Truck sizes in Australia
Freight trucks here are named by how many pallets they take. These are typical inside sizes and payloads; check your own fleet, because bodies vary by builder.
| Vehicle | Inside length × width × height | Payload | CHEP pallets | Euro pallets | Tail-lift | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Pallet Truck | 4.5 m × 2.4 × 1.8 m | 2.2 t | 6 | 11 | Yes | Plan it |
| 8 Pallet Truck | 5.2 m × 2.4 × 2.3 m | 4 t | 8 | 13 | Yes | Plan it |
| 10 Pallet Truck | 6 m × 2.4 × 2.4 m | 6 t | 10 | 15 | Yes | Plan it |
| 12 Pallet Truck | 7.6 m × 2.4 × 2.3 m | 8 t | 12 | 19 | Yes | Plan it |
| 14 Pallet Truck | 8.4 m × 2.4 × 2.6 m | 8 t | 14 | 21 | Yes | Plan it |
| 13.2m Trailer | 13.2 m × 2.4 × 2.8 m | 22 t | 22 | 33 | Plan it | |
| 13.7m Flat Top | 13.7 m × 2.48 × 2.85 m | 24 t | 22 | 34 | Plan it | |
| B-double | 7.5 m + 13.5 m × 2.4 × 2.7 m | 34 t | 34 | 51 | Plan it | |
| A-double | 13.5 m + 13.5 m × 2.4 × 2.7 m | 44 t | 44 | 66 | Plan it |
Pallet counts are single-stacked on the floor. A pallet space is one 1.165 m CHEP footprint. A flat top's height is how high cargo can stand on a 1.45 m deck.
Rigid trucks: 6 to 14 pallets
The pallet count follows the body length. Two CHEP pallets sit side by side on a 2.4 m wide deck, and each pair needs about 1.2 m of body.
Payload climbs faster than length: a 6 pallet truck carries about 2200 kg, a 14 pallet truck about 8000 kg. A load of heavy pallets can fill a smaller truck by weight long before it runs out of floor. The licence a truck needs depends on its gross vehicle mass and axles, not its pallet count.
Tail-lifts
Most 6 to 14 pallet trucks have a tail-lift for deliveries without a forklift. A common setup is a 2.4 × 1.2 m platform rated at 800 or 1,000 kg. Each load then has to:
- weigh less than the lift's rating, pallet included;
- fit on the platform, and be under about 2.4 m high to clear the body;
- go in with a pallet jack, so nothing can rest across two pallets;
- be turned inside the truck if it's longer than 1.2 m, which needs clear room behind the freight already loaded.
The planner checks all four for every load and shows the loading order. Pro and Team add a step-by-step walk-through of each load going up and in.
Semi-trailers and combinations
A 13.2 m single trailer takes 22 CHEP pallets, a B-double 34 and an A-double 44. Mezz decks on trailers let non-stackable freight travel two high. More in how many pallets fit on a B-double.
Flat tops and the 4.3 m height limit
A 13.7 m flat top takes 22 CHEP pallets on its 2.48 m deck. With no sides or roof, height is what limits the load. At general access, a heavy vehicle and its load can be up to 4.3 m high, measured from the road. The deck takes its share of that: on a 1.45 m deck, cargo can stand 2.85 m high. Anything taller needs a permit.
The planner never stacks a flat top above the limit, and it leaves off anything too tall with a note. Set your own trailer's deck height, measured unloaded, and the stacking height follows.
Picking the right truck
Add your cargo to the planner and use Find vehicle. It plans the load in every vehicle type and shows the smallest one that takes everything in one trip, with the pallet spaces and payload each would use.