Dry Van.
The Workhorse, Done Right.
Sealed 53-foot trailers for palletized freight, loaded once and driven direct, dock to dock. Instant dry van rates, live GPS tracking, and one specialist per load, in all 50 states.
Quote Your Dry Van Shipment
What is dry van shipping?
A dry van is a fully enclosed 53-foot trailer, the sealed box you see on interstates everywhere. It is the workhorse of US truckload freight: your palletized goods are loaded once at the dock, the doors are closed and sealed, and the trailer is driven straight to the receiver.
Inside, a dry van runs about 100 inches wide and 108 inches tall, holds roughly 3,937 cubic feet, and carries 26 floor pallets and up to 45,000 lbs. It protects freight from weather, road debris, and tampering, without the cost of refrigeration. AFX Logistics dispatches dry van capacity in all 50 states, with spot rates for one-off moves and dedicated lanes for recurring volume.
Dry van is the right call when:
- ✓Palletized or floor-loaded freight that fills most of a 53-foot trailer
- ✓Goods that need weather protection but not temperature control
- ✓High-value or sensitive loads that should ride sealed, dock to dock
- ✓Consumer goods, retail, electronics, paper, packaged manufactured product
- ✓A lane you run often and want covered on consistent, reliable capacity
Plan the trailer before you book it.
Every dry van runs out of one of two things first: space or weight. Light, bulky freight cubes out, filling the floor with payload to spare. Dense freight weighs out, hitting 45,000 lbs with floor still open. Knowing which one you are is how you stop paying for a trailer you do not fully use.
Drop in your pallet count, footprint, and weight. The planner shows the floor positions you fill, the payload you use, and the verdict, so you walk into the quote knowing exactly what you are shipping.
53-Foot Load Planner
Pallets in, the answer every shipper wants out: will you cube out or weight out?
Light, bulky freight at about 8.3 lbs per cubic foot. The floor fills before the weight does, so you are paying for space, not weight.
Estimates assume straight loading in a standard 53-foot dry van and check total payload only, not axle distribution or the federal bridge formula. Pinwheeling, overhang, and no-stack rules change the count. We confirm before you book.
- Straight load26 pallets
- Pinwheeledup to 28
- Double-stackedup to 52
- Weight cap~45,000 lb
- Break-even1,731 lb/position
Built for the Freight That Runs America
If it is packaged, palletized, and does not need refrigeration, it almost certainly moves in a dry van. A few of the loads we cover every day.
Food & Beverage
Non-perishable packaged food, canned goods, bottled drinks, and dry ingredients.
Retail & Apparel
Store replenishment, e-commerce inventory, softlines, and seasonal goods.
Electronics & Appliances
Boxed electronics, white goods, and consumer hardware that need a sealed ride.
Paper & Packaging
Rolls, cartons, corrugated, and printed material moved dry and protected.
Plastics & Resins
Bagged resin, molded parts, and packaged industrial plastics.
Building Materials
Packaged, palletized hardware and finishing materials that ship enclosed.
Health & Beauty
Packaged personal care, cosmetics, and CPG that move at ambient temperature.
Automotive Parts
Boxed components, aftermarket inventory, and packaged assemblies.
Built to Scale.
Proven to Deliver.
Dock to Dock in Four Steps
Quote It
Enter the lane and the load. See a live dry van rate in about two minutes, no account and no callback required.
Book It
Lock the rate online. A dedicated specialist confirms the pickup window and vets the carrier behind the scenes.
Seal It
One driver loads at your dock, seals the trailer, and rolls. Your freight rides enclosed and exclusive, dock to dock.
Track It
Follow the load on live GPS to delivery. The signed POD lands in your account with every document filed.
Dry Van vs. Reefer vs. Flatbed
Matching the trailer to the freight is the first cost decision you make. Here is how the three compare.
| Criteria | Dry Van | Reefer | Flatbed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enclosure | Fully enclosed, sealed | Enclosed + refrigerated | Open deck |
| Temperature | Ambient | -20°F to +70°F controlled | Ambient |
| Best freight | Palletized dry goods | Perishable, temp-sensitive | Steel, lumber, machinery |
| Loading | Rear dock or live load | Rear dock or live load | Crane, forklift, side load |
| Weather cover | Full | Full | Tarped on request |
| Max payload | Up to 45,000 lbs | Up to 43,000 lbs | Up to 48,000 lbs |
Temperature-sensitive? Move to refrigerated. Too big for a sealed box? See flatbed.
How Fast Does Dry Van Move?
A solo driver legally covers about 500 miles a day under hours-of-service rules. Team drivers roughly double it for time-critical freight.
The Dry Van Partner
Serious Shippers Keep.
Anyone can cover a load when the market is soft. AFX is built for the other weeks: vetted capacity, one accountable specialist, and pricing that holds from quote to invoice, every single time.
Dry Van Capacity Where You Ship
Daily dry van coverage in all 50 states, with deep capacity in the busiest markets.
Dry van freight by industry
The Dry Van Playbook
Three guides for sharper rates and smarter equipment calls.
LTL vs. FTL: Which Mode Wins?
When a full dry van beats LTL, and where the cost crossover actually sits.
Read the guide EquipmentFlatbed vs. Step Deck
When freight outgrows an enclosed trailer and has to ride open-deck instead.
Read the guide SavingsHow to Cut Freight Shipping Costs
Cube-out versus weight-out, lead time, and the booking habits that lower every invoice.
Read the guideDry Van Shipping FAQs
A dry van is a fully enclosed semi-trailer, usually 53 feet long, used to haul freight that needs protection from weather and tampering but not temperature control. It is the most common trailer on the road and the baseline of US truckload freight. The sealed box loads through rear swing doors at a dock, holds about 26 standard pallets on the floor, and carries up to roughly 45,000 lbs. If your freight is palletized, packaged, and does not need refrigeration, it almost certainly moves in a dry van.
A 53-foot dry van holds 26 standard 48x40 GMA pallets loaded straight in two rows on the floor. Pinwheeling, which turns some pallets to use the width better, reaches about 28, and fully turning them sideways can reach 30. If your freight is stackable, you can roughly double that to about 52 pallets two-high. Use the Load Planner above to see how your exact pallet count and footprint fit, and whether you run out of floor space or hit the weight limit first.
A dry van legally carries up to about 45,000 lbs of cargo. The federal gross vehicle weight limit is 80,000 lbs for the entire rig, and the tractor and empty trailer use roughly 35,000 lbs of that, which leaves about 45,000 lbs of payload. The exact number shifts with the tractor, the trailer, and fuel weight, so heavy loads near the cap are confirmed against the specific equipment before dispatch.
A trailer can run out of two things: space or weight. You cube out when the floor and ceiling fill before you reach the weight limit, which happens with light, bulky freight. You weight out when you hit roughly 45,000 lbs before the space is full, which happens with dense freight like beverages, canned goods, paper, and tile. The crossover sits near 11.4 lbs per cubic foot: a full 53-foot dry van holds about 3,937 cubic feet and 45,000 lbs, so freight averaging more than that density weighs out, and lighter freight cubes out. Knowing which one you are is the key to loading a trailer efficiently.
A dry van is an unrefrigerated enclosed trailer that holds whatever ambient temperature the day brings. A reefer is the same enclosed box with an insulated wall and a diesel refrigeration unit that holds a precise setpoint from about -20°F to +70°F. Dry van is for shelf-stable, non-perishable freight; reefer is for anything temperature-sensitive. Reefer capacity costs more and tops out slightly lower on payload because of the unit and insulation, so freight that does not need cooling should ride a dry van.
A dry van is an enclosed box that protects freight from weather and loads through rear doors at a dock. A flatbed is an open deck with no walls or roof, loaded from the side or top by crane or forklift, used for freight that is too large, heavy, or oddly shaped to fit through trailer doors, like steel, lumber, machinery, and building materials. If your freight is palletized and fits in a sealed box, dry van is cheaper and safer; if it cannot fit or be loaded enclosed, it rides a flatbed.
Almost any packaged, non-perishable freight: consumer packaged goods, retail and apparel, boxed electronics and appliances, paper and packaging, plastics and resins, packaged building materials, health and beauty products, and automotive parts. The common thread is freight that is palletized or floor-loadable, needs protection from weather and theft, and does not require temperature control. Hazardous materials can ship in a dry van with the right placarding and a carrier authorized to haul them.
Dry van full truckload is priced per mile for the whole trailer: a linehaul rate plus a fuel surcharge. The biggest factors are the lane, the season, how much lead time you give, and where the spot market sits that week. Rather than relying on published averages, we price your exact lane in real time. Enter it once and you will see the real number in about two minutes.
Dry van transit is governed by drive distance and federal hours-of-service rules. A solo driver covers roughly 500 miles per day, so a 500-mile lane is usually next day, a 1,000-mile lane runs about two days, and a coast-to-coast move runs four to five. Team drivers roughly double the daily distance for time-critical freight. Because a full truckload moves direct with no terminal stops, dry van transit is faster and more predictable than LTL.
Yes. If you do not have enough freight to fill a trailer, the same dry van equipment moves your freight as partial truckload or LTL, and you pay for only the space you use. Partial truckload keeps your freight on one trailer with no terminal handling, while LTL shares the trailer across many shippers through a terminal network. We quote all three from the same form and tell you which is cheapest for your shipment.