Will your reels fill a deck?
Type how many empty reels you have of each flange size. The planner draws them on a 53-foot, 102-inch flatbed, adds up the share of the deck they take and says whether that is a ride-along, a part load or a full run. It is an estimate for planning; the driver's count on the day is the real one.
Enter a count for at least one flange size
- Share of a deck
- 0%
- Reels
- 0
- Empty weight
- 0 lb
How the planner counts
Every size has a planning figure: how many empties of that size fill one 53 foot deck on their own. Reels up to 42 inches are counted laid flat and stacked, using the flange, traverse and overall widths in Okonite's reel table and a 72 inch stacking height. Reels from 48 inches are counted on edge in two staggered rows, using the low end of each row in Dura-Line's loading chart for empty reels on a 102 inch wide truck. Your count for each size is divided by its figure, and the shares are added.
The verdict follows the total. Under a quarter of a deck is a ride-along: your stop joins a run that is already passing. From a quarter to about 85% is a part load, a stop the run is planned around. Up to a full deck is a full run of its own, and anything over is more than one truck.
| Flange | Planning figure per deck | One reel's share | A quarter of a deck |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 in | 416 | 0.2% | 104 reels |
| 30 in | 189 | 0.5% | 48 reels |
| 36 in | 102 | 1% | 26 reels |
| 42 in | 60 | 1.7% | 15 reels |
| 48 in | 26 | 3.8% | 7 reels |
| 60 in | 24 | 4.2% | 6 reels |
| 72 in | 20 | 5% | 5 reels |
| 84 in | 18 | 5.6% | 5 reels |
| 96 in | 16 | 6.3% | 4 reels |
What it leaves out
The planner assumes empty, sound reels of standard builds. Reels still carrying cable are far heavier and are counted by weight, not space; we do not collect those. Badly warped flanges, reels with bits of drum missing and odd sizes all load less tidily than the drawing suggests, so a stack that shows 95% may need a second trip for the last few. It also ignores where you are. A part load in Commerce and a part load in Hesperia are the same share of a deck, but the first is on a lane we run often and the second waits for the High Desert run. See ride-along pickups for how small stops are fitted in.
After you press request
The request form further down this page fills in the total reel count, a flange size answer (one size group, or "Mixed sizes") and your ZIP, and writes the per-size counts into the description. You choose whether you are selling or recycling, add the street address and a way to reach you, and send it. Change anything the planner filled in if it is wrong; it is your request.
Three stacks, worked through
A Burbank contractor has twelve 36 inch reels and four 42s. Twelve of 102 is 12% and four of 60 is 7%: 18% of a deck, a ride-along on the San Fernando Valley run. A crew yard in Fontana has eight 72s and six 84s. Eight of 20 is 40% and six of 18 is 33%: 73%, a part load that the Inland Empire run is planned around. A distributor in Santa Fe Springs has ninety 30s, forty 36s and ten 60s: 48%, plus 39%, plus 42%, which is 129%, two trucks or one truck and a second visit.
Words on this page
- Deck
- The flatbed or step-deck trailer floor; 102 inches wide on a California legal trailer.
- Flange
- The round end of a reel; its diameter (24 to 96 inches and up) is how reels are sized, sorted and loaded.
- Ride along
- A small pickup added to a run that is already going that way, instead of a dedicated truck.
- Part load
- A stop that takes a real share of a deck, roughly a quarter to most of it, so the run is planned around it.
- Full run
- A pickup that fills a 53 foot deck on its own.
Read next
Planner questions
My reel is 54 inches. Which box do I use?
Round up to the next size: 60. Rounding up keeps the estimate on the safe side.
Does the planner book the pickup?
No. It fills in the request form with your counts. Nothing is sent until you choose sell or recycle, add the address and press send.
Why does a small stack of big reels show a bigger share than a large stack of small ones?
Because floor space is the limit. Four 96 inch reels take a quarter of a deck; a hundred 24 inch reels take about the same.
Is my data saved?
No. The counts stay in your browser until you choose to send the request form. Close the page and they are gone.
Can I plan a standing pickup with it?
Enter what piles up between visits, say a fortnight's worth. If that is a quarter of a deck or more, a regular slot makes sense; see standing pickups for how those work.