Free tool
Load volume calculator
Work out the CBM, actual, volumetric and chargeable weight, how much of a vehicle’s body and payload a load uses, and an estimate of floor pallet positions.
Load planning by weight and volume against vehicle capacity
See whether a route's load fits its vehicle by weight and by volume, get a loading order that puts the last stop deepest, and a suggested split or a vehicle with room when a route is over.
The problem
Overloads and half-empty vans
An overloaded vehicle is unsafe and breaks the weight rules; one that leaves half empty costs the same fuel and the same driver for half the work. Both come from the same gap: nobody added up the weight and the volume of the day's stops before loading.
Volume catches people out more often than weight. A van full of light, bulky parcels runs out of space long before it reaches its weight limit, which is why couriers charge by volumetric weight.
How Atlas plans a load
Load planning is a tab on every route, next to its stops and costs.
- Weight and volume against capacityAtlas adds up the route's stops by weight and by volume and compares the totals with the vehicle's capacity in kilograms and cubic metres. A stop with no recorded load uses your per-stop estimate, and the figure says it is estimated.
- Last stop loaded firstOn a delivery route the loading order is the stop order reversed, so the last stop goes in deepest and the first sits by the door. A pickup route keeps the stop order.
- When a route is overWhen a route is over or close to its limits, Atlas suggests which stops to move off it until it fits, and can match a vehicle with room that is not out on another route at the same time.
- Estimates you setThe per-stop weight and volume and the capacity used when a route has no vehicle are rates you set, so the estimates match your parcels.
Plan a load
Give vehicles a capacity
Enter each vehicle's capacity in kilograms and cubic metres.
Set per-stop estimates
In Settings › Rates, set the typical weight and volume of one stop.
Open the Load tab
Check the route's weight and volume against its vehicle.
Fix an overload
Move the suggested stops off the route, or switch to a vehicle with room.
Load in reverse
Load in the loading order so the first drop sits by the door.
Honest limits
What load planning does not do yet
Better to read it here than to find out on a busy morning.
- Estimates where loads are not recordedWithout real weights and volumes per stop, Atlas uses your per-stop estimate and marks it.
- Totals, not a packing planAtlas compares totals and gives a loading order; it does not work out where each box sits in the body.
- Weight limits are yours to checkAtlas compares a load with the capacity you enter. Check axle loads and gross vehicle weight against the notified limits.
Questions about load planning
Still have a question? Ask us
How do I work out the volume of a shipment?
Multiply length, width and height in metres for each package and add the results; the total is in cubic metres (CBM). Do the same for the inside of the vehicle body and compare the two.
What is volumetric weight?
A weight worked out from a parcel's size, so light but bulky parcels pay for the space they take. Carriers divide the volume by a divisor they publish and charge the higher of the actual and the volumetric weight.
Does Atlas check legal axle loads?
No. Atlas compares a load with the capacity you enter for the vehicle. Check axle loads and gross vehicle weight against the limits notified by the road transport ministry.
Why load the last stop first?
So the driver can unload from the door in stop order without moving other parcels at every stop, which saves time and avoids damage.
More of what Atlas does. Each page names its limits.
- Route planningBuild routes with stops, put the stops in order and see distance and arrival times as estimates.
- DispatchKeep every job in one queue by status, give it a driver and a route, and act on rule-based suggestions.
- Delivery trackingFollow routes, stops and recorded positions on one live map, and see whether today is on track.
- Delivery exceptionsOne queue for late, at-risk, failed, blocked and unassigned work, promise gaps and SLA breaches, each with its reason.
- Fleet managementDrivers and vehicles in one list, with shifts, stop limits, capacity, mileage, service due and papers.
- GeofencingMark delivery areas and restricted zones as circles, and get rule-based flags for work inside or outside them.
- Delivery costsCost, margin, fuel and CO2 for each route, worked out from rates you set and shown as estimates.
See whether Atlas fits your delivery day. Atlas is part of Anslation One.
Tell us how your routes, drivers and vehicles work today, or read how the whole product fits together.
Office hours: Monday to Saturday, 10:00–18:00 IST+91 74158 85838