Dry van loads in the USA

What dry van freight looks like

• Palletized consumer and retail goods
• Packaged and shelf-stable food
• Paper and packaging
• E-commerce and distribution-center freight

Finding dry van loads on GigFreight

1. Open the USA load board and set the equipment filter to “Dry Van”.
2. Narrow by origin state and city, destination and pickup date.
3. Sort by rate or rate per mile, then add deadhead to your next pickup.
4. With a paid plan, contact the broker directly and agree the load.

• Open the USA load board

Filters to use for dry van loads

• Pick “Dry Van” under “Vehicle / trailer type”.
• Choose “FTL” under “Load type” for full truckloads, or “LTL”/“Partial” to combine shipments.
• Use “Max pallets” to match your trailer (a 53-ft van usually takes 26 standard pallets single-stacked).
• Turn on “Liftgate required” only if your trailer has one.

What sets the rate on a dry van load

Each van listing shows the posted rate and, where miles are given, the rate per mile. What moves it: live load versus drop-and-hook, detention terms, the number of stops, and whether the delivery area has outbound freight.

A slightly lower rate into a strong outbound market can beat a higher one into a dead end.

Before you book

• Check whether the load is live-load or drop-and-hook; detention terms matter.
• Confirm pallet count, weight and whether load bars or straps are required.
• Write the seal number on the bill of lading at pickup and check that the seal is intact before the receiver opens the doors.
• Distribution-center hubs such as the Inland Empire, Dallas–Fort Worth, Chicago and Atlanta generate steady van freight.

By pickup state

• California
• Texas
• Florida
• Illinois
• Georgia
• New York
• Washington

What it costs

Frequently asked questions