Method of estimating the volumetric carrying capacity of a truck body

A method for estimating the volumetric capacity of a truck body having a pair of side walls, a front wall and a floor, comprising the steps of:

• (a) establishing a truck body side-to-side load profile cross-section by extending a side load line upward and inward at a predetermined angle from an upper edge of each of the truck body side walls to a side-to-side load profile cross-sectional peak;
• (b) cutting off the side-to-side load profile cross-sectional peak with a horizontal side-to-side load plateau line of a predetermined length while maintaining the side load lines at the predetermined angle;
• (c) establishing a truck body front-to-rear load profile cross-section by extending a front load line upward and rearward from an upper edge of the truck body front wall at the predetermined angle and by extending a rear load line upward and forward at the predetermined angle from at or near a rear edge of the truck body floor to a front-to-rear load profile cross-sectional peak;
• (d) cutting off the front-to-rear load profile cross-sectional peak with a horizontal front-to-rear load plateau line of a predetermined length while maintaining the front and rear load lines at the predetermined angle;
• (e) adjusting the final height of the side-to side and front-to-rear load plateau lines to the lesser of the height of the side-to-side load plateau line in the side-to-side load profile cross-section as produced in step (b) and the height of the front-to-rear load plateau line in the front-to-rear load profile cross-section as produced in step (d);
• (f) creating a top load plateau profile from the side-to-side and front-to-rear load profile cross-sections at the load plateau line height produced in step (e), the top load plateau profile defining a polygonal shape;
• (g) adjusting the shape of the top load plateau profile by defining a final outer boundary of the top load plateau profile as a closed curve inscribed in the polygonal shape from step (f);
• (h) contouring the side load lines produced in step (a) and the front and rear load lines produced in step (c) around and below the final outer boundary of the top load plateau profile into a generally conically shaped heaped outer surface inclined at the predetermined angle to form a final three-dimensional load model, wherein (i) an upper surface of the final three-dimensional load model is defined by the top load plateau profile from step (g) and by the conically shaped heaped outer surface between the top load plateau profile and where the generally conically shaped heaped outer surface intersects the truck body, (ii) side surfaces of the final three-dimensional load model are generally defined by the truck body side walls, front wall and floor, and (iii) the lower surface of the final three-dimensional load model is generally defined by the truck body floor;
• and
• (i) calculating the volume of the final three-dimensional load model.