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.