A trailer full of empty pallets is the unit pallet buyers think in. How many fit depends on three things: how the pallets sit on the floor, how high they're stacked, and the trailer itself.
Floor spots
Assume an inside length of about 630 inches and a width of 98 inches; real trailers differ by a few inches either way. Loaded "straight", each 48x40 pallet puts its 48 inch side along the trailer: two across (80 inches of width) and 13 rows deep (630 ÷ 48), 26 spots. Turned, the 40 inch side runs along the trailer: two across (96 inches, tight in a 98 inch trailer) and 15 rows (630 ÷ 40), 30 spots.
Stack height
A used 48x40 stringer pallet stands about 5.5 inches tall. With roughly 108 inches of inside height, the ceiling allows 19 per stack, but stacks are usually kept lower so a forklift can place them and they don't lean. The Load Line assumes 18.
| Pallets per stack | Stack height (in) | Straight (26 spots) | Turned (30 spots) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 66 | 312 | 360 |
| 15 | 83 | 390 | 450 |
| 18 | 99 | 468 | 540 |
Smaller trucks
A 26-foot box truck has about 312 inches of floor. Straight-loaded, that is 12 spots (two across, 6 deep), so 216 pallets at 18 high, if the box is tall enough. Check the inside height of the actual truck.
Why real counts differ
Broken pallets don't stack flat, mixed sizes leave gaps, block pallets are taller than stringer pallets, and a driver may cap stacks lower for safety. Treat these numbers as a ceiling for clean, same-size stacks.