Load Planning Software for Trucks, Containers & Pallets

Load planning software answers a question that CBM alone cannot: will every carton, crate, drum, pallet, or machine fit inside the selected equipment in a safe, practical arrangement?

CBM3.net is a completely free, browser-based freight planning tool for building and reviewing loads in interactive 3D. It supports containers, trucks, trailers, pallets, ULDs, rail equipment, and swap bodies. Shippers, freight forwarders, and warehouse managers can import shipment data, calculate freight metrics, assess weight distribution, generate a loading sequence, and produce warehouse-ready packing instructions without a paywall.

Open the free CBM3 load planner

Why a CBM calculation is not enough

Total cargo volume is useful for quotations and initial equipment selection, but it does not confirm physical fit. A shipment may total 60 CBM on paper and still fail to load into a nominally suitable container because of door dimensions, package geometry, orientation restrictions, unusable gaps, or concentrated weight.

Consider a shipment containing palletized cartons, loose cases, and machinery crates. Its combined CBM may be below the internal volume of a 40-foot high-cube container. That does not prove the pallets will pass through the doors, the machinery can be positioned without blocking the remaining cargo, or the container floor can support the planned weight concentration.

Effective load planning brings several inputs together:

Internal equipment dimensions and door openings
Cargo length, width, height, quantity, and unit weight
Permitted rotations and required upright orientation
Stackability, fragility, and load-bearing capacity
Maximum gross mass, payload, and tare weight
Longitudinal, lateral, and vertical weight distribution
Loading order, delivery sequence, and unloading access
Working space for handling, securing, and dunnage

Container loading software places these constraints in one model. The output is more than a utilization percentage: it is a proposed arrangement that can be inspected and corrected before the cargo reaches the loading bay.

How load planning software works

1. Enter or import the cargo

Begin with accurate package-level data. Each cargo line should include dimensions, quantity, weight, and any handling restriction that affects placement. CBM3 accepts manual entry as well as CSV and Excel imports. Automatic column mapping recognizes common fields, so established product and shipment spreadsheets usually require less reformatting.

Imported records still need to be checked. Unit errors are particularly costly: millimetres entered as centimetres, pounds treated as kilograms, or gross pallet dimensions replaced with individual carton dimensions can invalidate an otherwise sound plan.

2. Select the actual loading equipment

CBM3 includes 36 equipment profiles covering ocean containers, road trailers, air-cargo ULDs, rail equipment, swap bodies, and pallets. The same cargo list can therefore be tested against different transport modes without rebuilding the shipment.

Select the equipment that will actually be supplied. A standard dry container, high-cube container, reefer, curtain-side trailer, and air ULD each has different internal geometry and operating limits. Published dimensions can also vary by owner, manufacturer, and equipment series, so confirm critical measurements with the carrier.

3. Generate and inspect the 3D plan

The packing engine creates a proposed arrangement from the recorded cargo data and placement rules. CBM3 presents the result through a real-time WebGL 3D simulation that can be rotated and examined from different viewpoints.

Three rendering modes support different checks:

Operational mode emphasizes item position and loading clarity.
Realistic Digital Twin mode provides a more representative view of the loaded equipment.
X-Ray mode reveals cargo that would otherwise be hidden behind outer rows or equipment walls.

X-Ray mode is particularly useful for checking whether heavy items have been buried behind fragile freight or whether inaccessible voids have formed in the centre of the load.

4. Review the loading sequence

A geometrically valid arrangement is not necessarily loadable. Warehouse crews need to know which unit enters first, whether later items can pass through the remaining opening, and whether an early placement will block access.

CBM3 generates an animated, step-by-step loading sequence. Crews can follow the proposed order instead of trying to interpret a single image of the finished load. This connects the planner’s arrangement with the actual work sequence on the dock.

5. Export and share the approved plan

After review, the plan can be exported as a branded PDF packing guide. Reports may include 3D snapshots, the loading sequence, shipment details, and centre-of-gravity diagrams. This provides a consistent handover for warehouses, suppliers, customers, and transport operators.

Plans can also be shared through WhatsApp, Telegram, Microsoft Teams, email, or a unique plan code. A shared plan reduces the risk of different parties working from separate spreadsheet versions or outdated screenshots.

Truck loading software for weight and axle control

Truck loading is not only a cubic-capacity problem. A trailer may have enough volume and legal gross payload yet still produce an unacceptable axle condition. Dense cargo placed too far forward or rearward can overload an axle group even when the vehicle’s total weight remains within its nominal limit.

CBM3 performs a three-axis centre-of-gravity calculation covering longitudinal, lateral, and vertical balance. It also provides axle-loading and road-compliance warnings based on the planned distribution. These indicators help planners identify concentrated loads, excessive side bias, and cargo positioned too close to either end of the trailer.

This matters particularly for machinery, steel products, liquids, paper, tiles, batteries, and other high-density freight. Moving one heavy crate a short distance can materially change the axle result without changing the shipment’s total CBM.

Truck loading software must be used with the actual vehicle configuration. Tractor wheelbase, kingpin position, axle spacing, trailer tare weight, legal jurisdiction, and local road limits all affect the final calculation. The carrier, driver, and responsible loading team must verify compliance before departure.

Container loading software for FCL and multi-container shipments

For full-container-load planning, the first decision is often whether the cargo needs a 20-foot container, a 40-foot container, a 40-foot high cube, or several units. The correct choice depends on more than nominal capacity. Payload, package dimensions, door openings, handling rules, and SKU mix can all determine what works in practice.

Multi-container planning

CBM3 can divide cargo across multiple containers within one planning workflow. Items can then be reallocated by drag and drop. This is useful when the initial calculation creates an awkward split, such as placing most of a product line in one container while sending a small remainder separately.

Planners can rebalance containers by weight, destination, purchase order, customer, production batch, or unloading priority. Visual comparison also makes it easier to spot a lightly utilized container that could potentially be removed through repacking.

Equal FCL Solver

Mixed-SKU shipments present a different allocation problem when each destination needs the same product kit. CBM3’s Equal FCL Solver distributes mixed-SKU kits into identical, balanced container loads.

This is practical for retail rollouts, project cargo, branch replenishment, construction packages, and other programs in which each destination should receive the same assortment. It reduces manual SKU allocation and helps prevent one container from receiving too much high-density cargo.

Payload and equipment checks

A container may reach its payload limit before it runs out of space. This frequently happens with dense commodities. Conversely, low-density cartons may cube out while remaining well below the permitted payload.

Compare every plan with the container’s verified maximum gross mass, tare weight, net payload, internal dimensions, door opening, floor rating, and carrier conditions. TEU is a fleet and vessel-capacity measure; it does not establish whether a specific cargo arrangement will fit inside an individual container.

Pallet stacking optimization

Pallet loading involves more than calculating how many cases fit within the pallet footprint. The stacking pattern affects stability, edge support, compression strength, and total pallet height.

CBM3 supports three common pallet stacking patterns:

Column stacking aligns cases vertically to provide direct corner-to-corner compression strength.
Brick stacking offsets alternating rows to improve interlocking.
Pinwheel stacking rotates groups of cases to use the footprint differently and improve stability for suitable package sizes.

The software also performs support-surface validation. This check identifies packages that would be placed without adequate support from the layer below. It is especially important when mixed carton sizes create overhangs, bridges, or partially unsupported cases.

Any proposed pattern must still be checked against the packaging specification. Some cartons tolerate high column loads but perform poorly when interlocked. Others require stretch wrap, corner boards, slip sheets, strapping, or a lower maximum stacking height.

Planning multi-stop deliveries with LIFO loading

Delivery order directly affects trailer arrangement. If freight for the final stop blocks cargo for the first stop, the driver may have to unload and reload goods at the roadside or customer site.

CBM3 supports delivery-stop sequencing through a last-in, first-out workflow. Cargo for Stop 1 is positioned near the doors so it can be removed first, while freight for later stops is placed deeper in the loading space. The loading sequence is then arranged to produce the required unloading order.

This method is useful for multi-drop distribution, store deliveries, service routes, and regional less-than-truckload operations. It must still be combined with checks for axle balance, cargo segregation, compatibility, and load securing. Easy unloading should never come at the cost of an unstable or non-compliant load.

Freight calculations in the same planning workflow

Load planning often starts at the quotation stage rather than in the warehouse. CBM3 combines physical packing with calculations used across sea, air, road, and rail freight.

CBM calculations show the shipment’s measured cubic volume.
Volumetric and chargeable weight calculations support air-freight and parcel-pricing decisions.
NMFC freight class tools assist with relevant North American LTL workflows.
Loading metres, or LDM, help price road freight that occupies trailer floor space.
Weight and utilization results help compare equipment options before a booking is confirmed.

Keeping these calculations with the visual load plan reduces handoffs between separate spreadsheets and planning tools. It also makes discrepancies easier to spot. If the quoted CBM, chargeable weight, payload, or equipment utilization does not match the physical plan, the shipment can be reviewed before transport is booked or cargo is presented for loading.

For quick volume checks and more detailed 3D planning, CBM3.net is a practical free utility. It allows shippers, freight forwarders, and warehouse teams to test container, truck, and pallet arrangements visually, identify capacity problems, and avoid costly loading miscalculations.