TruckPacker Documentation

What is TruckPacker?

Stop guessing whether your gear will fit. TruckPacker is a 3D load planning tool that takes the guesswork out of packing trucks, trailers, and shipping containers. Tell it what cases you have and what vehicle they need to fit in, and TruckPacker helps you find the best arrangement — visually, in 3D, with an algorithm that can do it automatically.

Built for touring production teams — audio, video, lighting, and staging crews — TruckPacker is trusted by AV rental houses, warehouse managers, logistics professionals, and anyone who needs to maximize every cubic inch of trailer space.

How It Works

TruckPacker's workflow is designed to get you from inventory to load plan in minutes:

• Build your case inventory — add cases manually or import them from a CSV/XLSX spreadsheet
• Create a pack — set your truck or trailer dimensions (or use the 53' semi-trailer default)
• Add and arrange cases — drag them into position manually, or let AutoPack find the optimal layout
• Share with your crew — generate a Crew View link with top-down diagrams and a loading checklist
• Export — download a PDF load plan or print case labels for your physical cases

Navigating the App

TruckPacker has four main sections, accessible from the left sidebar:

• Packs — Your load plans; the main workspace where you create and manage truck layouts
• Cases — Your case inventory database with dimensions, weights, and categories
• Product Updates — Changelog with the latest features and improvements
• Roadmap — Upcoming features and what's being built next

Switch between your personal account and any organizations you belong to at the top of the sidebar. Access settings with Cmd+, or via File → Settings from inside the editor.

Packs: Creating and Managing Load Plans

Packs are your load plans. The Packs page displays them as thumbnail cards in a grid.

Creating a New Pack

Click + New → Pack to jump straight into the 3D editor. You can also create folders to organize packs by tour, client, or project.

Managing Packs

Right-click (or use the ⋮ menu) on any pack to open, duplicate, rename, move to a folder, copy a shareable link, or delete it.

The 3D Editor: Building Your Load Plan

The 3D editor is where the work happens. When you open a pack, you get a full 3D view of your truck container with every case positioned inside it.

Setting Up Your Container

Set dimensions in the Container panel (bottom-right): length × width × height in your preferred units (inches, feet, mm, cm, or meters). Default is 636 × 102 × 98 inches (standard 53' semi-trailer).

Adding Cases to Your Pack

• Case Browser (right panel) — Browse by category or manufacturer. Click a case to add it. Use "Add all from [Category]" to bulk-add.
• Shift+A — Adds a blank case to customize in the Case Inspector.
• Drag and drop — Drop a .csv, .xlsx, or .xls file onto the editor to import cases.

Moving and Arranging Cases

Camera Controls

• Orbit: Click and drag empty space
• Pan: Alt/Option + drag
• Zoom: Scroll wheel (sensitivity in Settings → Preferences)
• Preset views: 5 buttons in the bottom toolbar

AutoPack: Automatic Load Optimization

AutoPack is TruckPacker's automatic packing algorithm. It analyzes your cases and container dimensions to find optimal arrangements — saving hours of trial and error.

1. Set your container dimensions
2. Click the orange AutoPack button
3. The algorithm generates multiple solutions (e.g., "Solution 1 of 5")
4. Browse solutions with the < > arrows
5. Pick the one that works best for load-in order and weight distribution

AutoPack respects Packing Groups — if you group cases together (Cmd+G), it keeps them together as a unit.

Case Inspector: Case Properties and Details

Select a case to view and edit properties in the inspector (View → Case Inspector):

• Name — Displayed as a label in the 3D view
• Description — Optional notes
• Size — L × W × H (editable)
• Weight — In your preferred unit (lbs or kg)
• Category — Color-coded grouping
• Flippable — Whether AutoPack can rotate the case on its side

Duplicate with count: The Duplicate button has a number field. Enter a quantity to create multiple copies at once.

Packing Groups

Group related cases with Cmd+G and name the group. AutoPack treats the group as one block.

Exporting and Sharing Load Plans

• File → Export PDF — Load plan document with truck dimensions, case layout, and loading checklist
• File → Screenshot — Captures the current 3D viewport
• Crew View — Interactive shareable link (see below)

Crew View: Shareable Load Plans for Your Team

Crew View is a read-only, shareable version of your pack. No account needed — just share the link. Click the Crew View button in the top-right of the editor.

Crew View includes:

• Top-down and side-view diagrams with labeled case positions
• Case checklist — numbered loading sequence with checkboxes
• Weight tracker — total weight vs. capacity
• Company info block and notes section
• Share button — generates a public link

The checklist is sortable. Each case has a visibility toggle and delete option.

Printable Case Labels

TruckPacker can generate printable PDF labels for your physical cases. One-time setup:

1. Go to truckpacker.com/tools/case-labels
2. Drag the "Extract Cases" bookmarklet to your browser bookmarks bar

Generating labels: Open any Crew View link → Click "Extract Cases" in your bookmarks bar → Paste into the label generator page and generate/print PDF labels. You can also paste case data manually (plain text, numbered lists, or JSON).

Load Sheet PDF: For a full one-page load sheet (pack name, dimensions, weight, top view, case manifest, notes), use the Load Sheet PDF Generator: drag its bookmarklet to your bar, open a Crew View, then click the bookmark to download a print-ready PDF.

Cases Inventory: Managing Your Equipment Database

The Cases page (/cases) is your database of all cases and equipment — every case you add lives here and can be reused across packs.

Properties: Name, Manufacturer, L×W×H, Volume (auto), Weight, Category, Flippable. The table is sortable, searchable, and filterable (50 rows per page default).

Adding cases: Manually (+ New case); from spreadsheet (Import .csv/.xlsx/.xls — Universal Manifest Importer on Business auto-maps columns); from manufacturer libraries (Christie Lites, Pelican, EAW, Spectrum Sound, Trial Starter Case List; use Template for pre-formatted import).

Tip: Dimensions support feet/inches (e.g. 10' 11") and math (e.g. 10 + 20). Use categories and colors to group by department.

Settings and Preferences

Open with Cmd+, or File → Settings.

Preferences: Units (length, weight); Display (Hidden Case Opacity, Label Font Size, Case Up Markers, Zoom Sensitivity); Appearance (Light/Dark).

Account: Name, profile picture, email; delete account: contact help@backlinelogic.com.

Organization (Business): General, Billing, Members (invite, roles: Owner/Admin/Member).

Keyboard Shortcuts

Copy/paste works across packs, browser tabs, and different accounts.

Advanced Techniques and Pro Tips

Semi Wall Technique

Use Packing Groups to create wall-to-wall sections. Select cases → Cmd+G → name (e.g. "WALL 1"). Run AutoPack; it packs each group as a tight wall. Ideal for separating departments (audio front, lighting middle, staging back).

Hide Layers

Shift+drag to select the top layer → press 0 to hide. Adjust ghost opacity in Settings → Preferences → Hidden Case Opacity.

Wheel Wells and Obstructions

Create cases that match wheel well dimensions, place them in the trailer; AutoPack packs around them.

Two-Truck Workaround

Open Truck A → Cmd+A, Cmd+C. New pack with wider container → Cmd+V, offset to one side; add Truck B's cases on the other side.

Re-Optimize Without Losing Layout

File → Duplicate Pack, run AutoPack on the copy, compare in separate tabs, keep the better one.

LiDAR: Use iPhone/iPad with LiDAR to scan cases; native integration planned Q2 2026. Fly racks: Set Flippable (Yes/No) and use free rotation (Alt + rotate) for non-standard positioning.

Plans and Pricing

Pro Plan — $28/month (or $21/month billed annually). Unlimited packs, case library, AutoPack, PDF export, weight visualization, Crew Views, loadout checklist. Pause/resume anytime.

Business Plan — Contact for pricing. Everything in Pro plus: multi-user orgs, real-time collaboration, Universal Manifest Importer, API access, SSO, priority support. Multi-truck packing and AI agent coming soon.

Free Trial — 7 days, no credit card. Promo: TRUCKPACKER26 — 30% off first payment.

Resources and Support

• App: app.truckpacker.com
• Case Label Generator: truckpacker.com/tools/case-labels
• Load Sheet PDF: truckpacker.com/tools/load-sheet
• YouTube: youtube.com/@TruckPackerApp (tutorials, tips, demos)
• Support: help@backlinelogic.com
• Socials: Twitter · Instagram · Facebook · LinkedIn

For the full changelog and roadmap, see the Changelog and Roadmap pages.