Dump truck hauling rates per mile, per hour and per ton: what the public data shows
Steve Woods · Lead Dispatcher, TruckSprint
Steve Woods leads the TruckSprint dispatch desk and reviews every guide we publish. How we research and update guides.
Updated October 2026
Quick answer
Public schedules put an on-highway 3-axle dump truck at $99.79 an hour and a 5-axle at $125.52 (Caltrans, effective September 2026), and an 18-yard dump truck at $147.99 (FEMA 2025), for the equipment alone, without the driver. There's no public per-mile schedule for dump work; convert your hourly rate by dividing by miles covered per working hour.
Source: Caltrans Equipment Rental Rates, effective Sept 1, 2026 · checked 2026-10
Most "dump truck rates" pages quote numbers with no source. I'm Steve, lead dispatcher at TruckSprint. Dump trucks are one of the eleven equipment types we dispatch, and when we price dump work we start from published schedules and the truck's real loop, not a number someone repeated online. This page shows what the public data says, how it was gathered, and how to turn it into your own rate.
The data
Public hourly dump truck rates, checked 2026-10
| Truck | Per hour | EXAMPLE per mile |
|---|---|---|
| 2 axles | $77.05 | $4.28 |
| 3 axles | $99.79 | $5.54 |
| 4 axles | $111.72 | $6.21 |
| 5 axles | $125.52 | $6.97 |
Equipment only, force-account rates for Caltrans contract extra work. Caltrans says these are likely lower than rental-yard rates.
| Truck | Per hour | EXAMPLE per mile |
|---|---|---|
| 7 CY | $55.28 | $3.07 |
| 9 CY | $100.63 | $5.59 |
| 12 CY | $120.74 | $6.71 |
| 14 CY | $122.94 | $6.83 |
| 18 CY | $147.99 | $8.22 |
| End dump trailer, 30 CY (trailer only) | $17.18 | $0.95 |
Equipment only, for applicant-owned equipment on eligible disaster work.
Per-mile column is an EXAMPLE conversion: hourly rate divided by the miles a truck covers per working hour, including loading, dumping and empty return. The driver wage is BLS OEWS for SOC 53-3032 (all heavy truck drivers, wage earners only), not a dump-specific rate.
Source: Caltrans, Labor Surcharge and Equipment Rental Rates (effective Sept 1, 2026 - Mar 31, 2027), TRUON Trucks, Dump, On-highway · checked 2026-10
Source: FEMA Public Assistance, 2025 Schedule of Equipment Rates (disasters declared on or after July 1, 2025), Truck, Dump · checked 2026-10
Method
- Sources: the two public schedules we could read in full that list dump trucks per hour: Caltrans's Labor Surcharge and Equipment Rental Rates (effective September 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027) and FEMA's 2025 Schedule of Equipment Rates (for disasters declared on or after July 1, 2025).
- What they measure: both are hourly rates for owning and operating the truck, with fuel, repairs and depreciation built in, and without the operator. Caltrans sets them for extra work on its contracts and says they're likely lower than rental-yard rates. FEMA sets them for reimbursing equipment on eligible disaster work.
- What we didn't do: we didn't average the two. They use different methods and truck classes. We also didn't invent a per-mile figure; the per-mile column is a labeled EXAMPLE conversion.
- Gaps: state DOT bid tabulations for hauling items and county prevailing wage rates would add regional detail; they're published state by state and aren't compiled here yet.
What the hourly hauling rate means
An hourly hauling rate is what a contractor pays per hour for a dump truck and driver on the job. Terms usually cover:
- Minimum hours, set in each job's terms.
- When the clock starts and stops: at the pit, at the first load, or at the site.
- Standby time: whether waiting is paid at the full rate. Caltrans, for example, pays delays at its rate times a delay factor of 0.16 for ownership-only standby on its contracts.
- Overtime after a set number of hours.
Public equipment rates are a floor for the truck's cost, not a market price. A market hourly rate covers the truck, the driver's pay and payroll costs, insurance, overhead and profit.
Per hour, per ton or per load
The same day can pay very differently depending on how it's billed. Try a loop:
Stake card: one haul loop. EXAMPLE values
- Cycle
- 60 min
- Loads / tons
- 9 / 198 t
- Paid per ton
- $1,782
- Paid per hour
- $990
At this loop, a per-ton rate of $5.00 pays the same as the hourly offer. Short, fast loops favor per-ton pay. Only completed loads count on a per-ton job.
- Per hour protects you from slow pits and long queues.
- Per ton rewards short, fast loops and full legal loads.
- Per load works on fixed-distance jobs with known material.
Our hauling aggregate guide walks through the loop in detail, and dump truck capacity shows how many tons your truck can legally carry.
Converting to per mile
Contractors rarely pay dump trucks per mile, but it helps to compare with other freight. The conversion:
Per mile = hourly rate / miles covered per working hour
Miles per working hour includes the loaded run, the empty return, and the time spent loading and dumping. EXAMPLE: a truck that covers 18 miles per working hour at $120 an hour earns $6.67 per mile. On a longer, faster highway haul the miles per hour go up and the per-mile figure drops, which is why long hauls are often priced per ton or per load instead.
Building your own hourly rate
Start from your costs, not someone else's rate:
- Truck cost per hour: payment, insurance, fuel, tires, repairs and maintenance, divided by the hours the truck actually works in a year.
- Driver cost per hour: wages plus payroll taxes and benefits, or what you need to pay yourself. BLS wage data by state is in truck driver pay by state.
- Overhead: phone, office, dispatch, permits and registrations, spread over working hours.
- Profit: what's left has to cover slow weeks and the next truck.
Compare the total with the public schedules above. If your cost is well above them, look at utilization first: a truck that sits half the season costs twice as much per working hour.
What moves the number
- Axles and legal payload. More legal tons per load means more revenue per hour on per-ton work; see dump truck sizes.
- Material. Heavy, sticky or abrasive loads cost more to haul.
- Loop time. Pit queues, slow sites and traffic all cut loads per hour.
- Region and season. Cold-state winters slow work; spring and summer peak.
- Public versus private. Many public projects require prevailing wages for drivers; see prevailing wage hauling rates.
- Steadiness. A season-long contract may pay less per hour than a one-day emergency job, and still pay more over the year.
For the wider market picture, see construction aggregate hauling statistics.