Deep reference · not in the main menu
Twenty on the floor.
Forty if they’re empty.
Everything about moving totes by road: what fits, how it straps, when you can stack, what the freight class means and the three loading mistakes that cost people cages.
The short answer
A 48-foot trailer holds twenty 275 or 330 gallon totes on the floor in two rows of ten, or forty empties double-stacked. Strap over the cage top rail, never across the bottle. Never stack full totes in transit. Empty totes cube out long before they weigh out, so deck space is the binding constraint.
From the yard
Capacity
What fits on what
| Equipment | Deck | Empties (floor) | Empties (stacked) | Full totes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48' flatbed | 48 × 8.5 ft | 20 | 40 | 20 |
| 53' flatbed | 53 × 8.5 ft | 22 | 44 | 22 |
| 48' dry van | 48 × 8.2 ft interior | 20 | 40 (height permitting) | 20 |
| 53' dry van | 53 × 8.2 ft interior | 22 | 44 (height permitting) | 22 |
| 40' gooseneck hotshot | 40 × 8.5 ft | 16 | 32 | 16 |
| 24' box truck | 24 × 8 ft | 10 | 20 (275s only) | 10 |
| Moffett flatbed | Reduced by forklift | 16–18 | 32–36 | 16–18 |
Pattern
How they go on
- Two rows of ten, stringers fore and aft. A 48 × 40 inch pallet placed with the 40-inch dimension across the trailer gives two rows across an 8.5-foot deck with a few inches to spare.
- Heaviest units to the front. Standard weight distribution — keep the load off the trailer tail.
- Valves inboard. Turn discharge valves toward the centre of the deck so nothing catches on a strap, a post or a passing wall.
- Strap over the cage rail. Two straps per row, over the top rail of the steel cage, tensioned firm. Never across the bare bottle.
- Corner protectors on the cage edges. Cheap, and they stop a strap cutting into galvanizing on a long run.
Failures
Three ways loads go wrong
Stacking full totes
The single most expensive mistake. Cage top rails are rated for static stacking on level ground, not for 2,400 lb bouncing over a Texas farm-to-market road. Folded cages, shifted load, sometimes a bottle failure.
Strapping across the bottle
HDPE creeps under sustained load. A strap tensioned across the bare bottle deforms it and can craze the shoulder. The cage exists precisely so you have something to strap to.
Mixed pallet types stacked
A steel-base tote stacked on a composite-base tote concentrates load on the wrong points. Stack like on like, or don't stack.
Freight class
If you're arranging your own carrier
We ship truckload and consolidated, so class rarely appears on our quotes. It matters a great deal if you book LTL yourself.
| Configuration | Approx weight | Approx cube | Density (lb/cu ft) | Typical class band |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single 275 gal, empty | 130 lb | 51 cu ft | ≈ 2.5 | Class 250 band |
| Single 330 gal, empty | 160 lb | 59 cu ft | ≈ 2.7 | Class 250 band |
| Two 275s stacked, empty | 260 lb | 102 cu ft | ≈ 2.5 | Class 250 band |
| 275 gal with cover & fittings | 150 lb | 51 cu ft | ≈ 2.9 | Class 175–250 |
| Cut second-life build, nested | 110 lb | 34 cu ft | ≈ 3.2 | Class 175–250 |
Receiving a delivery well
The site details matter more than the address. Firm level ground, a gate wide enough for a tractor-trailer, no low overhead lines, and somewhere the driver can turn around without a three-point manoeuvre on soft caliche.
If none of that describes your site, say so and we will send the moffett truck, which unloads itself and can place totes wherever the ground will carry a forklift. It costs a little more and it beats a failed delivery by an enormous margin.
Inspect before you sign
Walk the load. Check cage corners, bottle condition around the outlet, valve seats and lids. Note anything on the delivery paperwork before the driver leaves — it is far easier to resolve at the tailgate than a week later. Our 48-point inspection checklist is the fast version of this.
Full totes and DOT
Everything on this page assumes empty containers. Shipping a filled tote of regulated product is a different regime entirely — UN marking, current requalification, placarding, shipping papers and a carrier authorised for the material. Start with the compliance guide, and do not improvise.
Questions people actually ask
+What freight class are empty IBC totes?
+Can full totes be double-stacked in a trailer?
+Where do you strap a tote?
+Do totes need tarping?
Quick reference
Numbers worth having open in another tab
The figures that come up in almost every conversation, whichever page you arrived on.
275 gallon · 1040 L
48×40×46
- Tare
- 130 lb
- Gross, water
- 2,425 lb
- Stack full
- 2 high
- Stock
- Always in stock
330 gallon · 1250 L
48×40×53
- Tare
- 160 lb
- Gross, water
- 2,915 lb
- Stack full
- 2 high
- Stock
- Always in stock
264 gallon · 1000 L
48×40×46
- Tare
- 125 lb
- Gross, water
- 2,325 lb
- Stack full
- 2 high
- Stock
- Usually in stock
350 gallon · 1325 L
48×40×56
- Tare
- 175 lb
- Gross, water
- 3,095 lb
- Stack full
- 2 high
- Stock
- Order in
From the yard notes
Longer reading on this
32 articles written by the people who wash, grade, weld and dispatch. No marketing copy in any of them.
- Logistics · June 16, 2022 · 3 minWhat a Flatbed Load of Totes Teaches You About SecurementTwo rows of ten, stringers fore and aft, strapped over the cage rail. Everything else is a way to fold a cage.
- Logistics · October 13, 2021 · 3 minWhy Freight Decides Whether Your Tote Order Makes SenseFor used containers, freight isn't a rounding error. On a small distant order it can cost more than the goods.
- Sustainability · September 14, 2023 · 3 minReverse Logistics Is the Whole ProblemForward logistics is a solved commercial problem because somebody gets paid for it. The empty coming back is nobody's job.
On the yard this week
More answers
While you're here
Pulled from the full FAQ, which runs to forty-plus answers across buying, grades, food safety, sizes, selling, compliance, delivery and care.
- Where we are
- 3505 Montopolis Dr, Austin, TX 78744
- Yard hours
- Mon–Thu 7:30a–5p · Fri 7:30a–4p · Sat 8a–12p · Sun closed (Central Time)
- Coverage
- 68 Texas counties on scheduled routes, from one Austin yard.
+Can I pick up at the yard?
+Can I transport fuel in an IBC tote?
+Do you ship outside Texas?
+Can you deliver with no forklift on site?
+How fast can I get totes?
Tell us about the site, not just the address.
Ground surface, gate width, overhead clearance and whether you have a forklift. Two sentences prevents the delivery failure that costs everyone a day.