How many pallets and loading metres fill a truck, when a part load (LTL) is enough and when a full truckload (FTL) pays off. A guide for manufacturers.
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Read articleChoosing the right way to ship saves a manufacturer money and time at the loading dock. A few pallets travel best as a part load, while most of a trailer or sensitive goods call for a whole truck. Three figures your shipping department already has tell you where the line is: the number and type of pallets, loading metres and weight.
The market groups shipments by how much of a vehicle they take up. The exact limits vary between providers. The German platform Cargoboard, for example, sets them like this:
| Mode | Typical size | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Groupage (pallet freight) | up to 2.4 loading metres (6 Euro pallets) and up to 3,000 kg | Your shipment travels with others, through cross-dock depots |
| Part load (LTL) | above 2.4 loading metres or above 3,000 kg | You share the vehicle with other shipments, with more stops on the route |
| Full truckload (FTL) | up to 13.6 loading metres (34 Euro pallets) and up to 24,000 kg | The whole vehicle is yours, delivered direct with no transhipment |
A loading metre (LDM) is one metre of the loading area's length across the vehicle's full width. The formula is simple: length × width of the shipment in metres / 2.4.
How quickly Euro pallets fill a trailer:
| Euro pallets | Loading metres | Approximate share of the trailer |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 2.4 | just under a fifth |
| 12 | 4.8 | about a third |
| 17 | 6.8 | half |
| 33 | 13.2 | the full trailer |
Besides floor space, a truck is limited by its payload. A full load on a semi-trailer can weigh up to around 24,000 kg. With heavy goods such as metal parts or plastic granulate, the vehicle fills up by weight before it fills up by space. With light, bulky goods it is the other way round.
For part loads, the market commonly weighs floor space against weight. A frequent conversion treats one loading metre as roughly 1,850 kg. A heavy shipment on a small footprint and a light shipment on a large one can therefore take up the same vehicle capacity.
There is no fixed figure above which a whole truck is always cheaper. The route, the deadline and the nature of the goods matter too. This guide helps:
Book a full truckload (FTL) when:
A part load (LTL) is enough when:
If your shipment sits on the border between the two, our quote gives you both options. You compare price and timing and make the call.
A price per kilometre is only a rough guide when you compare quotes. The same distance can cost differently depending on these factors:
Our quote states the final price including tolls. If the route changes, we adjust the price beforehand, never afterwards.
To compare a part load with a whole truck accurately, we need:
The full checklist is in How to prepare a freight request to get an accurate quote.
We carry full truckloads (FTL) and part loads (LTL) between European Union countries and to Switzerland. We choose the vehicle by volume, weight and date: a van, a rigid truck or a semi-trailer. We prepare a quote within 2 hours of receiving your enquiry, dispatch is available 24/7 and every transport is covered by CMR liability insurance. When a shipment cannot wait, express transport helps. Our most frequent lane is described on the transport to Germany page.
How many Euro pallets fit in a truck? A standard semi-trailer with a 13.6 m loading length holds 33 Euro pallets, or 34 when ideally arranged. It takes 26 industrial pallets of 1,200 × 1,000 mm.
Do I pay for pallets or for loading metres on a part load? On the market, part loads are commonly priced by the floor space taken or by weight. Our quote gives you one final price.
Can a whole truck pay off for half a trailer? Often, yes: when the goods must not be transhipped, when you need an exact time window or when the deadline is tight. We show you both options in the quote.
Send us a transport enquiry with the number of pallets, dimensions, weight and dates. We prepare a quote within 2 hours. RUSH dispatch is available 24/7 on +421 948 886 077 or at transport@rush.sk.
We are here for you 24/7. Contact us for a price quote, consultation or any questions regarding transport.
RS Innovative, s. r. o.
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851 04 Bratislava - Petržalka
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