The four numbers at the gate
- Per-ton tipping fee. $40 to $140 a ton in the US, set by the operator and often by the county. Municipal landfills tend to be cheaper; private transfer stations near cities are more.
- Minimum charge. $25 to $50 per trip, charged even if the truck is nearly empty. On a light load the minimum is what you actually pay.
- Item surcharges. Mattresses $10–$40, refrigerant appliances $20–$50, tires $5–$15, TVs and e-waste, sometimes sofas. Pass these through to the customer as line items.
- Special-material rates. Clean concrete and yard waste are often cheaper per ton; construction and demolition debris sometimes more; hazardous and asbestos are separate facilities.
How you are weighed
You drive on a scale full, dump, drive on a scale empty. The difference is billed. A weight ticket is printed. Keep every ticket: it is how you learn what your loads really weigh, and after a few months you will price by weight better than any chart.
The fifth number nobody puts on the sign
Getting there. A truck costs crew wages, ownership and overhead by the hour, plus fuel and wear by the mile. A dump 38 miles away at 55 minutes each way costs about $205 per run before the fee. A dump 15 miles away costs $87. That $118 gap is bigger than the difference between a $42 and $56 per-ton fee on a 2.5-ton load.
| Site | Fee on sign | One way | Per ton delivered (2.5 t) |
|---|---|---|---|
| County landfill | $42 | 38 mi / 55 min | $123.91 |
| Private drop, clean loads | $92 | 4 mi / 9 min | $104.30 |
| Transfer station near yard | $78 | 6 mi / 12 min | $94.74 |
| Regional recycling center | $56 | 15 mi / 24 min | $90.96 |
Cheapest sign, most expensive ton. At two runs a day, chasing the $42 sign costs about $41,000 a year.
Ways to pay less
- Divert. Scrap metal pays you. Cardboard and clean wood are often free or cheap. Donations are free and faster than the scale.
- Fill the truck. The drive costs the same for a half load. Stack two small jobs before one run.
- Know your heavy-load site. The math flips on a 4-ton concrete load: fee dominates, so the far cheap landfill may win. Keep two answers.
- Ask about accounts. Some stations offer a per-ton discount or waive the minimum for commercial accounts.
Put the true number in your prices
Your disposal line on a quote should be cost per ton delivered times tons, not the tipping fee times tons. On the example above that is a $91 line instead of a $56 line for the same load. That gap, on every job, is the difference between a hauling business that grows and one that runs a truck for free.