Truck Load

Most independent operators charge $400–$800 for a full truck load nationally. High-cost metros like NYC, San Francisco, LA, and Boston command $600–$1,099, while rural and mid-tier markets settle between $350–$550. Research the top three competitors in your zip code, check franchise pricing pages for local rates, and set your price 10–15% below the dominant franchise. Adjust upward $50–$100 during peak spring and summer months when demand supports it.

A standard 16-ft box truck holds 15–17 cubic yards, which is roughly equivalent to a fully furnished 3-bedroom home, a packed 2-car garage, or 2–3 rooms of an estate cleanout. In practical terms, that is about 8–12 large furniture items plus 20–30 bags and boxes of miscellaneous debris. Heavy items like appliances, pianos, and safes reduce effective capacity because you hit your weight limit at 60–70% visual fill.

Most two-person crews complete 3–4 full-load jobs per day in an 8–9 hour shift. Each full-load job takes 2.5–3.5 hours including drive time, on-site loading, and dump run. Partial loads average 1.5–2 hours each, so a mix of partials and fulls can push you to 5 jobs per day. The bottleneck is usually dump wait times — during peak season some transfer stations have 30–45 minute queues that eat your schedule.

Volume capacity is how many cubic yards fit inside your truck bed — typically 15–17 cu yd for a 16-ft box truck. Weight capacity is the maximum payload your chassis can legally carry, usually 8,000–10,000 lbs. Standard household junk weighs 150–250 lbs per cubic yard, so you fill volume before weight. Concrete, dirt, and roofing shingles weigh 800–1,500 lbs per cubic yard, meaning you hit the weight ceiling at only 30–50% visual fill.

Use a non-linear fractional pricing model anchored to your full-load price. A quarter truck should be 30–40% of your full-truck rate, not 25%. A half truck runs 50–55%, and a three-quarter truck is 70–80%. For example, if your full load is $600, price a quarter at $180–$240, a half at $300–$330, and three-quarters at $420–$480. This structure keeps smaller jobs profitable after fixed costs like labor, fuel, and dump fees.