Dump truck dispatch that keeps the bed full and the days booked
Dump truck work doesn't live on load boards. It comes from contractors, quarries, asphalt plants, material yards and site developers, priced by the hour, by the ton or by the load. Finding it means phone calls and relationships, and keeping a truck busy means stacking jobs so the empty trip back to the pit pays too.
Our dump truck dispatch works those sources for you, compares how each job pays, and lines up return loads where they exist. Every job comes to you to approve. You keep your rate, your area and your schedule.
- 5% of gross, 1 truck
- 7% new MC
- 4% fleets
- No setup fee
SITE PIT > JOB 18 MI CYCLE 70 MIN
Cycle time is the rate
Load, haul, dump, return. How many cycles fit in a day decides what any price pays. That's the first number we look at on every dump job.
count the cycles
The same day priced three ways: hourly, per ton, per load
Here's one EXAMPLE day for a tri-axle dump hauling base rock 18 miles from a quarry to a site. Same truck, same route, same hours. The only thing that changes is how the job is priced. The numbers are made up to show the math.
| Pricing | Rate | Day's work | Day's gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $110/hr | 10 hrs | $1,100 |
| Per ton | $12/ton | 8 loads x 22 tons | $2,112 |
| Per load | $210/load | 8 loads | $1,680 |
On this EXAMPLE, per ton wins by a mile, because the cycle is quick and the truck hauls a full legal load every time. Make the haul longer, add a slow scale or a backed-up site, and the order flips: hourly protects you when you're waiting, per ton and per load reward you when the cycle is fast.
That's why we look at the cycle before the price. Distance from pit to site, how fast the loader works, how long the site takes to dump you, and whether there's a scale line. A job that looks cheap per load can be the best day of the week, and an hourly job with a long standby can quietly lose money if you're paid less for waiting.
Return trips change the math too. A truck that hauls fill out to a site and comes back empty is paid for half its miles. Where a supplier or another contractor has material going the other way, we try to put it in your bed. Our guide to backhaul trucking explains how return loads work across equipment types.
Finding dump work yourself vs with a dispatcher
Most dump truck owners find work by calling around: contractors they've hauled for, yards near home, a few brokers who handle construction hauling. It works, and the best of them have more calls than they can take. Here's what changes with a desk.
| On your own | With our desk | |
|---|---|---|
| Finding jobs | Your contacts and calls between loads | Contractors, suppliers and haulers worked by the desk |
| Pricing | You quote each job | We compare hourly, per ton and per load and counter |
| Return trips | Usually empty | Paid backhauls where they exist |
| Tickets and hours | Your paperwork | Tracked against each job for billing |
| Who approves the job | You | You |
| Cost | Your time | 5% of gross, $0 in a week you don't work |
If you already have a contractor keeping you busy five days a week, you probably don't need us. Where a desk helps is the gaps: the day a job gets rained out, the week between projects, the truck you just added that doesn't have a steady customer yet.
What our dump truck dispatcher handles
- Finding hourly, per-ton and per-load work from contractors, quarries, asphalt plants and material yards in your area.
- Comparing how each job pays against your cycle time and your floor.
- Lining up backhauls of aggregate, fill or debris where the market has them.
- Confirming site details: hours, access, dump location, standby terms and who signs tickets.
- Tracking tickets and hours against each job so your billing matches the work.
- Planning around weather and project start dates so a rainout doesn't kill the week.
Most dump work is local or regional and some of it is intrastate, so your registration and insurance need to match the work you take. If a job needs something your truck or paperwork doesn't have, it doesn't reach you. Compare jobs yourself any time with the load profitability calculator.
What we confirm before you roll to a job site
A dump job can look great on the phone and fall apart at the gate. Most of the problems are details nobody mentioned, so we ask about them before the job reaches you.
- Hours and start time. When the pit opens, when the site accepts trucks and whether there's a lunch shutdown that stalls the cycle.
- Standby terms. If you're paid by the load or the ton, what happens when the site makes you wait? Hourly standby after a set time is worth asking for.
- Access and dump location. Soft ground, tight turns or a dump spot far from the gate all slow the cycle and raise the risk.
- Material and weight. What you're hauling, how it's weighed, and the legal load for your truck and the roads on the route.
- Tickets. Who signs them, how many copies, and when they're due for billing. Missing tickets are the most common reason dump work goes unpaid.
Paperwork for dump work, and a plan for the slow months
Most tandem and tri-axle dump trucks are rated well above 26,000 pounds, which means a CDL for the driver, and that brings in DOT drug and alcohol testing under 49 CFR Part 382. If you cross state lines, you'll need a USDOT number and interstate authority. If you stay in your state, state rules apply, and they vary. Get those settled before you chase work, because contractors ask.
Then plan for the season. In much of the country, paving and site work slow sharply in winter, and long wet spells stop work for days at a time. A truck with nothing lined up for the slow months loses more money than any rate negotiation can make back in the busy ones.
We plan with you for those stretches: snow and salt hauling where it exists, demolition debris, landscaping material, or a tarp and a different kind of freight if your truck can do it. Not every truck and area has good options, and we'll tell you when there aren't any rather than book you work that loses money.
When to take hourly, and when to push for per ton or per load
There's no single best way to price dump work. The right one depends on how fast the cycle runs and how much control you have over it. Here's how we think about it when a job comes in.
- Take hourly when the cycle is slow or unpredictable: long hauls, busy scale houses, sites that make you wait, or jobs where the loader is shared with other trucks. You're paid for the time no matter what.
- Push for per ton when the cycle is short and steady and you can haul a full legal load every trip. Fast cycles and full beds turn into the best days of the week.
- Per load sits in between. It rewards a quick cycle but doesn't pay for weight, so it suits light or bulky material more than dense rock.
- Always ask about standby. On per-ton and per-load jobs, hourly standby after a set wait protects you from a site that stalls the whole day.
We'll bring you the job with the pricing the contractor offered and what we think the day works out to at your cycle time. If a different structure would pay better, we ask for it before you say yes. The final call on every job is still yours.
What dump truck dispatch costs
5% of the gross on work you haul for one truck with authority 6 months or older. 7% while your MC is under 6 months. 4% for two or more trucks while the fleet rate lasts.
No setup fee, no minimum, month-to-month and 30 days notice to cancel. A week you don't work, because of weather or because you took it off, costs nothing. The fee breakdown has the details.
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Dump truck dispatcher questions
Are there load boards for dump trucks?
Can you find dump truck backhauls?
What insurance does a dump truck need?
Is dump truck work seasonal?
How do you track tickets and hours?
WANTED
Dump trucks with a floor rate and a free week.
5% standard, 7% new authority, 4% fleets. No haul, no pay.
Keep my dump truck working