Dry Van Shipping

What is dry van shipping?

Dry van shipping is any shipping done in a trailer that is not a temperature-controlled trailer or a flatbed trailer.

Dry van trailers can carry pallets or loose cartons, and can be unloaded by a forklift or with the assistance of a liftgate.

What can ship in a dry van?

Dry vans carry packaged, palletized, or boxed goods that don't need temperature control, such as consumer products, apparel, electronics, and non-perishable food. A standard 53-foot trailer holds about 26 standard pallets and roughly 43,000 to 45,000 pounds of cargo.

Dry vans move as full truckload (FTL) when a shipment fills a trailer, or as less than truckload (LTL) when it shares space with other freight. Dry vans are the most common trailer type in North American trucking, which usually makes them easier to book than specialized equipment.

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