Dump Truck Insurance
Coverage Details and Features
- Dump Truck Liability Coverage
- Dump Truck Physical Damage
- Motor Truck Cargo
- General Liability
- Excess Liability
- Primary Liability Dump Truck Insurance
- Fire and Theft
- Environmental
- Rental Reimbursement
Dump Truck Insurance
Dump Truck Insurance Requirements
Types of Dump Trucks Covered – But not limited to this list.
- Asphalt Haulers
- Hazmat
- Dirt Haulers
- Contaminated Dirt Haulers
- Sand Haulers
- Gravel Haulers
- Coal Haulers
- Scrap Metal Haulers
- Grain Haulers
- All Aggregate Products
- Landscaping Excavating Services
- For-Hire Operations
- Local and Unlimited Radius Ratings
- Long Haul
- Non-Fleet Or Fleet Risks
Dump Truck Insurance
Dump truck operators provide a specialized trucking service. They use specialty designed vehicles to transport bulk loose materials, such as sand, gravel, aggregate, or asphalt. Dump truck operators may also remove debris, trash, snow and ice, or other materials for disposal. Most dump truck operations are short haul operations; however, they may be interstate.
Facilities – Independent owner/operators of single vehicles may operate the business from a residence and park the vehicle in the driveway. They may also arrange to park the truck at a commercial facility. Larger fleet operations may maintain one or more business offices and parking areas for the vehicles. Dedicated facilities may have formal maintenance shops or service areas for the vehicles.
People – Dump trucks are commercial motor vehicles and must be operated by a person with a Commercial Drivers License (CDL). For larger dump trucks, drivers may be required to have a Group B [i.e., any single vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 26,001 lb (11,794 kg) or more] CDL license, or a Group A [i.e., any combination of vehicles with a gross combination weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 lb (11,794 kg) or more] CDL licenses. Drivers may learn their skills through private driver training schools, local trade schools or community colleges or through apprenticeship programs operated by local unions, such as those affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Fleet operations may also have vehicle mechanics and office personnel.
Dump Truck Insurance Quotes
Equipment – Dump truck operators may operate one of several types of dump trucks. These include standard dump trucks, articulated dump trucks, dump trailers, or transfer-dump trucks.
The standard dump truck or rigid dump truck is a truck chassis with a dump body mounted to the frame. The vehicle may have one, two, or three axles, depending upon its intended capacity. Gross vehicle weights (GVW) for on-road dump trucks can range from less than 32,000 lb (14,514 kg) to more than 80,000 lb (36,287 kg). The truck is equipped with a hydraulic operated ram, which can raise the end of the dump body to allow the contents to flow to the ground behind or beside the vehicle. Trucks that are designed so that the dump body is raised in the front, with a hinged rear, are called “end dumps.” Trucks that have dump bodies that can be raised on one side, with the other side hinged, are called “side dumps.”
Articulated dump trucks are dump trucks that have a hinge between the truck body and the truck cab. This allows the vehicle to have better traction and balance on rough terrain. Steering is accomplished using hydraulic rams, rather than traditional rack-and-pinion steering. Articulated trucks have been used primarily as off-road mining vehicles; however, they are becoming more prevalent in highway and construction projects because of their adaptability.
Dump trailers are tractor-trailer combinations wherein a two or three axle tractor pulls a one or more axle dump trailer. The trailer contains the hydraulic dumping mechanism. Dump trailers may be end dumps or the trailers may be configured for bottom dumping via clamshell openings in the bottom of the vehicle. Often, bottom dump trailers may be pulled in tandem.
Transfer-dump trucks are standard dump trucks that pull a separate trailer on which can be loaded a dump container. The dump container on the trailer rides on wheels and can be rolled off the trailer and into the main dump box, where it is locked-in-place and then unloaded.
Process – Most dump truck operations follow a similar process, regardless of commodity. The truck is driven to the site, where the material being transported will be transferred into the dump body. Transfer may be accomplished by parking the vehicle under a hopper or conveyor at a loading rack, or the truck may be loaded using cranes, skip-loaders, bulldozers, or other materials handling equipment. The truck is weighed to determine the load weight, and then driven to the site where it will be unloaded. Dump truck bodies may be tarped or covered to prevent loose materials from being blown from the vehicle while in transit or to protect the load from rain or other contamination. At the unloading site, the dumping mechanism is actuated and the material deposited on the ground below or adjacent to the vehicle. The driver and vehicle may have to wait in a queue until their vehicle may be unloaded. Loading and unloading sites may be reached via paved highways or may require the operator to drive on unpaved or temporary road surfaces.
Types of Dump Trucks
Dump Truck Insurance
- Standard dump truck – A standard dump truck is a truck chassis with a dump body mounted to the frame. The bed is raised by a vertical hydraulic ram mounted under the front of the body, or a horizontal hydraulic ram and lever arrangement between the frame rails, and the back of the bed is hinged at the back of the truck. The tailgate can be configured to swing up on top hinges (and sometimes also to fold down on lower hinges) or it can be configured in the “High Lift Tailgate” format wherein pneumatic rams lift the gate open and up above the dump body.
- Semi trailer end dump truck – A semi end dump is a tractor-trailer combination wherein the trailer itself contains the hydraulic hoist. In the US a typical semi end dump has a 3-axle tractor pulling a 2-axle trailer with dual tires, in the EU trailers often have 3 axles and single tires. The key advantage of a semi end dump is a large payload. A key disadvantage is that they are very unstable when raised in the dumping position limiting their use in many applications where the dumping location is uneven or off level.
- Transfer dump truck – A transfer dump is a standard dump truck pulling a separate trailer with a movable cargo container, which can also be loaded with construction aggregate, gravel, sand, asphalt, klinkers, snow, wood chips, triple mix, etc.The second aggregate container on the trailer (“B” box), is powered by an electric motor, a pneumatic motor or a hydraulic line. It rolls on small wheels, riding on rails from the trailer’s frame into the empty main dump container (“A” box). This maximizes payload capacity without sacrificing the maneuverability of the standard dump truck. Transfer dump trucks are typically seen in the western United States due to the peculiar weight restrictions on highways there.
- Truck and pup – A truck and pup is very similar to a transfer dump. It consists of a standard dump truck pulling a dump trailer. The pup trailer, unlike the transfer, has its own hydraulic ram and is capable of self-unloading.
- Superdump truck – A Superdump is a straight dump truck equipped with a trailing axle, a liftable, load-bearing axle rated as high as 13,000 pounds (5,897 kg). Trailing 11 to 13 feet (3.35 to 3.96 m) behind the rear tandem, the trailing axle stretches the outer “bridge” measurement—the distance between the first and last axles—to the maximum overall length allowed. This increases the gross weight allowed under the federal bridge formula, which sets standards for truck size and weight. Depending on the vehicle length and axle configuration, Superdumps can be rated as high as 80,000 pounds (36,287 kg). GVW and carry 26 short tons(23.6 t; 23.2 long tons) of payload or more. When the truck is empty or ready to offload, the trailing axle toggles up off the road surface on two hydraulic arms to clear the rear of the vehicle. Truck owners call their trailing axle-equipped trucks Superdumps because they far exceed the payload, productivity, and return on investment of a conventional dump truck. The Superdump and trailing axle concept was developed by Strong Industries of Houston, Texas.
- Semi trailer bottom dump truck – A semi bottom dump or belly dump is a 3-axle tractor pulling a 2-axle trailer with a clam shell type dump gate in the belly of the trailer. The key advantage of a semi bottom dump is its ability to lay material in a windrow, a linear heap. In addition, a semi bottom dump is maneuverable in reverse, unlike the double and triple trailer configurations described below. These trailers may be found either of the windrow type shown in the photo, or may be of the cross spread type, with the gate opening front to rear instead of left and right. The cross spread type gate will actually spread the cereal grains fairly and evenly from the width of the trailer. By comparison, the windrow type gate leaves a pile in the middle. The cross spread type gate, on the other hand, tends to jam and may not work very well with coarse materials.
- Double and triple trailer bottom dump truck – Double and triple bottom dumps consist of a 2-axle tractor pulling one single-axle semi-trailer and an additional full trailer (or two full trailers in the case of triples). These dump trucks allow the driver to lay material in windrows without leaving the cab or stopping the truck. The main disadvantage is the difficulty in backing double and triple units.The specific type of dump truck used in any specific country is likely to be closely keyed to the weight and axle limitations of that jurisdiction. Rock, dirt and other types of materials commonly hauled in trucks of this type are quite heavy, and almost any style of truck can be easily overloaded. Because of that, this type of truck is frequently configured to take advantage of local weight limitations to maximize the cargo. For example, within the United States, the maximum weight limit is 40 short tons (36.3 t; 35.7 long tons) throughout the country, except for specific bridges with lower limits. Individual states, in some instances, are allowed to authorize trucks up to 52.5 short tons (47.6 t; 46.9 long tons). Most states that do so require that the trucks be very long, to spread the weight over more distance. It is in this context that double and triple bottoms are found within the United States.
- Side dump truck – A side dump truck (SDT) consists of a 3-axle tractor pulling a 2-axle semi-trailer. It has hydraulic rams which tilt the dump body onto its side, spilling the material to either the left or right side of the trailer. The key advantages of the side dump are that it allows rapid unloading and can carry more weight in the western United States. In addition, it is almost immune to upset (tipping over) while dumping, unlike the semi end dumps which are very prone to tipping over. It is, however, highly likely that a side dump trailer will tip over if dumping is stopped prematurely. Also, when dumping loose materials or cobble sized stone, the side dump can become stuck if the pile becomes wide enough to cover too much of the trailer’s wheels. Trailers that dump at the appropriate angle (50° for example) avoid the problem of the dumped load fouling the path of the trailer wheels by dumping their loads further to the side of the truck, in some cases leaving sufficient clearance to walk between the dumped load and the trailer.
- Roll-off trucks – A Roll-off has a hoist and subframe, but no body, it carries removable containers. The container is loaded on the ground, then pulled onto the back of the truck with a winch and cable. The truck goes to the dump site, after it has been dumped the empty container is taken and placed to be loaded or stored. The hoist is raised and the container slides down the subframe so the rear is on the ground. The container has rollers on the rear and can be moved forward or back until the front of it is lowered onto the ground. The containers are usually open-topped boxes used for rubble and building debris, but rubbish compactor containers are also carried.
- Off-highway dump trucks – Off-highway dump trucks are heavy construction equipment and share little resemblance to highway dump trucks. Bigger off-highway dump trucks are used strictly off-road for mining and heavy dirt hauling jobs. There are two primary forms: rigid frame and articulating frame.The term ‘dump’ truck is not generally used by the mining industry, or by the manufacturers that build these machines. The more appropriate U.S. term for this strictly off road vehicle is “haul truck” and the equivalent European term is ‘dumper’.
- Articulated hauler – An articulated dumper is an all-wheel drive, off-road dump truck. It has a hinge between the cab and the dump box, but is distinct from a semi-trailer truck in that the power unit is a permanent fixture, not a separable vehicle. Steering is accomplished via hydraulic cylinders that pivot the entire tractor in relation to the trailer, rather than rack and pinion steering on the front axle as in a conventional dump truck. By this way of steering, the trailers wheels follow the same path as the front wheels. Together with all-wheel drive and low center of gravity, it is highly adaptable to rough terrain. Major manufacturers include Volvo CE, Terex, John Deere and Caterpillar.