How many yards
in a dump truck?

The same load in other units

A load of 20 to 22 metric tonnes of sand or gravel is roughly 15 to 16 cubic yards, 11 to 12 cubic metres, or 22 to 24 short tons. Jobs here run on tri-axle dump trucks.

Why the answer is in tonnes

A dump truck is limited by two things. The first is the weight it may legally carry on Ontario roads, which Regulation 413/05 sets by the truck's axle weights and spacing. The second is the volume of the box. Dense material such as gravel reaches the weight limit first. Light material such as topsoil fills the box before it reaches the weight limit, so a full box of topsoil weighs less than a full load of gravel.

A yard of gravel and a yard of topsoil are the same volume and very different weights, so capacity is given in tonnes.

Conversions

Natural Resources Canada's conversion factors for sand and gravel are 1 cubic yard = 1.35 tonnes and 1 cubic metre = 1.77 tonnes. They are averages, and the real weight moves with the material and its moisture.

How many loads for a given tonnage

Divide the tonnes by 20 to 22 and round up. The range reflects a light or a full load.

Worked example. A 200 metre road section, 6 metres wide, with 300 millimetres of granular base is 200 × 6 × 0.3 = 360 cubic metres. At 1.77 tonnes per cubic metre that is about 637 tonnes, which is 29 to 32 tri-axle loads. A driveway 20 feet by 50 feet, 6 inches deep, is about 18.5 cubic yards, or about 25 tonnes, which takes 2 loads.

What changes the number

The material. Wet gravel weighs more than dry gravel for the same volume, and topsoil and other light material weigh less. The road. From March 1 to April 30 the Region limits trucks to five tonnes per axle on posted Regional roads, so a tri-axle carries a fraction of a load on those stretches and a spring order needs more trucks for the same tonnage. The cycle. The number of trucks on a job depends on the tonnes and on how many trips each truck makes in a day, which is set by the distance between the pit or loading point and the site and by how fast the site can unload.

Dispatch matches the truck to the load, and the aggregate delivery page and the material hauling page cover how a delivery and a haul-out run.

Where the trucks go

The whole Niagara Region and Dunnville, from one desk: St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Welland, Thorold, Grimsby, Lincoln, Port Colborne, Fort Erie, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Pelham, Wainfleet, West Lincoln and Dunnville.

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Questions people ask

How many yards in a dump truck?

A tri-axle dump truck typically carries 20 to 22 metric tonnes, which is roughly 15 to 16 cubic yards of sand or gravel at 1.35 tonnes per cubic yard. Light materials such as topsoil fill the box before they reach the weight limit, so a load of them weighs less.

How many tons in a dump truck?

A tri-axle typically carries 20 to 22 metric tonnes, which is roughly 22 to 24 short (US) tons. One short ton is 0.907 metric tonnes.

How many yards in a tri-axle dump truck?

Roughly 15 to 16 cubic yards of sand or gravel, or 11 to 12 cubic metres. The figure comes from a typical 20 to 22 tonne load and Natural Resources Canada's conversion of 1.35 tonnes per cubic yard and 1.77 tonnes per cubic metre. The material and how wet it is decide the exact amount.

What limits how much a dump truck can carry?

Two things: the weight the truck may legally carry on Ontario roads, which Regulation 413/05 sets by axle weights and spacing, and the volume of the box. Dense material such as gravel reaches the weight limit first. Light material such as topsoil fills the box first.

How many truckloads do I need?

Divide the tonnes you need by 20 to 22. The table above gives the loads for common quantities, and the quantity on the engineer's drawings or the supplier's quote is the number to work from.

Do dump trucks carry less in spring?

On posted roads, yes. From March 1 to April 30 the Niagara Region limits trucks to five tonnes per axle on posted Regional roads, so a tri-axle that carries a full load in May carries a fraction of that on those stretches. Dispatch plans the truck count for it.