How Many Cubic Yards in a Dump Truck?

Dump trucks are essential tools in the field of mining and road construction.

Articulated dump trucks have more general uses in transporting materials for civil operations, including mining and site dumping.

There are a few other types that are prevalent as well, including the high rail dump truck that is used for railways, but the aforementioned two serve the most general purposes.

This article will show you how to determine how many cubic yards in a dump truck.

Types of Dump Trucks

One question that people frequently ask when dealing with dump trucks is: how many yards in a dump truck?

The exact amount of cubic yards in a dump truck usually varies, since dump trucks are loaded according to their designated weight capacity, and not volume.

This distinction is easy to forget, as material transportation often mixes up the unitary calculations. It is also important to keep in mind that no matter how big the truck may be, the truck bed makes or breaks the number of materials that can be carried.

There are two types of dump trucks that are the most common: the rigid rear dump truck and the articulated dump truck.

• Rigid Rear Dump Trucks

The rigid rear is primarily used to carry mining materials, especially projects involving hydraulic excavation.

And the truck bed also ensures the overall safety of the transport items, and it is not always a good idea to keep a big truck bed even if the truck itself may seem big enough.

It is always wise to ensure that the truck bed is not filled up to the maximum quantity, as the safety of the materials can then be compromised.

Regardless of how manageable the load may seem, it is almost always the safest option to divide the load and ensure the maximum capacity is not reached within any one transport.

Nothing should compromise the safety of the journey. As far as cubic yards in a dump truck is concerned, it is a must recommendation for beginner projects to use the standard-sized dump truck.

• Articulated Dump Trucks

To calculate cubic yards in a dump truck, you should begin with how much dirt that dump truck can carry in a single load.

Again, this is calculated through weight capacity and not volume, so don’t always expect a definitive figure for all same-sized trucks.

Nonetheless, a standard-sized dump truck can carry at least 10 cubic yards of dirt per truckload. You wouldn’t be compromising safety by attempting to bring 14 cubic yards as well, but it is never a good idea to exceed that limit.

How Many Cubic Yards?

You can round that figure to 10 to 14 cubic yards of dirt per truckload. This means that if you need to transport 50 cubic yards of dirt, you need at most 5 truckloads of dump trucks.

Or, if you don’t have enough trucks, you would have to make the same journey a maximum of 5 times to carry all the necessary dirt.

Now, you could make the hassle shorter by carrying all full 14 cubic yards per truckload, which would mean you can finish the job with just 4 truckloads of dump trucks instead.

While not generally recommended to do so, you can certainly give it a try. Especially if it’s dirt, you don’t run the risk of hampering the quality of the carried goods.

However, if it’s anything like gravel or cement, you might want to carry a little less per truckload to be on the safer side.

Before attempting to use a dump truck for the first time, it would help you to know more than just how many yards are in a dump truck.

You should consider the size of the truck you are going to use as well. Keep in mind that a cubic yard of sand and a cubic yard of garbage do not weigh the same in tons.

Sand usually weighs much more than trash, so your overall calculation of cubic yards will greatly vary on what materials you are hauling. Thus, it is important to memorize the gross vehicle weight rating of your dump truck before any projects are attempted with it.

Almost always, the weight of your vehicle is similar to its maximum load capacity. For example, if the dump truck you want to use is capable of carrying 5 tons of materials in go, that would mean the total weight of the truck when it is fully loaded would be 10 tons.

Find the Best Dump Truck for Your Construction Needs!

Next time you ask how many cubic yards in a dump truck, keep these important details in check first.

The load capacity of a dump truck is not its end-all-be-all. There are other factors to consider to ensure the safe and proper transport of materials using a dump truck.