Planning a Load with MaxLoader
This guide describes the procedure for preparing a load plan in MaxLoader, from the cargo list to the verified result.
Step 1. Select the jurisdiction and the vehicle
Select United States for the federal limits on the Interstate System, in pounds and inches, or European Union for the limits of Directive 96/53/EC, in kilograms and centimeters. Then select the vehicle. The vehicles available are a five-axle tractor with a 53 ft semitrailer and a three-axle straight truck in the United States, and 40 t articulated vehicles, a 44 t intermodal combination and a 26 t rigid truck in the European Union.
Step 2. Enter the cargo list
Each row of the Cargo List describes one type of item: its description, its shape (a box, or a cylinder such as a drum), the quantity, the length, width and height, and the weight of one unit. Indicate whether the item is Stackable, meaning that other items may be loaded on it, and whether it is Rotatable, meaning that it may be turned on the floor in order to fit. Select Add Item to add each further type of item.
Step 3. Calculate the load plan
Select Calculate Load Plan. MaxLoader places the items in the vehicle, with heavy items below lighter ones, and determines the positions of the load and the trailer axles at which every axle and axle group is within its limit. Where the whole consignment cannot be carried in compliance with the limits, the plan carries as much as possible and states which items remain and the reason: the payload was reached, the item would not fit, or no compliant arrangement could carry it.
Step 4. Review the results
The verdict states whether the plan complies. Axle Loads shows the weight on each axle group against its limit. Compliance Checks lists each applicable rule with the actual figure, the limit, the margin and the provision from which the limit is taken, so that each result may be verified against its source. The Load Plan shows the position of every item; on the Plus and Pro plans it may be viewed in three dimensions, layer by layer, and exported as a PDF load sheet or a CSV file.
Step 5. Specify a particular vehicle
On the Pro plan, the Vehicle Specification sets the position, empty weight, rating and allowance of each axle to match a particular vehicle, which may be saved as a template. Where the empty weight and center of gravity of a tractor are not known, the empty vehicle may be weighed on a certified scale and the steering, drive and trailer axle weights from the ticket entered under Empty Weights; MaxLoader derives the remaining figures from them.
Open the load planner, or count the pallets a vehicle can carry with the Pallet Calculator.