Every roll-off has two weight limits. One is the tons included on your quote, which decides what you pay. The other is what the truck can legally carry, which decides whether the provider can haul it at all. Across our provider network, at least 25% of roll-offs came back heavier than the tons included.1
Which limit applies
They get mixed up all the time. Only the first one is on your invoice.
| Limit | Who sets it | What happens if you pass it |
|---|---|---|
| Tons included | The provider, on your quote | You pay the per-ton rate on the quote for every ton the scale ticket shows above it. |
| Fill line | The provider, by container and material | The driver can ask you to unload down to the line before the container leaves. |
| Legal road weight | Federal law on the Interstate, states everywhere else | The truck can't legally haul it. Heavy loads get split across more trips. |
The road limit, in numbers. On the Interstate, federal law caps a truck at 20,000 lb on a single axle, 34,000 lb on a tandem axle and 80,000 lb gross, and the bridge formula can lower the gross figure for a given axle layout. States set the limits on their own roads.2 That's why a container full of dirt or concrete can be too heavy to move even when the quote would happily bill it.
How often it happens
Two years of roll-offs placed through our provider network, by size. A load counts as over when the scale weight on the order beat the tons included on the quote.
| Size | Quotes listing tons | Went over | Share | Share over | Median overage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 yard | 1,794 | 282 | 16% | 1.1 tons | |
| 15 yard | 1,030 | 183 | 18% | 1.2 tons | |
| 20 yard | 5,894 | 1,298 | 22% | 1.6 tons | |
| 30 yard | 15,041 | 4,059 | 27% | 1.9 tons | |
| 40 yard | 4,128 | 1,232 | 30% | 1.6 tons |
Provider network data.1 An order with no scale weight on file counts as not over, so treat each share as a floor. Median overage is among the loads that went over.
Why the big ones go over
A 40 yard holds four times what a 10 yard does, but the typical quote includes only twice the weight. So a full 10 yard of mixed construction debris lands right around its tons included, and a full 40 yard lands about double.
The table runs each size full to the rim, using published EPA weights for loose debris.3 Your load won't match it exactly, but the gap between the columns is the point.
| Size | Median tons included | Full of household trash | Full of mixed C&D | Full of torn-off shingles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 yard | 2 tons | 1.4 tons | 2.1 tons | 3.7 tons |
| 15 yard | 2 tons | 2.1 tons | 3.1 tons | 5.5 tons |
| 20 yard | 3 tons | 2.8 tons | 4.2 tons | 7.3 tons |
| 30 yard | 3 tons | 4.1 tons | 6.3 tons | 11 tons |
| 40 yard | 4 tons | 5.5 tons | 8.3 tons | 14.6 tons |
Container volume times EPA's loose weights: household trash 275 lb, mixed construction debris 417 lb and asphalt shingles 731 lb per cubic yard.3 Median tons included from our provider network.1 For your own mix, use the debris weight calculator.
By material
244 of 557 roofing roll-offs came back over the tons included. Clean concrete and dirt go over the least, because they're quoted heavy from the start.1
Share of roll-offs, by the material on the order, whose scale weight beat the tons included. 10, 15, 20, 30 and 40 yard containers plus the 10 yard lowboy.
Shingles are heavy for their volume, and a second or third layer doubles or triples the weight per square. Tell the provider the layers when you order. More on that in construction dumpster rental.
Soil on roots, sod and rain-soaked brush all add weight that a pile of branches doesn't look like it has.
These go out with far more tons included, so fewer loads pass it. When they do, the overage is big. See concrete disposal.
How far over
| Over the tons included by | Loads | Share of the 7,054 that went over |
|---|---|---|
| Up to ½ ton | 1,181 | |
| ½ to 1 ton | 1,130 | |
| 1 to 2 tons | 1,621 | |
| 2 to 4 tons | 1,662 | |
| More than 4 tons | 1,460 |
10 through 40 yard roll-offs, provider network data.1 Bars are scaled to the largest group.
Staying under
Send the address, what's going in and roughly how much. The provider comes back with the container, the tons included and the per-ton rate after that.
Questions
The limit that's billed is the tons included on your quote. Across our provider network the median for a 20 yard is 3 tons, and 22% of 20 yard loads came back over it.
You pay the per-ton rate on your quote for the weight above the tons included, based on the disposal site's scale ticket. If it's too heavy to haul legally, the provider may ask you to take some out first.
At least 25% of the roll-offs in our provider network over the past two years had a scale weight above the tons included. The median overage was 1.7 tons.
Roofing, by a wide margin: 44% of roofing roll-offs went over. Yard waste and construction debris mixed with junk were next, at 29% each.
On the Interstate, federal limits are 20,000 lb on a single axle, 34,000 lb on a tandem axle and 80,000 lb gross. States set limits on other roads.
Often, yes. Ask before delivery so the higher number is on the quote.
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Sources