Dump Truck

A standard dump truck can carry between 10 and 16 yards of material in a single trip. It will usually measure 8-1/2 feet wide and 24-1/2 feet long. These trucks are designed to haul construction material. Construction material includes sand, water, coarse, aggregate, massive stone, topsoil, and dirt.

Smaller dump trucks, often those mounted on a pickup frame, will have comparably less capacity, sometimes as little as 1-1/2 cubic yards.

A cubic yard represents a block of material that measures three feet on each side. Sand can weigh upwards of 3,000 pounds per cubic yard. Dry mulch can weigh as little as 700 pounds per yard. Wet compost mulch can weigh as much as at 1,500 pounds per yard.

Size Chart

Capacity 	Width 	        Length 	        Dump Height 	Weight Capacity
5 yards 	8 ft. 	        20 ft. 	        12 ft. 	        2 tons
6 yards 	8 ft. 	        20 ft. 	        12 ft. 	        2 tons
13 yards 	8-1/2 ft. 	22 ft. 	        16 ft. 	        4.5 tons
22 yards 	8-1/2 ft. 	23 ft. 	        19 ft. 	        7 tons
23 yards 	8-1/2 ft. 	23 ft. 	        19 ft. 	        9.75 tons
25 yards 	8-1/2 ft. 	24-1/2 ft. 	19 ft. 	        10 tons
40 yards 	8-5/6 ft. 	29-1/6 ft. 	23 ft. 	        8 tons

The number of cubic yards of the same dump truck would be different for different materials.

Material	Truck 
                Capacity        
-----------     -----------
Gravel	        16.5 cubic yards
Top Soil	15 cubic yards
Stones	        12 cubic yards
Dirt	        14 cubic yards
Mulch	        22 cubic yards
Sand	        19 cubic yards

Most dump trucks have an open-box bed and operate by hydraulics. The back of the bed is hinged to the back of the truck so the front can be raised to dump material out.

A dump truck bed’s weight carrying ability is often not limited by capacity but it’s Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. Aggregate weighs around 2,800 pounds dry and add another 200 if wet. A 15 ton dump truck can only carry 10.2 cubic yards of dry aggregate due to weight limitations which are met prior to actually filling the truck.

Truck size	Loaded weight (dirt)
14 tons	        10 to 13 cubic yards
15 tons	        11 to 14 cubic yards
20 tons	        13 to 19 cubic yards

Size			Height		Bed Length	Capacity
			Range (ft)	Range (ft)	Range (cu yd)
----------		----------	----------	----------
Small Dump Truck	8 – 10		8 – 12		5 – 6
Medium Dump Truck	9 – 12		12 – 16		10 – 14
Large Dump Truck	11 – 14		15 – 20		15 – 30
Articulated Truck	12 – 15		20 – 30		25 – 40

Dump Truck Types:

• standard rigid frame dump truck -- has a low wheel base and the bed uses a hydraulic lift mechanism in the front to raise the bed and dump the load
• articulated dump truck (ATD) -- front chassis for the cab and a separate back chassis for the dumping component with a pivot point
• transfer dump truck / slinger truck -- has a rigid dump truck base and a separate trailer with its own dump box
• flatbed dump truck -- hydraulic-powered flatbed that tips to dump material used to transport tough or oddly shaped construction materials, landscaping supplies and scrap metal