Aggregate, demolition, site work
Twelve straight answers for dump truck owners, then a tonnage strip that turns yards into tons and loads. Every job we find is offered to you first, with the pay basis and start time spelled out.
Dump truck
Aggregate, sand, gravel, asphalt, dirt and demolition debris
Dump truck
5%01
It depends on the truck's registered and axle weight limits, its empty weight and the body size, not on how much the body can hold. A tandem dump commonly carries somewhere in the low to mid teens of tons, tri-axles and quad-axles carry more, and an end-dump trailer more again, but your registration and the state's axle limits set the real number.
Material matters too. A body full of topsoil weighs far less than the same body full of wet sand. Use the tonnage strip below to turn cubic yards into tons and truck loads for your own payload.
02
Yes, where the work exists. Frac sand moves from mines and transload sites to oil and gas well pads, usually in pneumatic trailers or end dumps, often on long shifts and steady rotations while a well is being completed.
It can be good, consistent work while it lasts, and it stops fast when drilling slows. We look at how long a contract is expected to run and how you get paid before you commit your truck to it.
03
Steady dump work comes from relationships with contractors, paving companies, quarries and material yards that need trucks day after day on a project. We look for those multi-day and multi-week jobs first, then fill gaps with one-off hauls.
Steady doesn't mean every day of the year. Weather shuts sites down, and projects end. We try to line up the next job before the current one finishes so the truck isn't parked between projects.
04
It depends on where you haul and for whom. A for-hire carrier hauling across state lines needs a USDOT number and operating authority. A lot of dump work stays inside one state, where your state's own registration and authority rules apply instead.
Check both the federal and your state's requirements before you take for-hire work. When you apply, tell us how you're registered, and we only book work that matches it.
05
We charge 5% of gross for one truck on an authority older than 6 months, 7% while the authority is under 6 months, and 4% per truck for fleets of 2 or more while that limited-time rate lasts.
The fee applies to the gross the truck earns on the work we book, whether that work is paid hourly, per ton or per load. There is no setup fee and nothing owed in a week the truck sits.
06
In most of the country, yes. Construction, paving and site work peak in the warmer months and slow sharply when the ground freezes or the rain sets in. Southern states see a longer season; northern states a shorter one.
Winter can still bring work: snow removal hauling, salt and sand for road crews, and demolition that doesn't depend on weather. We plan the off-season early so the truck has something lined up before the paving work ends.
07
Each favors different jobs. Hourly protects you when a site is slow to load or the haul is short with long waits. Per ton rewards a fast cycle and a heavy, legal payload. Per load works when the round trip is predictable.
The right choice depends on the haul distance, the loading speed and the waiting time. Our dump truck hourly rate calculator lets you compare the three on the same job before you accept it.
08
Showing up at the start time, a clean and working truck, a tarp when the material needs one, and tickets that match the loads hauled. Many contractors also expect proof of insurance at the amounts they set and sometimes site safety training.
Reliability is what earns the next job. A truck that shows up every morning gets called back before a cheaper one that doesn't.
09
Load and scale tickets are how most dump work gets paid, so we ask you to photograph each one and send it the same day. We match them against the job's terms and help chase any that go missing before invoicing.
Payment terms vary a lot by contractor. We confirm them before you start, because a job that pays 60 days after the project ends is a very different job from one that pays weekly.
10
Your truck type and body size, your registered weight and empty weight, whether you have a tarp and how it works, the area you want to work in, and the pay basis you prefer. We also need your registration or authority details and insurance certificate, because contractors and quarries ask for them before you start.
Tell us about any site training or badges you already hold. Some industrial and quarry sites require their own safety orientation before a truck can enter, and having it already saves a lost morning.
11
Yes. Dump trucks and end dumps also move demolition debris, scrap, landscaping materials, salt and sand for winter road work, and some agricultural bulk where the material and the body allow it. Mixing in that work is one way to keep the truck busy when paving and site work slow down.
Some materials need extra care: tarping rules for loose loads, clean-out between materials, and landfill or recycling-yard procedures for debris. We confirm those details before we offer the job.
12
No. We call you with the site, the material, the pay basis, the start time and the expected length of the job before anything is booked. You say yes or no. A no costs nothing, and we keep looking for work that fits your truck and your schedule.
Compare pay bases on a real job with the dump truck hourly rate calculator, or work out full material orders with the aggregate material weight calculator.
Say the truck works a 10-hour day at $110 an hour, grossing $1,100. At the standard rate the dispatch fee is $55 and you keep $1,045. Those numbers are an example, not a rate we promise.
One truck on an authority older than 6 months pays 5%. A new authority pays 7% for 6 months, and fleets of 2 or more trucks pay 4% each while the limited-time rate runs. Contractors slow to pay? See factoring for dump trucks. Full tiers on the dispatch fee page.
On hourly work, the fee follows the hours billed; on per-ton work, the tons hauled. Either way it is a share of what the truck actually earned, never a charge for days rained out or a site that shut down early.
Dump work is local and relationship-driven, so we focus on the contractors, quarries and yards near your base. We confirm the site, start time, material, pay basis, tarp needs and expected length before we call. We look for multi-day jobs first, and line up the next one before the current project ends.
You approve every job. If the site or the terms change after you say yes, we call you again before you roll. Your regular contractors stay yours; tell us their days and we fill the rest of the week around them.