Dry Van

What it means

A trailer dealer describes the dry van as "an enclosed, non-refrigerated box trailer" offered in several standard lengths, with the 53-footer the most common on U.S. highways.^[1] Because it has no temperature control, it carries general freight such as palletized goods, cartons and packaged products; freight that must stay cold goes in a reefer.

Federal rules set the outside envelope only in part. On the National Network, no state may limit width to more or less than 102 inches.^[4] For a tractor-semitrailer, no state may limit the semitrailer to less than 48 ft, and a state may permit longer trailers.^{[5] [7]} There is no federal height limit; FHWA says state standards range from 13.6 to 14.6 ft.^[7] The 102-inch width is also why a 53-ft van is wider inside than an ocean container; the side-by-side numbers are in container vs. trailer capacity.

How tall is a 53 ft dry van?

Outside, about 13 ft 6 in. One manufacturer's spec sheet lists its 53-ft DuraPlate van at 53 ft x 102-3/8 in. x 13 ft 6 in., with an interior height of 110-1/4 in. at the front and 111-1/4 in. at the rear and 101 in. of width sidewall to sidewall.^[3] A leasing fleet lists 110 in. inside height, 101 in. inside width and 13 ft 6 in. outside height for its most commonly rented 48- and 53-ft vans, and notes that specs vary by make, model and year.^[2] A dealer guide gives these typical figures:^[1]

The door opening, not the box, sets the tallest and widest piece that can be loaded, so measure both before planning tall freight. Overhead-door vans can differ; the same manufacturer offers an overhead door option with a 110 in. opening.^[3]

How many pallets on a 53 ft trailer?

With about 630 in. of inside length and about 100 in. of width, the floor count for 48 x 40 in. pallets is simple arithmetic:^[1]

• Loaded straight (48 in. side along the trailer). 630 / 48 = 13 full rows, two pallets across (2 x 40 in. = 80 in.): 26 pallets.
• Loaded turned (40 in. side along the trailer). 630 / 40 = 15 full rows, two across (2 x 48 in. = 96 in., which still fits inside about 100 in.): 30 pallets.

The dealer guide lists 26 standard pallets single-stacked and notes that double stacking could double that to 52, though many products cannot be stacked to full height.^[1] Weight often caps the load before floor space does. Federal law sets 80,000 lb maximum gross vehicle weight on the Interstate, 20,000 lb on a single axle and 34,000 lb on a tandem.^[6] The dealer guide puts a typical 53-ft van's maximum payload at about 42,000 to 45,000 lb.^[1] For other pallet sizes, the pallet calculator runs the same layout.

How many cubes in a 53 foot trailer?

"Cube" is cubic feet of inside space. Multiply inside length x width x height in inches and divide by 1,728. With 630 x 101 x 110 in., that is about 4,050 cubic feet of gross box. With 630 x 100 x 108 in., it is about 3,940.

Usable cube is lower than the gross box. The dealer guide cites about 3,800 to 4,000 cubic feet as the commonly quoted usable capacity of a 53-ft van.^[1] The front and rear inside heights can also differ by an inch on the same trailer.^[3] In practice, cube only counts if the freight can be stacked to use it; pallets that cannot be double stacked leave most of the upper half of the trailer empty.

Why it matters

Import freight often arrives in ocean containers but moves inland in 53-ft dry vans, because the van is longer and wider inside. RapidShips transloads containers into 53-ft trailers at its East Brunswick, NJ cross-dock, serving the Port Newark-Elizabeth corridor.

Example

Illustrative only: a shipper has 28 pallets of 48 x 40 in. cartons, each 54 in. tall and 1,400 lb, and they cannot be double stacked. Loaded straight, a 53-ft van holds 26 on the floor, so the shipper has them loaded turned, which fits 30. The 28 pallets weigh 39,200 lb, inside a typical payload range. Each pallet takes 13.33 sq ft x 4.5 ft = 60 cubic feet, about 1,680 cubic feet in total, so more than half the trailer's cube stays empty even though the floor is nearly full.

Common confusions

• Dry van vs. reefer. A dry van is non-refrigerated.^[1] It protects freight from weather, not heat or cold.
• "53 ft is the federal limit." Not quite. Federal rules set a 48 ft minimum states must allow on the National Network, and states may allow longer trailers.^[7] Check the states on the route.
• "13 ft 6 in. is the federal height." There is no federal height limit; states set it, from 13.6 to 14.6 ft.^[7]
• Floor count vs. cube. A full floor of 26 or 30 pallets can still leave cube unused if the pallets are short and cannot be stacked.

Frequently asked questions