Dump Truck Fuel Cost Per Mile (and Per Hour): 2026 Benchmarks
Dump trucks average 4.5–6.5 MPG loaded. At $3.85/gallon diesel, that's $0.59–$0.86 per mile in fuel. Bake a fuel surcharge into rates whenever diesel moves more than $0.25/gallon from your quote baseline.
Fuel is 22–28% of a healthy P&L. Misreading it by 3% is the difference between a good year and a broke year.
MPG by class (mixed loaded/empty)
| Truck | MPG (loaded) | MPG (empty) | Blended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-axle | 6.5–8.0 | 9–11 | 7.5–9.5 |
| Tandem | 5.0–6.5 | 7–9 | 6.0–7.5 |
| Tri-axle | 4.5–5.5 | 6.5–8 | 5.5–6.5 |
| Quad | 4.0–5.0 | 6–7.5 | 5.0–6.0 |
Fuel surcharge formula
Baseline diesel = the price the day you quoted. When actual diesel is more than $0.25/gal above baseline, add: ((current price − baseline) / MPG) × total miles. Bill it as a separate line item so GCs can approve it without renegotiating your base rate.
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