Tri-Axle vs Tandem Dump Truck: Capacity, Costs and Which Pays

A tri-axle carries more than a tandem, costs a bit more to run, and suits different work. Which one pays better depends on the jobs in your area and whether you’re paid by the hour or by the ton. This guide compares the two side by side with the same example costs.

To compare them with your own costs, run each truck through the dump truck cost per hour calculator: pick Tandem, then Tri-axle, and enter your real payment and insurance.

Capacity

One source gives typical legal payloads of 12–16 tons for a tandem (often called a 10-wheeler) and 18–25 tons for a tri-axle, depending on configuration and state law. Tri-axle dump trucks typically hold 12–18 cubic yards, according to another source.

This site uses a typical tandem bed of 10–14 yd³; it has not been checked against a published source yet.

The extra axle is what lets a tri-axle legally carry more, but the real limit for your truck comes from its registration, axle spacing and your state’s weight rules. See the dump truck capacity chart for all eight truck types.

Cost per hour, side by side

Here are both trucks at this site’s example costs: the same truck payment ($3,000 a month), insurance ($900 a month), other costs, permits, driver wage and 160 billable hours a month, with diesel at $5.35/gal. Only fuel use, maintenance and tires differ by truck, and those are this site’s typical estimates.

*At the example costs above. If your tri-axle has a bigger payment or costs more to insure, the gap is wider.

Your own numbers matter far more than these examples. In the example, the truck payment and insurance are the biggest fixed costs, so price both trucks with real quotes in the cost per hour calculator.

Which pays better?

It depends on how you’re paid.

Hourly work. Both trucks are paid for time, so the one with the lower cost per hour keeps more of each hour, as long as customers pay the same rate for both. Some customers pay more for a bigger truck; ask the contractors you haul for.

Per-ton and per-load work. Pay follows the material delivered. A tri-axle carries more tons each trip, so if both trucks take the same time per round trip, the tri-axle earns more per hour on per-ton work. Use the hourly to per-ton converter with each truck’s payload to compare an offer.

Jobs each suits

These are general points for you to check against your own market.

• Tandem. Smaller and lighter, so it may suit residential and landscape deliveries, tighter sites and jobs where a smaller load is all the customer needs.
• Tri-axle. More payload per trip, so it may suit aggregate, asphalt and larger site-work jobs where the customer wants the most material per load.

For small jobs, the load count may be the same for both trucks. The loads calculator shows how many loads each truck needs for a given job.

What owner-operators report charging

These are the median rates from this site’s owner-operator survey, where there are enough reports:

No survey results for these trucks yet. Add your rate.

See all results on the rate survey page.

CDL and registration

License and registration rules depend on the truck’s weight rating, whether you cross state lines, and your state. FMCSA’s CDL rules set the classes: a single vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 lb or more needs a Class B license, and a combination rated at 26,001 lb or more that tows a unit rated over 10,000 lb needs a Class A. Check your truck’s weight rating, and your state DMV for registration and permits, before you buy.

Bottom line

• A tri-axle carries more per trip (18–25 tons vs 12–16 tons, typically) and costs a little more to run.
• On per-ton or per-load work, that extra payload is usually where a tri-axle earns its keep.
• On hourly work, the cheaper truck to run can come out ahead unless customers pay more for the bigger one.
• Price both with your real numbers before you buy: start with the cost per hour calculator, then the hourly rate calculator.

Each truck also has its own page: tandem dump truck and tri-axle dump truck.