations at work. As a result, a truck with a standard trailer can transport a maximum of between 528 and 561 empty Euro pallet-sized pallets, while a so-called 'mega trailer' can transport between 594 and 627 pieces.

In addition to stacking pallets, they can also be nested. Nesting means that the pallets are twisted together, so that extra pieces can be loaded per type of trailer. With nested loading, there are always 28 pallet spaces per type of trailer, with stacks of 25 to 29 pieces high. A fully loaded trailer with nested Euro pallets is 700 pieces, while a fully loaded mega trailer can hold 812 pieces.

• Standard trailer stacked load: 528 to 561 pieces
• Mega trailer stacked load: 594 to 627 pieces
• Standard trailer nested load: 700 pieces
• Mega trailer nested load: 812 pieces

By the way, did you know that you can also buy full loads of Euro pallets at Rotomshop UK? Via the button below you can immediately view the product page and choose the quantity you need.

View Euro pallets here 

How many block pallets in a trailer?

To calculate the number of block pallets in a trailer>, you can work in much the same way. Both types of trailers can accommodate 26 stacked pallet spaces as standard, with a stacking height between 18 and 20 block pallets, taking into account the internal safety policy. This means that a maximum of 468 industrial pallets can fit in a standard trailer, while 520 pallets can be stacked in a mega trailer.

The same principle applies here too: by nesting block pallets, we achieve a better optimised load. The number of available pallet spaces remains unchanged at 26. However, the stack height increases. In a standard trailer, we can reach stacks of 25, with a maximum load of 650 pieces. For a mega trailer, this equates to a stacking height of 29 pieces and a load of 754 industrial pallets.

• Standard trailer stacked load: 486 pieces
• Mega trailer stacked load: 520 pieces
• Standard trailer nested load: 650 pieces
• Mega trailer nested load: 754 pieces

View block pallets here 

Below we give you an overview of what has been covered so far:

Make sure you also consider the functionality and loading method of curtain sided trailers. These trailers can only be loaded and unloaded to the maximum with the help of a forklift truck on the long side. This is due to the design of the trailers, where the roof can be raised on the sides. So if a "Full Truck Load" has to be transported, you always have to load and unload on the side. For reference, we hereby provide the usable dimensions of standard and mega trailers.

Conclusion

We hope that the information in this blog has given you an idea of how many pallets fit in a trailer, and what calculation you need to make to determine this for your own situation. The maximum load of the trailers mentioned in this blog is in accordance with our operational guidelines in the UK, and only applies to Euro pallets and/or Block pallets with 3 slides and a height of ± 130mm. In order to calculate the load with different sizes or other pallets, adjustments will have to be made to the formula.

If you want to know more about Euro pallets, block pallets, industrial pallets or pallets in general, do not hesitate to contact us. Rotomshop.co.uk specialises in everything that has to do with load carriers and packaging. We're sure to have an answer to all your questions. Contact us today on [email protected] or call us on +44 (0)1777 322100