Load Plan Template: The Fields Every Loading Plan Needs

A useful load plan template has five parts: the vehicle (type, internal size, payload), the manifest (every item with dimensions, weight, quantity and stop), the loading sequence, drawings that show where each item goes, and a weight summary with payload and axle checks. Add a header with references and a sign-off line, and the same sheet works for the planner, the warehouse and the driver.

Most companies start with a spreadsheet. That works for repeat loads of identical pallets, but a template only records what was planned; it cannot tell you whether the plan is possible. Below is a field-by-field template you can copy, and the point where a 3D plan becomes the better tool.

1. Header and references

2. Vehicle details

Use internal dimensions, not the brochure's external size. For a container, the internal size and the door opening both matter.

• Vehicle type: semitrailer, mega trailer, rigid truck, 20 ft / 40 ft / 40 ft HC container, ULD.
• Internal length × width × height (for example, 1360 × 245 × 270 cm for a standard curtainsider).
• Payload in kg, from the registration documents or the carrier.
• Loading side: rear, side, or both.
• Axle data if you estimate axle loads: kingpin and axle positions and the permitted loads (see weight distribution).
• Number of vehicles, if the shipment needs more than one.

3. The manifest

The manifest is the core of the template. One row per item type is enough if you add a quantity column. Keep units consistent: cm and kg are the norm in Europe.

4. Loading sequence and drawings

A list of items does not tell a loader where to put them. The plan needs at least one drawing and a sequence:

• Top view: the floor layout, with each item numbered.
• Side view: shows stacks and the height used.
• Rear view: shows what the loader sees at the doors and how the width is filled.
• Sequence: the order in which items go in, numbered to match the drawings. With multiple stops, the last stop is loaded first, deepest in the vehicle.

In a spreadsheet template this is usually a grid of cells coloured by hand, which takes time and is easy to get wrong when one item changes. Planning software draws the views from the plan itself, so they always match the manifest.

5. Weight summary and checks

Finish with the figures someone will check before the truck leaves:

In the example, 18,640 ÷ 24,000 = 77.7% of payload. Volume: a 13.6 × 2.45 × 2.7 m trailer is 89.96 m³, about 90 m³, and 71.3 ÷ 90 = 79%. Axle loads and centre of gravity are estimates for the cargo; weigh the vehicle if you are close to a limit. The centre of gravity guide explains how to calculate it.

Close with a sign-off block: loaded by, checked by, seal number (for containers), time of departure and a note of any deviation from the plan.

Why a 3D plan beats a spreadsheet template

A spreadsheet is a good input format and a poor planning tool. It records numbers; it does not check that a 150 cm pallet fits on top of a 130 cm pallet in a 270 cm trailer, that the heavy pallets are not all at the rear, or that stop 1's goods are reachable at the doors.

The practical approach is to keep the spreadsheet as the manifest and let a planner produce the plan. In EveryLoading you paste the rows from Excel, optimise, and export a PDF load plan with the drawings, sequence and weights for the driver. For what drivers need on paper, see loading plans for drivers.