Dump truck cycle time calculator
Enter your pit wait, loading, haul, dump and return times. See your cycle, loads and tons per day, and which pay basis earns more on this loop.
Updated October 2026 · Free, no signup
Offers to compare (EXAMPLE, enter yours)
Your loop
EXAMPLE- Cycle time
- 58 min
- Loads per day
- 9 (only finished loads)
- Tons per day
- 119.25
- Pay per hour
- $868.32
- Pay per ton
- $894.38
- Pay per load
- $855.00
- Per-ton rate that matches hourly
- $7.28
- Per-load rate that matches hourly
- $96.48
- Trucks to keep the loader busy
- 9.7
Cycle = queue 4 + load 6 + haul 24 + dump 6 + return 18 min.
At this loop, per ton pays most: $894 for the day. Whatever the basis, contractor invoices can take 30 days or more to pay; factoring advances most of each ticketed invoice.
Get a factoring quoteHow it's calculated
| Step | Formula |
|---|---|
| Haul and return | One-way miles / average mph x 60 (or enter minutes) |
| Cycle time | Queue + loading + haul + dump and ticket + return |
| Loads per day | Hours x 60 / cycle, rounded down |
| Tons per day | Loads x tons per load |
| Pay per hour | Hours x hourly rate |
| Pay per ton | Tons per day x per-ton rate |
| Pay per load | Loads x per-load rate |
| Matching per-ton rate | Hourly pay / tons per day |
| Trucks per loader | Cycle / loading time |
Use loaded and empty average speeds, not the posted limit: lights, site roads and traffic all count. Tons per load should be your legal tons from a scale ticket; work them out with the aggregate weight calculator or dump truck capacity.
Worked example
The defaults are the EXAMPLE from our dump truck cycle time guide:
| EXAMPLE | |
|---|---|
| Queue 4 + load 6 + haul 24 (12 mi at 30 mph) + dump 6 + return 18 (12 mi at 40 mph) | 58-minute cycle |
| 540 minutes / 58 | 9 loads |
| 9 x 13.25 tons | 119.25 tons |
| Hourly: 9 hr x $96.48 | $868.32 |
| Per ton: 119.25 x $7.50 | $894.38 |
| Per load: 9 x $95 | $855.00 |
| Per-ton rate matching hourly | $7.28 |
| Trucks per loader: 58 / 6 | 9.7 |
On this loop the per-ton offer pays most. Add 7 minutes of waiting at the pit and the day drops to 8 loads: the per-ton day falls to $795, and the hourly offer wins. Try it in the calculator.
What the result means
The best basis changes with the loop. When the job has long, unpredictable waits, hourly pay protects you. When the haul is short and the pit is quick, per-ton or per-load work can pay more for the same hours. Use the matching rates to answer an offer: if a contractor offers $7.00 a ton where the matching rate is $7.28, you know the hourly offer is better before you turn a wheel.
The rates are EXAMPLES, not market rates. Public hourly equipment rates from Caltrans and FEMA are in dump truck hauling rates, and building your own hourly bid is covered in dump truck contracts.
Limits of the math
The calculator assumes every cycle takes the same time. Real days have a slow first load, a lunch break, a breakdown or a wait for the paver. Measure a few days of ticket times and use your averages, then check the worst day too. And never close the gap with speed or extra weight: the legal load and the speed limit are fixed inputs, not levers.
TruckSprint no longer dispatches dump trucks; this tool is free for any dump truck owner.
Questions about this calculator
How do you calculate dump truck cycle time?
Add the minutes for each part of one loop: waiting and loading at the pit, hauling loaded to the site, dumping and getting the ticket signed, and returning empty. Haul and return times are distance divided by average speed, times 60. The calculator does it either way.
How many loads can a dump truck haul in a day?
The working minutes divided by the cycle time, rounded down. EXAMPLE: 9 hours is 540 minutes; at a 58-minute cycle that's 9 complete loads. A shorter haul or less waiting adds loads; the calculator shows the exact count for your loop.
Should I take hourly or per-ton pay?
Compare them at your real cycle. The calculator shows the day's pay all three ways and the per-ton and per-load rates that match the hourly offer. Long waits favor hourly; short, fast loops favor per ton or per load.
How many trucks does one loader need?
Divide the truck cycle time by the minutes it takes to load one truck. EXAMPLE: a 58-minute cycle and 6 minutes of loading is about 9.7 trucks. Contractors use this to size a job; you can use it to see whether you'll be waiting in line.
Why does the calculator round loads down?
Because a load you can't finish before quitting time doesn't get paid on per-ton or per-load work. On hourly work the clock pays either way, so the hourly line uses your hours, not your loads.
Loads counted. Now get the invoice paid.
No setup fee. No contract. No haul, no pay.