GlossaryEN1 min readUpdated: Jul 18, 2026
Capacity Utilisation
Capacity utilisation – also called load factor – measures how much of a vehicle's, container's, vessel's or aircraft's available transport capacity is actually used.
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Source: https://kpidepot.com/kpi/load-factor-transportation
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Logistics Concept
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Definition & Explanation
Capacity utilisation – also called load factor – measures how much of a vehicle's, container's, vessel's or aircraft's available transport capacity is actually used. It is expressed as the ratio of carried weight or volume to total capacity, in per cent. As a metric in dispatching and transport management, it shows directly where revenue potential is lost: every unfilled loading unit and every empty run lowers utilisation and worsens the cost per shipment. In practice, a load factor of around 70 to 85 per cent is considered efficient across many modes, without losing the flexibility needed for urgent orders. High utilisation also reduces emissions per tonne-kilometre and feeds into sustainability reporting. It is the outcome of good capacity allocation and is deliberately steered through dynamic pricing. Not to be confused with nominal capacity, which states only the theoretical maximum load, not its actual use.
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