Line 01 / Dump truck dispatch
Dump truck dispatch that picks the pay model, not just the job
Dump work is paid three ways: by the hour, by the ton, or by the load. The same truck on the same job can earn very different money depending on which one you accept, how far the haul is and how long the pit keeps you waiting. Our dump truck dispatcher works that out before you say yes.
Contractors, pits and paving crews call when they need trucks today. A dispatcher who keeps those relationships warm, and knows which jobs pay on time, keeps your truck working through the season instead of waiting by the phone.
Line 02 / Pay model calculator
Hourly, per ton or per load: which pays your truck more?
Put in the rates you've been offered and how a typical day goes: billable hours, tons per load, loads per day. The receipt prints the daily gross under each model and the week after the 5% fee, and marks the one that pays most for this kind of job. It is an estimate from your inputs; a slow pit or a long line at the scale changes everything.
ESTIMATE
10 hrs × $110
6 loads × 22 t × $9
6 loads × $190
Gross before fuel, wear and the driver. Short hauls with fast loading favor per-load or per-ton pay; long waits at the pit favor hourly.
Whichever model you work, the ticket is the money. Hourly work is paid from signed timesheets, tonnage from scale tickets, and per-load work from a load count both sides agree on. Lost or unsigned tickets are the most common reason dump trucks wait weeks to be paid, so we confirm the ticket rules before the first load of every job.
Hourly
Pays for time, including waiting at the pit and the site. Best when loading is slow, haul routes are congested, or the job is unpredictable. Watch for minimum hours and how travel to the job is counted.
Per ton
Pays for weight moved. Best on short, fast cycles with heavy material and quick scales. Know your legal payload: overloads cost fines, and underloads leave money on the ground.
Per load
Pays for trips. Best when the cycle is short and steady. A long wait at either end turns a good per-load rate into a poor hourly one.
Line 03 / What we book
Dump work, through the season
We match jobs to your body type (end dump, side dump, tri-axle, quad, transfer), your legal payload and your home base, and we confirm the pay model, rate, hours and payment terms in writing before you accept. Every job is offered first; you decide.
Know your own cost per mile and per hour before you compare offers. The trucking cost per mile calculator gives you the floor, and the hourly version is that cost times your miles per hour on a typical day.
Construction and site work
Excavation, fill and haul-off for builders and site contractors, often hourly.
Aggregate
Sand, gravel, stone and asphalt from pits and plants to job sites, often per ton.
Paving and road work
Asphalt to paving crews on tight cycles, where timing matters as much as rate.
Demolition and cleanup
Debris and haul-off, often per load, with dump fees set out up front.
Agricultural
Seasonal grain, sand and soil hauling in farm regions.
Off-season
Snow removal and storm cleanup where your region has them, to keep the truck earning in winter.
IFTA for dump trucks
A qualified motor vehicle has two axles and a gross vehicle weight or registered gross vehicle weight over 26,000 lb (11,797 kg), or three or more axles regardless of weight, or is used in combination when the combined weight is over 26,000 lb.
A tri-axle dump truck has three axles, so it is a qualified vehicle at any weight. But IFTA only applies when a qualified vehicle runs in more than one jurisdiction. Local, one-state dump work doesn't need it; the first job across a state line does. The plain explanation is in what is IFTA in trucking.
Source: IFTA, Inc., IFTA Articles of Agreement (effective Aug 26, 2026) · checked Oct 2026
Insurance before the first job
Interstate for-hire carriers of general freight need at least $750,000 of liability coverage under federal rules, and many contractors and pits require higher limits plus general liability and workers' comp certificates before you enter the site. Have your certificates ready; slow paperwork is the most common reason a dump truck misses a start date.
Source: LII / eCFR, 49 CFR 387.9, financial responsibility minimum levels · checked Oct 2026
Line 04 / Fee and questions
Dump truck dispatcher questions
5% of gross for one truck with 6+ months of authority, 7% while your MC is under 6 months, 4% per truck for two or more (limited time). Dump fees and tolls that a contract reimburses are pass-through. No setup fee, no contract, cancel with 30 days notice. Full details: our dispatch fees.
How much does a dump truck make per day?
It depends on the pay model, the rate, the haul distance and how fast the pit and the job site load and dump you. Hourly work pays for waiting; per-ton and per-load work pays for speed. The calculator on this page compares all three with your own rates. Fuel, wear and the driver come out of that gross.
Does a dump truck need IFTA?
Only if it is an IFTA qualified motor vehicle and runs in more than one IFTA jurisdiction. A tri-axle dump truck has three axles, so it qualifies regardless of weight, but most dump work is local. If every load stays in one state, IFTA doesn't apply; cross a state line and it does.
Is dump truck work seasonal?
In much of the country, yes. Construction, paving and site work peak in spring through fall and slow down in freezing weather, while warm-climate regions run more evenly. We plan around the season: we book steady contract work when it's busy, and look for aggregate, demolition or snow-related hauling when it isn't.
What insurance does a dump truck need?
Interstate for-hire carriers of general freight in vehicles over 10,001 lb need at least $750,000 of liability coverage under federal rules, and many contractors and pits require more, plus general liability and workers' comp certificates. Intrastate work follows your state's rules. Your insurance agent and each contract set the real number; we are not an insurance agency.
How much do dump truck dispatchers charge?
Some charge a percentage, some a flat amount per load or per week. Ours is 5% of gross for one truck with 6+ months of authority, 7% for a new MC, 4% per truck for two or more. No setup fee, no contract, and nothing in a week your truck doesn't work.
What we confirm before every dump job
- + The pay model and rate, plus any minimum hours and how travel time is counted.
- + Material, pit or plant, job site, and the expected cycle time.
- + Insurance certificates the contractor needs, sent before the start date.
- + Ticket and timesheet rules: who signs, and what you need to get paid.
- + Payment terms, and whether the contractor pays on time.
Running more than one dump truck? Each truck is booked on its own job and shows on the weekly report with its own hours, tons, loads and gross, so you can see which truck and which contractor earn the most. Two or more trucks pay the 4% fleet rate per truck while it lasts.
Keep the truck working all season
Send your body type, payload, home base and the pay models you'll take. We book dump work with the rate and terms in writing, and you confirm every job.
5% of gross. No setup fee. Cancel with 30 days notice.
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE week. Not a promise of loads or income.