How Many Yards in a Concrete Truck?

A standard concrete truck (also called a cement mixer truck or transit mixer) holds 8 to 10 cubic yards of concrete. The most common size is 9 cubic yards — that's the truck that shows up for most residential driveway, patio, and garage-slab pours.

Why 8–10 and not 25? Weight. A loaded concrete truck can weigh up to 66,000 lb (33 tons) — the truck's empty weight plus a full 10 yd³ of concrete (~40,500 lb) puts it right at the federal highway weight limit. To legally carry more, you'd need a special permit and a different axle configuration, which gets expensive fast.

Common truck sizes

| Truck class | Capacity (yd³) | Notes | |---|---|---| | Standard rear-discharge | 8–10 | The truck most homeowners see. 9 yd³ is the typical loaded amount. | | Front-discharge | 9–11 | Operator sits at the cab, drives the chute. Used on big commercial jobs. | | Mini-mix / short-load | 1–4 | For small residential pours where a full truck would be wasted. Short-load fees apply (see below). | | Volumetric mixer | 1–10 (mixed on-site) | Concrete is mixed in the truck on the way to the job, so the truck arrives empty and you pay for exactly what you use. Best for partial loads. | | Concrete pump | n/a | Separate truck with a boom or hose. Used when the truck can't reach the pour site. Adds $500–$1,500 to the job. |

For most residential work — patios, driveways, garage slabs, foundations — the standard 9 yd³ truck is what you want. If your pour is under 4 yd³, ask about a volumetric mixer or a short-load fee.

Short-load fees

A standard 9 yd³ truck that arrives with only 3 yd³ in the drum still costs the plant about the same to send — the driver, the truck, the fuel, the washout. To recover that cost, plants charge a short-load fee for any pour under 6–8 yd³. The fee is typically:

• Under 1 yd³: $150–$250 short-load fee (or you pay a 1-yd³ minimum)
• 1–3 yd³: $100–$150 short-load fee
• 3–6 yd³: $50–$100 short-load fee
• 6+ yd³: no fee

For a 2 yd³ patio pour, a volumetric mixer is often the right answer — you pay for exactly 2 yd³ of concrete plus a small delivery fee, no short-load penalty. The mixer arrives dry, mixes on-site, and you get exactly the amount you need.

How to read the chute

The chute on the back of a concrete truck is a steel trough that the operator tilts and pivots to direct the flow of concrete. The chute can reach about 12–16 feet from the back of the truck. Beyond that, you need wheelbarrows, a concrete pump, or a different truck position.

A standard chute can be extended with add-on sections (the contractor usually has 2–3 of these on the truck). The chute is also where the operator controls the flow rate — pull the lever to start, push to stop.

Concrete weight and your driveway

A fully loaded 9 yd³ truck weighs ~66,000 lb. That's a lot of weight on a small residential driveway. If your driveway is asphalt or new concrete (less than a year old), ask the contractor to park the truck on the street and chute or pump the concrete to the site. Driving a loaded concrete truck onto a residential driveway can crack the surface.