How much trash a garbage truck can hold varies according to the type of vehicle. At the very high end of carrying capacity, some trucks can hold 15 tons of trash or more. A typical front loader can hold 40 cubic yards of refuse, which is equivalent to the size of 8 standard dumpsters. An average side loader, by comparison, can hold up to 28 cubic yards of garbage.
Front Loader Garbage Trucks
Typically, front loader garbage trucks are used for commercial and industrial waste in dumpster-sized containers. These types of trucks have hydraulically controlled forks on the front of the vehicle. The operator uses these forks to lift and dump the contents of the dumpster containers into the hopper of the truck, where they are tightly compacted by a hydraulically controlled packer in the back of the body. Most late-model front loaders can lift containers weighing up to 8,000 lbs and can hold up to 40 cubic yards of refuse.
Side Loader Garbage Trucks
Side loader garbage trucks are particularly popular in residential communities. Their compact design and quieter operation enable them to go into tight or tricky spaces. Trash is loaded from the side of the truck, either manually or with a driver-operated robotic arm. Manual side loaders can be adapted with cart tippers to become “semi-automated” as needed. Automatic side loaders (ASL) have the capacity to handle up to 1,500 homes a day. The average side loader truck has a capacity of 28 cubic yards, or up to 30,000 pounds of compacted garbage.
Rear Loader Garbage Trucks
Rear loaders differ from front loaders in that they collect trash from the rear. Bin contents are emptied into a large container and are then compressed. Residential and commercial waste is collected by rear loader garbage trucks. They have a large opening in the back that allows for vast amounts of garbage to be collected. The majority of rear-loading garbage trucks can hold waste of up to 850 households. Up to 18 tons of waste can be transported by some of the larger models. Depending on their size, they can support 6 to 35 cubic yards of weight.
Roll Off Garbage Trucks
For large-scale commercial waste pickup, roll off trucks are the most widely used garbage vehicles. They are relatively common on building and demolition sites. As a result of their robust construction, they are perfectly suited for working with larger loads. These vehicles include roll-off containers that can be delivered to specific locations and picked up when the clients have filled them with waste products. A roll off garbage truck has a carrying capacity of about 20,000 pounds, or 10 tons.
Rent a Garbage Truck from Big Truck Rental
No matter how much trash you need to move, Big Truck Rental has the vehicle that will get the job done. Browse our fleet of quality garbage truck rentals from top manufacturers to choose the model that best suits your needs. Our trash truck rental program includes flexible short- and long-term rental agreements so that you pay for the truck only for as long as you need it.