How do you calculate truck loadout time?

Divide the tonnage by the fill rate to get base time, then multiply by one plus the allowance. Loading 1,200 tons at 150 tons/hr gives 8 hours base, and a 12% allowance raises it to 8.96 hours.

What is a good loadout rate for a haul truck?

Radial stacker and surge-bin loadouts commonly run 100 to 400 tons/hr depending on chute size and material flowability. The 150 tons/hr default is typical for a single chute loading dense aggregate.

What should the loadout allowance be?

Most terminals use 10% to 20% to cover spotting, taring, and tarping. The 12% default reflects a streamlined drive-on scale operation; add more if drivers must tarp manually or reposition between axles.

Why is my actual loadout time longer than the base calculation?

Base time only counts material flow. The extra 0.96 hours in the example comes from the 12% allowance for non-flow activities, plus any queueing that this calculator does not model.

Truck loadout time vs cycle time?

Loadout time covers only filling and prep at the loadout point. Cycle time adds the haul, dump, and return legs, so loadout is one segment of a truck's full round trip.

How do I reduce truck loadout time?

Increase the chute fill rate with a larger surge bin, move to drive-on weigh-in-motion scales to cut taring, and use automated tarping systems to shrink the allowance percentage.

Bulk Solids, Mining, Aggregates & Material Processing calculator

Truck Loadout Time Calculator

Truck Loadout Time predicts how long it takes to fill a haul or delivery truck at a bulk terminal, quarry, or aggregate yard, including the real-world overhead that pure flow rate ignores. Loadout supervisors and logistics planners use it to size queues, schedule trucks, and set realistic appointment windows. The base flow rate from a loadout chute or radial stacker only tells half the story; spotting the truck, taring on the scale, and tarping the load all add time. Modeling that allowance keeps the dispatch board honest and stops trucks from backing up at the loadout.

What this calculator does

Estimate truck loadout time for truck loadout time for bulk solids, mining, aggregates, and material processing using plant-floor material, production, quality, capacity, or cost inputs.
a plant team is reviewing truck loadout time for bulk solids, mining, aggregates, and material processing and needs a clear truck loadout time for production, quality, capacity, maintenance, purchasing, or costing decisions
It computes the total time to load a truck by dividing tonnage by the loadout fill rate and then adding a percentage allowance for spotting, weighing, and tarping.

Formula used

Base truck loadout time = truck loadout time workload ÷ truck loadout time completion rate
Truck Loadout Time = base time × allowance factor

Inputs explained

Tonnage to load into the truck:
Loadout conveyor or chute fill rate:
Spotting, weighing and tarping allowance:

How to use the result

Use it when scheduling truck appointments, sizing a queue lane, or quoting a turnaround time to a haulage customer.
The allowance is a flat percentage, so it does not separate fixed activities like tarping from rate-dependent surge slowdowns, which matters for very small or very large loads.

Common questions

How do you calculate truck loadout time? Divide the tonnage by the fill rate to get base time, then multiply by one plus the allowance. Loading 1,200 tons at 150 tons/hr gives 8 hours base, and a 12% allowance raises it to 8.96 hours.
What is a good loadout rate for a haul truck? Radial stacker and surge-bin loadouts commonly run 100 to 400 tons/hr depending on chute size and material flowability. The 150 tons/hr default is typical for a single chute loading dense aggregate.
What should the loadout allowance be? Most terminals use 10% to 20% to cover spotting, taring, and tarping. The 12% default reflects a streamlined drive-on scale operation; add more if drivers must tarp manually or reposition between axles.
Why is my actual loadout time longer than the base calculation? Base time only counts material flow. The extra 0.96 hours in the example comes from the 12% allowance for non-flow activities, plus any queueing that this calculator does not model.
Truck loadout time vs cycle time? Loadout time covers only filling and prep at the loadout point. Cycle time adds the haul, dump, and return legs, so loadout is one segment of a truck's full round trip.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.