Dump truck and construction hauling basics

The construction 24-hour restart

Rules below were checked against the official sources at the bottom of this page on October 30, 2026. A driver used primarily to transport construction materials and equipment can end any 7 or 8 consecutive day period with an off-duty period of 24 or more hours instead of the usual 34-hour restart (49 CFR 395.1(m)). The definition in 49 CFR 395.2 sets the limits:

• It covers construction and pavement materials, construction equipment and construction maintenance vehicles going to or from an active construction site.
• The site must be within 75 air-miles of the driver's normal work reporting location. A state can set a radius between 50 and 75 air-miles for trips entirely inside that state.
• It doesn't cover placarded hazmat.

The daily limits (11 hours driving inside a 14-hour window) still apply. Most local dump work also fits the 150 air-mile short-haul exception: released within 14 hours with 10 hours off between shifts means no logs or ELD, just time records (49 CFR 395.1(e)(1)). Ready-mixed concrete drivers can count 30 minutes or more of waiting at the job site or terminal, doing no other work, as their 30-minute break (49 CFR 395.1(t)). See hours of service explained.

CDL class and drug testing

Check your truck's GVWR on the door sticker. A single truck rated 26,001 lb or more is a Group B vehicle and needs a Class B CDL, including when it tows a trailer rated 10,000 lb or less. A combination of 26,001 lb or more pulling a trailer rated over 10,000 lb, such as a heavy pup or an equipment trailer, needs a Class A (49 CFR 383.91). Any CDL driver is in DOT drug and alcohol testing under Part 382. See our CDL practice tests if you're getting your license.

Weight limits decide your load

Aggregate is heavy, so you'll usually hit the weight limit before the bed is full. On the Interstate system and reasonable access to it, federal limits are 20,000 lb on a single axle, 34,000 lb on a tandem and 80,000 lb gross, and the federal bridge formula limits the weight on any group of consecutive axles based on how far apart they are (23 CFR 658.17). FHWA publishes the formula and its tables, and our bridge formula calculator runs it for your axles; some states have higher grandfathered Interstate limits.

Off the Interstate, the state sets the limits and issues overweight permits. Know your truck's empty weight, the scale tickets at the pit, and the state's limits for the roads you run. See weigh stations and oversize and overweight permits.

Covered loads and spills

Federal rules require every load to be secured so it doesn't leak, spill, blow or fall from the truck (49 CFR 393.100(b)). Many states go further for loose material. Texas, for example, defines loose material to include dirt, sand, gravel, refuse and wood chips, requires a bed with no holes or cracks and a securely closed tailgate, and requires a commercial vehicle hauling it to have the load covered with the cover firmly secured at the front and back, or fully enclosed (Texas Transportation Code 725.021). Check the cover law in every state you haul in.

Intrastate, authority and insurance

• Intrastate only: many dump trucks never leave their state, so state rules apply. FMCSA lists more than 35 states that require intrastate carriers to get a USDOT number, including Texas, California, Florida, Georgia and New York; check with your state DOT.
• Interstate for hire: hauling regulated freight across state lines for pay needs MC authority (49 CFR 392.9a). The federal exempt commodity list doesn't include sand, gravel, dirt or construction aggregate, so don't assume it's exempt.
• Insurance: the federal minimum for interstate for-hire general freight at 10,001 lb GVWR or more is $750,000 (49 CFR 387.9). States set their own minimums for intrastate work.

Starting out? Read how to start a trucking company and finding direct shippers; contractors and material yards hire local trucks directly.

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