You measured the stockpile and have a loose volume. The next task is moving it. A haulage plan converts that volume into a load count, a payload check for every truck, and a delivery schedule that reconciles what was dispatched against what remains.
What does a haulage plan need before the first load?
Four stated inputs: the measured loose volume with its measurement method and date; the usable body volume of the trucks, not the nominal brochure figure; the legal payload limit from the hauler and the road authority; and the loose bulk density of the material in its current state, with the moisture basis recorded. If any input is missing, the load count is a guess.
Label the material state beside every quantity. Stockpile measurements describe loose volume. Truck body volume holds loose volume. Scale tickets record mass. Mixing those records produces a plan that looks complete and counts the same material twice.
How do you calculate the number of truck loads?
Divide the loose planning volume by the usable loose-volume capacity of one truck, then round a positive remainder up to a whole load. Keep the exact ratio beside the rounded count so the partial final load stays visible.
Exact load ratio = loose volume ÷ usable truck body volume
Planned loads = exact load ratio rounded up
Heaped, struck, struck-plus, and rated capacities differ. Loading practice, freeboard, tarp rules, and site slope all reduce what a body actually carries. Ask the hauler for the usable figure and record it.
Worked metric example
A surveyed stockpile holds 120 m³ loose. The hauler states a usable body volume of 8.5 m³ per truck.
- Divide the loose volume: 120 ÷ 8.5 = 14.1176.
- Round up: 15 loads.
- Check the final load: 14 full loads move 119 m³, so the 15th load carries about 1 m³.
Result: 15 trips, with a partial final load. The partial load still books a full trip and its cost, so keep it in the schedule rather than absorbing it into the rounded count.
When does weight limit the load before volume does?
Weight governs when the payload-limited volume is smaller than the usable body volume. Check both limits on every material, because a truck that fits the volume can still exceed its legal payload.
Trade practice for the payload check follows a simple method: maximum payload equals the vehicle gross weight limit minus the equipment weight, and dividing that payload by the loose bulk density gives the volume limit per loaded truck.
Maximum payload = vehicle gross limit − equipment weight
Payload-limited volume = payload limit ÷ loose bulk density
Usable load = the smaller of usable body volume and payload-limited volume
Worked imperial example
A dump truck has a stated 21 yd³ usable body and a 24,000 lb legal payload limit. The stated loose bulk density of the material is 2,600 lb/yd³.
- Divide payload by density: 24,000 ÷ 2,600 = 9.2308.
- Round the planning figure: about 9.2 yd³ per load.
- Compare with the body: 21 yd³ of space is available, so payload governs the load.
Result: each load carries about 9.2 yd³ even though the body is larger. The density and payload are stated calculation fixtures for this example, not recommended values. Use a project-representative loose bulk density with its moisture basis and source recorded.
It converts between weight and volume using the product bulk density you enter, with the entered value, unit, and condition kept visible. That conversion feeds the payload check above.
How do you schedule deliveries without double counting?
Assign each load a sequence and reconcile dispatched loads against the remaining stockpile volume. Record additions to the pile, rejected or partial loads, and direct reuse separately, because the closing inventory must equal the opening survey minus dispatched material plus additions.
| Day | Loads dispatched | Volume moved | Volume remaining |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 46 yd³ | 114 yd³ |
| 2 | 5 | 46 yd³ | 68 yd³ |
| 3 | 5 | 46 yd³ | 22 yd³ |
| 4 | 3 | 22 yd³ | 0 yd³ |
Commercial haulage is commonly measured and billed by weight or volume multiplied by the haul distance, as government haul specifications describe. Confirm the billing basis, minimum charges, and the selling increment with the hauler before booking, because a per-load minimum can change the cost of a partial final load.
Common mistakes
- Using nominal body capacity as usable body volume.
- Planning from bank volume without converting to loose volume first.
- Skipping the payload check because the volume fits.
- Applying one bulk density to every material, moisture state, and loading method.
- Rounding the load count down and arriving short.
- Counting dispatched loads in the remaining stockpile.
- Booking a partial final load as though it fills a truck.
- Recording scale-ticket mass as stockpile volume.
- Assuming the haul rate covers a different billing basis than the contract states.
Limits
The legal payload, axle limits, route restrictions, bridge postings, and operating hours come from the hauler, the road authority, and the project documents. This page does not set them. Stockpile volume supports ordering and scheduling decisions only. It does not select excavation geometry, protective systems, equipment, or compaction, and it does not replace the drawings, specifications, testing, or responsible qualified people on the project. Collect measurements from a safe location through the approved survey or quantity-control method.
Sources and scope
- U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Directive TSR-1 Appendix A: bank, loose, and compacted volume definitions and swell context.
- Caterpillar, Material Density Tables to Help Estimate Earthwork Volumes: material-state definitions, load-factor context, and density variation with moisture and compaction.
- Trimble Viewpoint Estimating Help, Enter Swell and Yield Factors: separate BCY, LCY, and CCY states.
- Alberta Transportation, Specification 55.2, Hauling: haul measured by weight or volume multiplied by distance.
- Construction & Demolition Recycling, The mathematics of heavy hauling: GVWR minus equipment weight equals maximum payload; payload divided by material density in lb/yd³ gives the volume limit per loaded truck. Trade source.
- NIST Handbook 44, 2026 Appendix C: cubic-foot, cubic-yard, litre, and cubic-metre relationships.
Scope: the method plans truck loads from a stated loose volume, usable body volume, payload limit, and loose bulk density. The governing survey and testing methods, material records, vehicle limits, road-authority rules, contract measurement provisions, and responsible qualified people control the accepted inputs and the final project quantity.
Review responsibility: Saleem Sial owns the published calculation, source, and editorial checks. Waseem Sial, External Reviewer and Engineer, remains listed for ongoing external review; no completed external-review date is claimed.
Use the Stockpile Volume Calculator to work out the pile volume, and the stockpile measurement guide to verify the volume input, the bank vs loose volume guide to keep material states separate, or return to the Earthwork & Drainage Calculators hub.
